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spurgie-cousin · 4 years

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Weird History Wednesday🦃

Hey guys! For today’s Weird History Wednesday, we’re getting into the very bizarre American holiday of Thanksgiving. I just want to preface this by saying that this list was originally 70% food facts, both because food preparation at this time in history was straight up bananas, and also because it started making me hungry while I was reading about it. It was only when I was at about 7 food preparation facts that I realized that was probably kind of overkill.

I did manage to rein myself in eventually, although I think I might’ve transferred that energy into a bit of a Squanto rant. All of which you can view at your own risk under the cut!

1. Contrary to popular belief, the Mayflower’s landing at Plymouth rock was not the local native people’s first contact with Europeans. The Wampanoag people of Massachusetts had already been in contact with Europeans for over a century, and were completely familiar with their culture and intentions.

2. The ‘Plymouth Rock’ historical landmark in Cape Cod that tourists (and Jill Rodrigues) can visit is not the actual ‘Plymouth Rock’ or even the location the Pilgrims landed on. It’s essentially just a random rock with a sign in front of it. The real one got split up into three pieces for some reason, and currently resides in museum and historical collections.

Jill Rodrigues posing with the fake Plymouth Rock.

3. The ‘first’ Thanksgiving only happened because of the Wampanoag’s desire to form an alliance with the Plymouth colonizers. Despite the traditional American telling of the story, their invitation wasn’t out of friendship, but out of fear of further decimation by the Europeans; by the time the Mayflower arrived, thousands of Native Americans had been killed by foreign illnesses brought by the colonizers.

4. It’s known that about 2/3 of the people at Thanksgiving feast were Native. There are records of the Pilgrims doing occasional target practice with their muskets during the feast for literally no reason except maybe to be intimidating. Which is kind of bonkers if you think about it, like what kind of asshole just starts shooting at trees during a party because they’re insecure?

‘Massasoit and His Warriors’, wood engraving, 1857

5. There were probably no women that sat down to eat at the ‘first’ Thanksgiving. Since the main goal of the gathering was to form a political alliance between the colonists and the Wampanoag, women were probably purposefully excluded, except when it came to preparing the actual food. Which was a big fucking job, since the feast ended up stretching out over 3 days.

6. Most historians agree that there probably wasn’t any turkey at the first Thanksgiving, and if there was, it definitely wasn’t the centerpiece of the meal. Goose, duck, and shellfish would’ve more likely been main dishes, as well as venison, which we know was brought to the colony that day by the Wampanoag. Wild turkey might’ve been included as a side dish along with pigeon and swan. Turkey didn’t really become associated with Thanksgiving until the mid-1800s.

The pilgrims and Natives probably ate a lot of lobster and oyster during the ‘first’ Thanksgiving, a tradition I personally believe should be revived.

7. If turkey or any large bird was served, it was probably boiled in plain water, which sounds bland and gross but was the traditional way to cook large fowl at the time. The meal was probably mostly meat with limited grains and vegetables, despite modern depictions of the feast including tons of corns and grains.

8. There were no potatoes of any kind at the first Thanksgivings, and there wouldn’t be for many subsequent ones. Potatoes would not make it to that area of North America for at least a century.

9. The mythical figure of Squanto (one of my all-time personal favorites of this story) was actually named Tisquantum and was a native of the Patuxet, a branch of the Wampanoag Tribal Confederation. He was one of several Natives who were enslaved by John Smith’s raiding party in the early 1600s and dragged back to England as a slave and sideshow. At this time, the Patuxet had a thriving civilization of thousands on the coast of New England that would rival a lot of Western city centers.

10. While in England, Tisquantum became fluent in English and years later was eventually able to persuade his way back to New England. When he returned, he found his home had been completely decimated by the colonists, and all remaining Patuxet were either dead or dying. The Patuxet are now considered to be an extinct civilization, with Tisquantum being the last know member.

’Tisquantum, Or Squanto, the Guide and Interpreter’ Charles de Wolf Brownell, 1864

11. Another related fact that’s worth noting is that around this time, it was popular for explorers from the ‘new world’ to return with captive animals and Natives, and parade them as mini sideshows at aristocratic events. Pocahontas is a famous example of this and was arguably a more ‘exotic’ and desirable ‘guest’ at these events, since she wore English clothes and participated in English society.

12. George Washington and many other ‘founding fathers’ originally wanted a Thanksgiving-ish holiday to celebrate the success of the Revolutionary war that focused on prayer and reflections. Thomas Jefferson, always the self righteous hypocrite, was the only one at the time to be opposed to the idea because of his dedication to the separation of church and state.

13. Until around the early 1800s, the Thanksgiving holiday wasn’t really nationally celebrated, and those who did celebrate focused more on prayer and meditation like Washington intended. The holiday didn’t focus on a large meal, and a lot of people actually fasted. It wasn’t until the Civil War, when Abe Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in an attempt to unite a divided country, that the holiday began to take it’s more modern shape.

Part of Abe Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

14. Ok we’ll end with a modern weird Thanksgiving fact, which is that Thanksgiving is by and large the most busy day of the year for plumbers. Apparently Americans just destroy the shit out of their plumbing systems over the holiday, even more than on Christmas. The most affected fixtures include sinks and toilets.

This isn’t a weird fact, but I think it’s also important to note that Thanksgiving is considered a day of mourning for many Native American tribes (and rightly so). The United American Indians of New England organize a mass mourning rally every year in remembrance of the hundreds of thousands of Natives killed by colonial genocide, much of which was initiated by colonizers like the Pilgrims.

In honor of that, this year I will be making a donation to the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness and I wanted to include that link here in case anyone else wanted to do the same.

I also wanted to add the link for the American Indian College Fund which is another great and vital organization that definitely deserves your support!!

Thanks for reading, and see y’all next week!

#weird history wednesday #thanksgiving

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jamaiskookie · 4 years

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chapter two ; vent shenanigans

🎃 warnings: mentions of injury / falls, police officer jargon (?)

🎃 word count: 4.1k

🎃 genre: crack + humour = quality bangtan fics

🎃 A/N: i’m back!! i missed you... what’s up ? :-) go flood my inbox okay thanks HEHEHEHEHHEHE I’M EVIL FOR ENDING IT LIKE THIS BUT I’M NOT SORRY

main masterlist. heist masterlist. PREV

🎃 synopsis: “it’s heist time, baby!“ detective jeon jungkook is not nicknamed ‘golden maknae’ for no reason. he’s good at everything, except pleasing his superiors, something his colleagues find to be a piece of cake. which is why he jumps on the opportunity to finally prove himself in something he knows he’ll excel in: a halloween heist.

“Who has the key?”

“It’s not me! It’s Jeon, I can feel it in my bones!”

“Wha-? Are you kidding me right now?”

“It’s you! I never saw where the key went after you took the box away, you must’ve stashed it on yourself instead of putting it inside the box! Guys, I got it, it’s Jungkook. Now everyone just hOARD him-”

“Don’t you dare touch Jungkook!”

“I left the key in the box so no one can snatch it!”

“Jimin, get your hand away from my ass or I swear to God I will murder you- ”

“Wait, so are we trying to find the key or the box or the watch? I’m honestly just confused?”

“JUNGKOOK. It’s Jungkook, I’m literally calling it.”

“Bitch- pardon my french- but, Bitch?? I have been staying still all this time! I think it’s Namjoon, he’s making random accusations with zero reasoning.”

“I literally don’t know what’s going on.”

“What’s the use of teams if we’re all going to be like this? I vote that we all split up, every man for themselves.”

“I agree, Seokjin is not a very good teammate. He spent the last few minutes practicing a dance to Beyonce’s ‘Partition’. I think he’s in a cult, but we’ll get back to that.”

“I’m not in a cult, it’s a dance team! It’s a sport, you know?”

“Fuck, who was that?”

“That’s my hand, what the fuck? Why are all the lights off?”

“Is there a power shortage?”

“Holy fucking goddamn shit, someone must be trying to get the box! Protect, protect, protect! I repeat: Someone is infiltrating!”

“How do we know it’s not just you pulling a trick, huh, TAEHYUNG?!”

“The box, it’s fucking gone!”

The lights abruptly switch back on. Jimin and Taehyung fall back with a thud, wincing at the sudden intrusion of light. Everyone turns to the middle of the room. A gasp goes around the precinct.

Yoongi.

literally only ten minutes ago :

Jungkook is slightly regretting all the decisions he has made over the course of his short 23 years of living. It may be too late for that- He’s made some really stupid desicions before- but if only he had come clean and just taken disciplinary action. Maybe he wouldn’t have been roped into such an elaborate plan.

Although, he must admit, it does appeal to his competitive side. But if only he had just told the Captain earnestly, that he was just eating overripe bananas for the hell of it, he wouldn’t be hanging upside down from the ceiling of the precinct right now.

Because if there’s anything he’s learned from his accumulative 10 hours per week spent on Among Us, it’s that vents are the best invention known to mankind for all things sneaky and deceitful. This particular incident checks both of those boxes.

Except he isn’t killing one of the players and chucking them off a spaceship.

Jimin whispers in his ear through Jungkook’s airpods, “Are you okay? Over.”

“Hello Carbonara Boy, please use our code names. Over.” Jungkook whispers in response.

“Justin Seagull, is everything going smoothly? Over.” Jungkook cracks up as quietly as he is able to at his code name.

“Carbonara Boy, the coast seems to be clear. Going in.” Jungkook mumbles into the phone.

“Okay Justin Seagull,” Jimin pauses before continuing. “Be careful, don’t fall out of the vents like you did last time.” Jungkook swallows his annoyance down.

“That was one time, and it was barely a fall.” Jungkook says through gritted teeth. “Carbonara Boy.” He adds as an afterthought after he realises he had foregone the codename formalities.

“You were almost rushed to the ER, what do you mean barely-?!” Jimin argues, and Jungkook’s eye twitches. He’s so tempted to mute Jimin on his call, but he can’t afford it. He needs someone to be on the lookout in case Yoongi pops back from his fourth coffee run of the night.

Jungkook’s head bangs against the top of the vent, and he wordlessly curses whoever designed these things to be so tiny. It’s like they didn’t even consider that an (almost) 6 foot man would be crawling through the ceiling vent to win a Halloween Heist. He crawls army style on his elbows, inching forward slowly to the next opening.

“Justin Seagull- ” Jimin stops. “Wait, what’s Namjoon’s codename?” Jungkook’s about to reply when a voice rings out, clearly from below him. He stops in his tracks, not paying attention to Jimin’s question.

“- helping Jeon? From what I know, you take delight in ratting him out.” Says a voice which sounds suspiciously like Taehyung. Jungkook can feel the force of Namjoon’s eyes rolling all the way from the ceiling.

Wait. Taehyung? Namjoon? Did he accidentally crawl to the break room? Jungkook throws his head back- as much as he can in the enclosed space, internally groaning and working out the physics of how the heck he’s going to be able to turn around in this tiny vent.

What he meant to do was get to the middle of the precinct. He strategically had placed his watch box straight underneath a vent covering, meaning he could swing down and grab the box immediately while Jimin created some sort of distraction. How did he manage to get to the break room instead?

“I can’t.” A snobby sounding voice pipes up to answer Taehyung. Yes, that was definitely Namjoon’s nagging voice. “He’s attacked my pride now, I have to win!” Taehyung sighs- a sound that Jungkook has practically memorised just from the sheer amount of times Taehyung has sighed at whatever kind of stupid antics Jungkook has found himself doing.

“Okay,” The sergeant relents. “It can’t be too hard. It’s just taking a watch. It’s not even guarded, or hidden, or anything. Just out there in plain sight. I’ll go out and get it. I have work to get back to, and I need to be back home early tonight, the twins are going trick-or-treating.”

Jungkook hears a loud scraping noise, and then a goose quacking from below.

“Are you stupid?” Nevermind, it wasn’t a goose. Just Namjoon screeching. “It’s a Halloween Heist. No way it’ll be that easy, we’re playing against the best officers in the force. If you go out and grab it, then the others will come out and pounce on us.”

“Okay!” Taehyung relents, giving in so that Namjoon will stop his duck screeching. “Then what do you propose we do?” There’s a pregnant pause and the unmistakable sound of Namjoon fiddling with his glasses- a habit he’s built up when he’s concentrating.

Jimin is still yelling through Jungkook’s airpods, even though Jungkook can’t reply. Jungkook drags himself back by a centimeter experimentally, accidentally bumping his head against the top of the vent. His face twists up in pain, wordlessly hissing.

“What was that?” Taehyung asks.

Curses.

Jungkook scampers away (As much as he can scamper in a tiny vent.) going backwards on his elbows as fast and as quietly as he can. But then suddenly, his abdomen sinks in the metal below him, and the vent floor rips apart. Jungkook freezes, and promptly falls into the air.

Bemusedly, Jungkook wonders if this is how felons feel when they hear a police siren nearby. It’s terrifying. Maybe he should be more empathetic to his perps. Jungkook lands on his stomach with a deafening, telltale screech of the metal scraping the floor, rolling across on his back in excruciating pain.

“- Kook, did you hear me? I said that I think you’re headed to Namjoon- what was that noise?” Jimin questions worriedly from the phone. Jungkook sighs in relief, because Jimin’s clear voice means his phone is still intact from the fall. He brings his knuckles up to his eyeline and winces.

His phone may be intact, but his body is slightly ruined. Nothing new, he thinks. At least he didn’t break a bone this time.

Namjoon and Taehyung look on confusingly. After a wild pause of silence and tension, Namjoon speaks. “Were you,” He says, enunciating each syllable. “Spying on us?”

“Not intentionally.” Jungkook defends, still hurt on the ground. “I just fell out of a vent, and your biggest worry is that I was spying on you guys? Wow. I’m hurt. I thought we were closer than this, Kim.” Namjoon waves away Jungkook’s concerns.

“You always fall out of things. This isn't even the first time you’ve fallen out of a vent.”

“- Why does everyone keep bringing that up!”

The break door swings open, and Jimin screams when he sees Jungkook laying on the floor. “Oh, god! Oh, god, oh God! Oh no, what happened?” He blanches at the sight of the tiniest amount of blood lacing Jungkook’s knuckles.

“I’m fine,” Jungkook grumbles, reaching his hand up to motion at Jimin. His hair is sticking out in all directions, his clothes crumpled and his Jimin grabs a hold of him with his left hand, pulling him up so he can stand. Jungkook groans, clutching at his stomach. “I’m fine, this isn’t even that bad. The metal took most of the fall.” He insists. “I’m not going to break my three year streak of not going to a doctor.”

“You haven’t been to a doctor in three years??” Before Taehyung can jump into his lecture on how poorly Jungkook is managing his health, Jungkook balances on his feet and flings an arm around Jimin’s shoulder, smiling brightly.

“Carry on with your heisting, men. Apologies for the interruption, my B. Definitely my bad.” Jungkook dismisses it and heads to the direction of the door as if there is not a whole chunk of vent on the ground, which he just fell out of. But Namjoon just shrugs. That’s Jungkook for you.

The man has unorthodox ways and almost always lives spontaneously.

“What is going on here?” Hoseok asks just as Jungkook and Jimin are about to walk out. The Captain stares suspiciously inside, and Jungkook’s smile stretches unnaturally up to his ears; the smile he puts on manually when he has something to hide.

“Nothing! I didn’t break any government property, that’s for sure.” Jungkook reassures the Captain, slowly closing the door behind him, concealing the mess inside with a blinding grin. Hoseok’s glare narrows, but he doesn’t make an attempt to investigate any further.

After all, the watch is still shut tight in the middle of the room, untouched and unmoving.

“What were you doing in the Kims’ territory?” Seokjin asks, but his gaze is fixed on his phone screen, texting furiously. He looks up when Jungkook doesn’t reply.

“Umm,” Jimin fumbles. “We were just-”

“Jeon fell out of a vent.” Hoseok proposes, filling in the rest of Jimin’s sentence.

“The fuck?” Jungkook sputters out. “How did you know?” Jin breaks out in laughter, pushing both of them aside to peek into the room. Sure enough, metal scraps lay in the center with the imprint of Jungkook’s back seen in the middle. His laugh grows more obnoxious and he leans over his stomach.

Hoseok shrugs nonchalantly, but there’s a satisfying victorious glint in the corner of his eye. “You have blood on your knuckles, I can see the Kims in there looking at something on the ground, and I figured the large crash we heard could only mean that Jungkook did something.” Jungkook pouts.

“Plus,” Hoseok points out. “This isn’t the first time Jungkook’s fallen out of a vent, so it was fairly simple figuring out what happened.” Jungkook holds his palm up, signalling his superior to stop.

“Okay,” He sighs out. “We get it. I fall out of vents. I’m not the imposter, I swear this was an accident.” Hoseok turns to Seokjin, forcing him to abruptly force down his laughing fit, as he always does when he doesn’t understand a pop culture reference.

“Oh,” Jin begins explaining. “It’s this really popular game online. There is an imposter which acts as a killer, and they have to kill everyone on the ship before each crewmate finishes their tasks.” If anything, Jin’s explanation leaves even more questions unanswered, but the Captain doesn’t pry any further. Jungkook’s grin softens sheepishly.

“Nothing suspicious here!” He exclaims loudly, hobbling away with Jimin back to the evidence room. Four pairs of eyes follow his footsteps, waiting just in case he suddenly reaches out to grab the box. But Jungkook is smart enough to know that his colleagues aren’t afraid to tackle him, crippled or not.

Reluctantly, Hoseok walks back to his office, dragging Seokjin by the collar. Namjoon sighs, pursing his lips in annoyance.

“Well,” He remarks defeatedly to Taehyung. “There goes our vent plan.” He crosses off ‘Among Us Vent ~ Plan #53’ off the gigantic bright pink binder which lays on the table. Taehyung not-so-secretly lets out a relieved exhale, which Namjoon pretends not to notice.

But the vent isn’t what triggers the chaos about to ensue. No, that was entirely a misunderstanding. Jungkook balances himself on Jimin’s shoulder, while Jimin is chastising him, scolding him for not being careful.

“If you keep falling out of vents-”

“Again, it was only twice-”

“Two times more than necessary. Normal people don’t fall out of vents that often, Jungkook.” Jungkook beams down at Jimin, the tip of a bad joke already rolling out his mouth.

“But we’re not normal people, Chimmy,” He says proudly. “We’re cops.” He says it as if he’s reciting a speech after being awarded a medal for his work in the force, not like someone who just fell (Quite spectacularly) out of a vent.

“The vent just couldn’t hold all this muscle.” Jungkook says. “All of this,” He holds up his knuckles and flexes his knee out cautiously. He really isn’t that badly hurt. Jimin just makes a big deal out of everything. “Will be healed soon.” Jimin doesn’t seem too convinced.

Jungkook shuts the evidence room door behind him, rubbing the back of his neck in slight regret. In hindsight, the whole vent idea was probably a bad idea. Even if it did end up sounding like a good plan, he should’ve sent Jimin in the vent instead of him. Jimin’s short stature and thin stance would have given him a much larger advantage than Jungkook had in a vent. Jimin also has a better sense of direction than Jungkook does. He probably wouldn’t have ended up crawling to the break room.

Jimin sits Jungkook down, still side-eyeing him annoyingly for the vent incident.

“Okay, so plan A failed!” Jungkook exclaims, worriedly positively. “Time for plan B!”

Jimin’s right eyebrow lifts up in confusion. “Do you have a plan B?”

“Well… ” Jungkook pauses. “No, but we’ll work one out.”

“Just no more vents, please?” Jimin pleads, and Jungkook agrees. As if Jimin would let him go five feet near a vent ever again even if he didn’t agree.

“Okay, no more vents. I promise.” (Jungkook crosses his third finger over his index finger behind his back. Just in case. You never know when going inside a vent is going to come in handy.)

“You know, I was thinking… ” Jimin ponders, and Jungkook perks up, listening intently. “It’s weird that Yoongi’s not back- ” Jungkook put a finger up, silently telling Jimin to shut up for a bit. He peeks outside the door through the blinds, frowning. After almost zero thought or consideration, he flings the door open and steps outside.

“Hey!” Jimin squeaks out. “You’re not fully healed yet, you shouldn’t walk-!” He follows Jungkook out the door. Outside, possibly the most brutal fight ever happened in the precinct is going on. And that’s saying something. They have some of the highest arrest records in Seoul.

You would be surprised how violent teenaged girls can get when you take away their phones.

Jimin can still feel that bald spot at the back of his head if he reaches back far enough. That patch of hair will never grow back, he thinks sadly. Curse Kim Yoona, that little delinquent. He should’ve just left her alone when he saw her drinking a can of beer on the sidewalk.

Outside, Jin and Taehyung are currently engaged in the most intense screaming match Jungkook has ever seen.

“- Well then, WHY would you be out here messing with the box then?!” The squawking noise comes from Seokjin.

“MESSING WITH THE BOX? I did no such thing!” And the shrieking is Taehyung’s voice.

“You’re clearly trying to steal the box straight in front of us, idiot!” Squawk.

“I was just trying to get to my desk!” Shriek.

“wHY would you go through this path to get to your desk?” Squawk.

Jungkook waves his arms, walking in between the two feuding men, as if his body can block out the squawking and shrieking. It doesn’t, and the men continue to argue through Jungkook’s torso.

“You’re trying to win the heist by being an idiot? That’s what you’re doing?”

“An idiot-? - Jungkook get out of the way I’m going to commit murder- ”

“Seokjin,” Jungkook sighs. “Don’t murder him in a police station. If you must, you might as well do it in a dark alley or something.” Taehyung looks offended, but he doesn’t have enough time to get mad or berate him through Jungkook’s ongoing speech.

“What’s going on? Is the box still here?” Jungkook asks. The box is sat still just about a meter next to him, which is slightly relieving and at the same time, disappointing. He thought some real drama had been going on.

Hoseok and Namjoon are huddled in a corner, watching. A sigh leaves Namjoon’s lips, but nobody can tell whether the source of the sigh is from frustration or just one of Namjoon’s periodic i-can’t-believe-i-work-with-these-idiots sighs, which Jungkook is usually the recipient of.

The captain and the exasperated officer step forward, about to enter the screaming match. Jimin also shuffles towards the huddle of police, craning his head to examine the box- which is still sitting untouched. But not for long, of course.

Namjoon frowns, already suspicious of the other side and he slides over next to Taehyung, defending him. The very same way, Hoseok stands at Seokjin’s side, quietly displaying a rare case of loyalty. Seokjin preens over the box, but he can’t open it to see if the watch is still inside- the others would surely protest.

And Jungkook and Jimin are just left awkwardly to the side, looking over the looming threat of the severe conflict going on.

“Who has the key?” The Captain asks.

And well, you know the rest. (Just scroll up, please. For efficiency’s sake there will be a slight time skip. Thank you for your cooperation!)

two minutes after the start of the screaming match ~

“Yoongles-!” Seokjin yelps at the sight of Yoongi bursting in. Yoongi looks seemingly confused; obviously some sort of distraction or act he’s played up to confuse the precinct- well, Jungkook will have none of that, thank you very much.

“Okay,” He scowls. “We get it, Yoongi, you intellectual smuck.” Yoongi stares blankly at Jungkook, mouthing the words ‘intellectual smuck’ silently to himself.

“What, suddenly you have the vocabulary skill of an actual adult?” Yoongi asks in his signature dry and emotionless tone. Jungkook should be offended, but he still hasn’t passed that vocabulary test from the second grade, so maybe he has a point.

Even the Captain is staring warily at Yoongi. Namjoon and Taehyung are just straight up glaring at this point. Jimin is just confused.

“I just came back from a Starbucks- I didn’t want to support capitalism, but nothing else was open this late- what are you guys doing?” Before anyone can answer his obvious lie, he notices the chair in the middle of the room. “Oh hey,” He says, the expression on his face lifting up a little. “Are you guys done already?”

Six heads slowly turn to the middle of the precinct to the chair that Jungkook had dragged out just half an hour ago. It’s empty, with just a light coating of dust left on the surface of the seat. The six heads turn back to Yoongi with knowing glances and pointed glares.

He lifts one hand- the hand not holding the starbucks paper cup in surrender.

“Wasn’t me.” He said, unconcerned. “Why would I bother stealing it?” But his hand clutching the coffee cup is placed weirdly, like he grabbed it hastily in the dark. And, Jungkook notices Yoongi's left knee is weirdly pressed against the second drawer in his desk.

Jungkook’s eyes narrow.

“Then if you didn’t steal it,” Yoongi rolls his eyes in irritation when he hears the word ‘steal’. “What’s in that second drawer, Yoongles?” Yoongi halts. After an odd moment of hesitation, he sets down his coffee. He swallows down nothing, gulping while darting his eyes around. His cheeks turn rosy, which is unsettling to see on his pale as white face.

Min Yoongi is nervous, which is a sight Jungkook never thought he would live to see.

Strangely enough, he exchanges a brief look to Jimin before stuttering out a response to Jungkook. “Ah- ” He blurts out. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Namjoon barks out. “I take back the accusation I placed on Jungkook, then. Yoongi clearly orchestrated this whole thing.” Yoongi sputters out some noise of complaint.

“Open the drawer, Min.” Hoseok commands, exercising his authority in a slightly (?) questionable way. However, nobody seems to be complaining. Nobody but Yoongi, of course.

“Hey!” He yells. “That's an infringement of privacy! You have no right to do so, even as my employer!” Hoseok, regrettably, has to commend his employee’s knowledge of rights and bylaws in the workplace. Jungkook curses. He only has two options to win the heist now, each just as unlikely feasible as the other.

1. Somehow manage to convince Yoongi to open his drawer, then grab onto the watch-box before anyone else gets a hold of it.

Highly unlikely that Yoongi will open his drawer in the first place; that man is the physical manifestation of the word stubborn.

2. Cause a distraction and break into Yoongi’s drawer.

Quite unethical for a police officer to do in the first place. And also, he’d really prefer to come out of this heist alive. And Yoongi would definitely skin him alive if he went through his private stuff. So the best chance he’s got is to prod at option number one.

Jungkook crosses his arms together. Beside him, Taehyung and Hoseok do the same. “There’s only one reason you wouldn’t open the damn drawer, sunbae.” He says. “It’s because you have the watch-box inside, isn’t it?”

Seokjin nods in agreement. “You put up this whole front saying you want nothing to do with this and then dropping off to go get coffee so we wouldn’t suspect you!”

“How else can you explain all the lights suddenly turning off?”

“Must have been a freak power cut, I don’t know!”

“Also!” Jimin adds furiously. “You didn’t even get us anything from Starbucks! How could you? You know the pumpkin spice latte is only here until Halloween!” Which is the least of their worries right now, but Jimin’s remark is enough to make Yoongi flinch.

“I’m telling you,” He insists, but his grip on the drawer hasn’t budged an inch. He’s nervous, but there’s a tiny proud or smug look in the corner of his eye. He definitely has the box. Jungkook’s now absolutely and completely sure of it. “I don’t have the stupid box thing!”

“You lie.” Taehyung accuses, and Hoseok nods. He’s been strangely silent, although Jungkook supposes the Captain can’t very well get angry and begin reprimanding his officers for something like this. A secondary theory he has is that the Captain can’t afford to lose his steely-cool reputation, which would be upheld no matter what Hoseok does, but he doesn’t bother to point that out.

“Hand over the box,” Jungkook says. “You can’t stay here all up until midnight.”

“I don’t have the goddamn box, for fuck’s sake-!”

“Language. If the ‘goddamn box’ isn’t hidden in your desk, then what is in your drawer of mystery, Officer Min?”

“Can a man not have his secrets?”

“Your secrets… are hidden in your office desk?”

“... Never mind that, I heard Jungkook fell out of a vent again, what was that about?”

“He just can’t keep himself from falling out of vents.”

“ONE TIME. - And you’re changing the subject! Stop it!”

Amidst the chaos unfolding, Namjoon stands in the corner, occasionally jumping in to jab a few words at a very infuriated Yoongi. When nobody is looking, the corner of Namjoon’s mouth tilts up in a smug, but subtle smirk. Nobody, not even his own ‘partner’ Taehyung is aware of the rectangular box containing someone’s certain watch in the second drawer of his desk. Now all he has to do is hold on to it until midnight.

TO BE CONTINUED.

🎃 talk to the bangtan officers! add yourself to the taglist!

TAGS; @extremeobsessions101 @jksbbyfacebunny @dwcljh @stonyiscanon @bishuthot @s0seo @cecedrake2217

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wilderwestking · 5 years

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Those Who Cry Wolf Chapter 1 Read On: AO3|FF

Summary: Wolves haven't roamed the forests of Berk for nearly a decade, but when campers begin to hear howls in the night, Astrid is sent to investigate. What she uncovers is far more dangerous than a beast in the night. [Park Ranger!AU with a dark twist]

Rating: T+

The phone was already ringing when Astrid walked through the doors of the Berk Forests National Park Ranger Station Three.

Glancing at her wristwatch as she closed the door behind her, it blinked 0400 in red LED lights. The station was empty, save for her—which was curious considering Snotlout was supposed to be on the late shift.

On the walls, antique paintings of wildlife hung, their painted eyes watching Astrid as she crossed the room. Through the windows, wisps of light shined, but the day was young, and it was dark as Astrid placed her half-eaten banana on the shared desk and grabbed the phone.

Flicking on an old, brass desk lamp, she lifted the phone to her ear with a sense of urgency, mentally cursing Snotlout for skipping out on his responsibilities. If another ranger's station was calling this early in the morning, there must have been an emergency: a fire or a flood or a mother wanting a refund on camping passes because it rained.

Bulky and with a too-long, knotted cord, the outdated phone fit into the space between her shoulder and ear as she leaned against the study, wooden desk. On the line, Ranger Fishlegs Ingerman spoke I rapid bursts, sounding far more awake than she felt.

“Snotlout? Where have you been? Thank Thor, you finally picked up, we—”

“It’s me, Fishlegs,” Astrid interjected. “Snotlout left early, no surprise. What’s wrong?”

Some campers—get this, Astrid!” And she swore there was a twinge of excitement to his tone. “Some campers called in from near Raven’s Point. They say they’ve heard a wolf howling all night!”

“Fishlegs,” She groaned. “Wolves haven’t lived in Berk’s forests for over a decade. You know that.” She settled back into her chair, shrugging out of her heavy ranger’s jacket. “It’s probably just some teenagers playing a prank. Or a really big dog. You know how city people can be.”

Situated in the far north of the Barbaric Archipelago, Berk was more forest than village. A tiny island dense with boreal forests and a plethora of animals, people traveled from all over Europe to hike the snowcapped mountains and kayak in the pristine rivers.

In her five years as a park ranger, Astrid had seen a lot. From drunks to wild animals to the Thorston twins pretending to be lycanwings, there was little that could surprise her at this point.

“I know, I know,” Fishlegs said “But it really seems like it could be a wolf. What if it is? That could mean there’s a pack! And a pack would mean a breeding population! Do you know what the first breeding population in a decade could do for the local fauna?”

Rolling her eyes, Astrid let Fishlegs ramble about the ecological benefits of apex predators for another moment before cutting him off, “—I’ll go check it out, but don’t get your hopes up. Grimmel killed the last wolf when we were kids. “

“Right,” He said, deflating at her history lesson. “I knew that…just be careful, Astrid.”

“I always am.” She assured. "Keep your channel open, I’ll keep you updated.”

Ending their conversation, she shoved the rest of her banana into her mouth and pulled her jacket back on.

Tugging her braid from beneath the thick fabric, she let it fall down her left shoulder before scribbling a note in the off-chance that Snotlout would come back to finish his shift.

Raven’s Point, roughly ten miles from Station Three, was a secluded, primitive campground known for its waterfalls and ancient trees. Climbing into her jeep, she relented that it was just far away enough that she wouldn’t be able to hear a wolf’s howl from her post and that maybe, maybethere could be some legitimacy to Fishleg’s theory.

Turning onto the main road, her Jeep cut through the morning mist. Careful to avoid the skittering squirrels or bother the grazing reindeer, she kept her eyes trained for any sign of a wolf.

Down the path, the animals seemed undisturbed, more concerned with Astrid’s intrusion that the invasion of an apex predator. The wildlife’s passive nature combined with the lack of discarded carcasses or wolf droppings reaffirmed Astrid’s belief that a wolf was an impossible visitor to Berk’s forests.

Reaching a scenic overlook, Astrid made to turn her vehicle around. She had paperwork and rounds to do and this wild goose chase had cost her precious time. She would be behind schedule for the rest of the day if she didn't pick up her pace.

But then, stopping her jeep mid-turn, she heard it: a wolf howl. Crisp and clear, it cut through the air and echoed off the trees.

Astrid put the jeep in park and jumped out, rushing to the edge of the overlook.

The howl echoed, but after a few moments of concentration, Astrid pinned the noise to Thor’s Hammer, a lake that ran parallel to Raven’s Point. Fortunately, the area contained few campsites due to constant flooding.

She patted her belt, checking for her tranquilizer gun. If the wolf was hostile, she would need to be quick on the trigger.

Straying from the path, Astrid raised the radio to lips, pressing the button to speak. “Fishlegs? I think I found our wolf. Over.”

A few seconds of static hummed in the quiet morning, then Fishleg’s voice rang out, “You did? Really? Did you Tranq it? Over.”

“Not yet, in pursuit. 10-22 is Thor’s Hammer. Over.”

“I’ll have a containment and veterinary team on standby.” He said, and across the radio, Astrid can hear the furious clicking of a keyboard. “ooh! Just think, Astrid! A wolf! In Berk!” The static buzzes for a few more seconds before Fishlegs remembered protocol. “over.”

“Riiight.” She says, voice even as her eyes scan the ground for prints to track. “Just remember: if it eats me, I want Snotlout held personally responsible. Over and out.”

Clicking the radio back into its holster, she slipped carefully between the trees. Stepping over a large, rotted tree, a flock of birds took to the sky, chirping angrily at Astrid for being disturbed.

Knowing she couldn't fight off a wolf, Astrid held her tranquilizer gun in front of her, ready to shoot should the wolf try to attack her.

Stepping down the slope, the wolf howled again. Its cry echoed through the forest and bounced off the trees, but it’s starting location didn't appear to change.

Following the path of least resistance, Astrid arrived at Thor’s Hammer. Freezing in the tree line, the lake comes into view. Thirty feet away, bathed in the early morning fog, a wolf—the wolf—paces at the water’s edge. Solid black but covered in mud, its fur hung in shaggy clumps.

Breath catching in her throat, all she could do was stare. She’d seen coyotes and foxes and even a protective mother bear before, but nothing could compare to the sheer size of the wolf. Her finger hovered over the trigger of her gun as she took aim, watching the creature carefully.

The wolf, seemingly unaware of her presence, continued pacing, giant paws splashing at the shoreline. With shoulders hunched and ears pinned against its head, it walked along the edge, muzzle to the ground. Then, after a few laps of its path, it sat down on its haunches, lifted its muzzle to the sky, and howled once more.

Using the noise to her advantage, Astrid took a step forward, hoping to get a clear shot. Beneath her feet, a twig snapped.

The wolf’s head snapped up and suddenly two intelligent, green eyes were watching her with such intensity that it felt as though the wolf could see straight through her.

Heart pumping, she forced herself to stand still. Afraid of moving too quickly and startling the beast, Astrid was sure it could hear every thump of her nervous heart. Her gun weighed heavy in her hand as she aimed down the sights.

The wolf, noticing the gun, snarled, its muzzle curling up to show a mouth of sharp teeth.

Having a clear shot to the wolf’s chest, Astrid was about to pull the trigger when she noticed a thick, red leather collar breaking through the black fur.

“A collar?” She asked herself, lowering the gun. “Maybe you are just a really, really big dog…”

The really, really too-big-to-be-a-dog-dog threw its head back and howled. The combination of the proximity and the volume caused Astrid to cover her ears. “Okay, okay! Definitely a wolf! But why do you have a collar?”

The wolf tilted its head at her, tongue lolling from the side of its mouth. It stared at her for a few moments and eventually, Astrid lowered the gun, feeling less threatened.

Seeing the gun lowered, the wolf plodded to her side. Sitting at her feet, it stared up at her.

Cautiously, Astrid looked the wolf over, finding a silver tag peeking out from the matted black fur. Reaching forward, her thumb brushed across the engraving. “Toothless?”

The wolf barked in affirmation, pressing its wet nose into her stomach and whining pitifully.

Tentatively, Astrid ran her fingers through the coarse fur, gently unknotting the clumps that had formed around his collar. Aside from the collar and pet tag, the wolf’s passive demeanor was unlike anything Astrid had experienced in her Ranger training. Sure, the section on wolves was brief due to them being functionally extinct on Berk, but she knew without a doubt that wolves were not supposed to be pets. The creature at her feet acted more German Shepard than Tundra Wolf and it made her feel uneasy.

Careful not to startle the wolf, she ran her fingers down its neck and under its chin, jumping back as it grabbed the sleeve of her jacket with its teeth. Turning its head, it tugged her arm in the direction of Raven’s Point.

Frowning, Astrid pulled her jacket back, rubbing her forearm nervously. “What do you want?”

The wolf, to her disbelief, trotted a few steps away, throwing its head once again toward Raven’s Point. Ears perked, and tail wagging, the wolf watched her expectantly.

“You…want me to follow you?”

Again, acting unlike any animal Astrid had ever seen, the wolf nodded its large head before racing into the woods.

“Hey, wait!” Astrid called urgently, stowing her tranquilizer gun in its holster and rushing after the canine.

Through the ferns and fallen logs and thick trees, Astrid followed the wolf further and further into the woods. Passed Thor’s Hammer and Passed Raven’s Point, they hiked. The wolf turned its head back every few steps to ensure that Astrid was indeed still following.

Raising her radio to her mouth, she inhaled deeply before thumbing the button to speak. “Ranger Hofferson reporting in on the 10-91B. Currently in pursuit. Over.”

“Ranger Ingerman responding,” Fishlegs said formally. “Did you capture the wolf? Over.”

“Not yet, there’s been a…complication.” She said, lungs heaving as the wolf took a turn up a craggy hill. Pebbles tumbled down the slope as the pair climbed higher, Astrid having to crawl on all-fours at points to stay balanced. “The wolf…it has a collar. It’s someone’s pet! Fishlegs, it’s..it’s tame! Over.”

“A pet?” He asked, confusion clear even through the static. “Who would have a wolf for a pet and just…leave it? What’s your plan? Over.”

“It’s—“ She took a deep breath “—You’ll think I’m crazy, ‘Legs, but it’s leading me somewhere. I’m following it. Keep your channel live. I’ll keep you informed. Over and out.”

Finally clearing the hill, the ground leveled out and revealed a primitive campsite. Certainly not sanctioned by Berk Forests authorities, a lean-to was built into the side of a rocky hill. Made from tightly woven branches and leaves with a thin canvas thrown over the roof, Astrid’s training told her it was made by someone who knew what they were doing. In front of the shelter, a ring of stones sat cold. Once used for containing fires, it now was filled with ash and broken, burnt logs.

Without hesitation, the wolf entered the lean-to, curling up beside a pile of filthy blankets, its head resting on the center of the pile. Nose snuggling into a crevice, Astrid could hear it whining.

Then, from the pile of blankets, she heard a sickening hack and saw a pale, shaking hand rise from the mound to stroke the dark muzzle.

Rushing forward, Astrid pushed herself into the tiny shelter, nose crinkling at the smell. The foul odor of rot and vomit mixed with the smell of…almonds?

Beside the blankets, a rotten fish and a rabbit carcass sat. Buzzing from the wound openings, flies feasted on the forgotten prey. Astrid pushed the tainted meat away, hoping to ease the odor. Realizing the odor came from the blankets and not the discarded animals, she gagged, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket to avoid breathing in the putrid air.

Using her free arm, she pulled back the blankets.

Amidst the mud and the mold and the blood was a boy.

#httyd #Hiccup Haddock #Astrid Hofferson #Hiccstrid #Hiccup!whump #Grimmel #Toothless #my writing #Those Who Cry Wolf

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anxious-band-pan · 4 years

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A list of random crackheadery from high school cause I low key miss it

“I’m gonna yeet myself into the afterlife”

“I’m gonna rotisserie cook your future children and eat them”

“KARMA’S A B*TCH!” Yelled while playing a game of uno in homeroom very loudly

a kid walked around our lunchroom with a fake blue bird pinned in his hair which was life size and honestly the weirdest part of lunch

“What should i put on my shirt for (x club)? It’s between uwu, Space Boi uwu, and rawr XD. My goal is to be as cringey as possible.”

*crying* “Well you just threw off my groove and i-“

(To the tune of G-6) “I’m a dumb bish, I’m a dumb bish”

“(X name)! How far would you have been if i didn’t stop you to tell you you’re a thot”. “Probably yeeted off a bridge by now”

“He just looks like a sad pigeon with a boss hat”

(To the tune of celebrate good times) “end my suffering, come on!”

“My hands are white!” “YOU’RE WHITE!”

“I’m a firm believer in don’t judge something unless you try it, unless it’s illegal or drugs; don’t do drugs kids”

“.....but not all dogs can fit on skateboards!”

“Can we just cut my legs off and sell them”

“Invade my body, daddy bacteria”

“That’s what I imagine it would sound like if a spider ran in tap shoes”

“My church had an average attendance of 421 this year, we were so freaking close”

“Did you know that Waluigi has the same number of syllables as hallelujah, so if you think of any song with hallelujah in it you can replace it with Waluigi and it’ll fit”

“Anyone wanna feel my swollen gland”

“Your gay is like your mother’s tendency to sleep with men: plentiful”

“If being gay is a sin is satan the gay fairy”

“Vines are like actual vines: you get stuck and you never get out” “vines can choke you though” “Yes choke me daddy vine”

“You are each gonna have a burger component on your back” “I wanna be the meat ;)”

“Grab me however you want daddy hamburger”

*showing a paper with a picture of a bottom bun* “I guess you could say I’m a.... bottom”

“STOP EATING THE DUCT TAPE!”

“Shut up, don’t talk about my potatoes like that”

“Can you snort tide pods”

*whisper screaming and hitting a chair* “WHY IS COTTON EYED JOE BACK”

“But if two furries screw, is god cool with that?”

“PHD- pretty high dolphins”

“Do crocs have memory foam? i think not”

“I’ve run out of creative ways to whip”

“This is why we shouldn’t legalize weed, because we’re having this conversation sober”

“Don’t you just get sad every time a chair dies”

“Praise our lord and savior, Magic Mike”

“I’ll give you fifty bucks if you can guess what’s in my thermos.” “Coffee.” “No. It’s chicken noodle soup”

“I’m gonna eat your fingernails” “did you say EAT” “yeah, I’m gonna chew his fingernails off”

“I already went back to Mexico”

“You’re the BFG” “How so” “Big Frickin Gay”

“But since you’re gay, would you date me if i was” “the only way I’d date you is if you were an online catfish”

“We have a speaker with fake arms today” “he cant bring those in the school those are weapons” “how is he gonna throw them?” “With his feet”

“did you say the THOT police?” “no you idiot the THOUGHT police”

“I’m not scared of Russia. Like honestly i can beat them”

“I share a brian with satan and it smells shirty” (not a typo. Those exact words. I think it was making fun of a typo)

“I look like I’m about to go repaint all my mugs with lead paint”

“And today on the game show of sentences i never thought I’d have to say: it’s not a necklace if you buy it in the pet aisle of walmart”

“You look like the kind of person who would cut spaghetti with dull scissors”

“Hey, hey, hey, not in my f***ing Christian Minecraft server”

“We’re all going to hell” “Not me” “listen we’re in a school we’re already there” “True”

*to the tune of “what is love? Baby don’t hurt me”* “POKÉMON! BABY DON’T HURT ME, DON’T HURT ME, NO MORE”

“YO! PITBULL JUST CAME IN AND OFFERED DONUTS!”

“I’m gonna suck your eyeballs”

“Are we not allowed to have our nails painted since we’re guys” -a definite female, to another definite female

“Ok, so here’s the deal: straight people are uncooked spaghetti. Gay people are cooked rotini. I’m kinda like a cooked spaghetti. I’m not straight, I’m in between.” “The Italian is now interested I’m here what’s up with pasta”

“This song reminds me of Mexican food” “How does this remind you of Mexican food it’s jazz?”

“You’re not allowed to switch schools, I need my twin cop”

“You guys are the reason I wanna die” “you guys are the reason I drink”

*taking a huge drink of peanut butter hot chocolate* “I’m allergic to peanut butter” “THEN WHY DID YOU DRINK IT????” “Because i wanna die”

“so there’s two kinds of country hicks: the yee haws and the haw yees. Now the yee haws are the ones in country songs, they’re vaguely normal and drink and do horse riding stuff. The haw yees are the ones who fish with their hands and then f*** their cousins afterwards”

“Pop is just spicy water”

“I’m sorry, it’s not pizza Steve anymore” “Who is it” “the fresh prince of bel air”

A kid took his phone out of the microwave like that was a normal thing that humans do

“BUT IS HE DATING THE DEER?!”

“Chinese people eat cats, why not lesbians?” *teacher looks up* “saying Chinese people eat cats is too far”

“A gryffindor and a ravenclaw ooh this is good”

Two girls at the exact same time: *Gasp* TEA!

*girl leans back and cracks her head on a counter kind of thing* a friend:”that’s the third f***ing time!”

“SUCK MY WEENIS!”

“If you ever need a professional con artist I’m here” *teacher looks up* “you didn’t hear that” teacher:”hear what”

“Guys I’m stupid. You know when there’s a big number and then a lil number what’s the lil one called” “exponent?” “Yeah!”

*impersonating yoda screaming*

*chugging coffee* “well, I’m still just as tired, but now my atoms are just jazzed.”

“Not to quote Frozen, but you can’t marry a man you just met!”

“Not knowing what kind of exorcise people are talking about is always interesting, because I don’t know if we’re talking about working out or satan”

“If we actually die in the scene where they kill themselves, do we get bonus?” Teacher: *sighs* “sure.”

“Physically you have hair but spiritually you’re bald.”

*Singing boyfriend by BTR for about an hour straight*

“Stop saying teehee you sound like off brand Michael Jackson”

“He smells dead mice for a living!”

*kicking someone’s foot off a ledge* “long live the king!”

*holding a banana like a weapon* “give me all your debt!”

“I want my fingers to be four inches long”

“Let me read your head for a second”

“Oh no you’re white out now”

“This is what happens when your insides are cold”

“Did you just call me a dumb banana?”

“So Kelvin is Fahrenheit...”

“Let me add another fat roll to your arm”

“You wanna see a cute pic of my baby nephew?” “Sure but I might cry”

“Listen I need these pictures to load so I can see if my goats are being little crackheads”

“I keep trying to see if you’re a VSCO girl but you’re holding out on us”

“Pumpkin. Spice. Bleach.”

“I’m already a mother and I don’t like it.”

“This is a vegan cult, Jessica”

“Did you just say you started a religion?” “Yeah, I think I’ll call it the Fedoras”

“Isn’t a fedora just like... a cowboy hat but formal”

“Yes choke me daddy panic”

“I’m your emotional support crackhead deal with it”

“She got possessed by country satan”

“If you think about it toes are just little feet”

“Oh my god imagine if you pronounced Roosevelt like goose”

“Roosevelt got really sad when i broke up with him.”

“I love how I just classified reaper as its own state of being”

“So Santa’s not a cryptid”

“We’re not meat creatures like crabs”

“Do you want to be a famous writing?”

“Self care is becoming a breaded chicken tender on the weekends”

“You are a little yellow boy”

“I gotta look up how to have a stroke”

“At least you still have straight privilege”

“You piece of b*tch”

“Children having skulls is scary”

“You wanna crochet my friend a rat”

“If you kill yourself and you have a life insurance policy that your family then collects, is that insurance fraud?”

“Spaghetti man is talking about pregnancy and I’m scared”

“You’re the cutest trash I’ve ever seen”

“Poetry? Lame. DriversEd? Lame. Dousing myself in butter and becoming a dinner roll? F*ckin’ MINT”

“Finally, an invention to get rid of me” *zooms in on words garbage disposal*

“Is Swiper from Dora a furry or an actual fox?”

“I’m laughing because I just realized the word identity has t*tty in it”

“Oh my god I thought Paris was a country”

“Girl if you are having a baby this month the only thing you are birthing is FLAT Stanley”

“My eyes really said gardening”

“I snorted soapy water this morning”

“Intestines: do you really need them or are they a social construct?”

“I watched the first episode of that show illegally, and it was great”

“How much does a hit man cost in this economy?”

“Is santa wearing stripper heels?”

“No, I didn’t give birth to a baby cow”

“I am a whole grape not a raisin”

“I’ve decided on my career. I’m becoming a hit man for cheap”

“And you fought the tomato”

“You can be gay with the homeless”

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entergamingxp · 5 years

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DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Rachael’s Top 10

December 31, 2019 4:00 PM EST

There were plenty of games of 2019 that I enjoyed immensely, but if I had to pick just 10, here were my favorites of the year.

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.

Here we are again at the end of another great gaming year. Even though we didn’t see as many huge titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man, or God of War as seen in 2018, my year has been packed full of some amazing titles regardless. Thankfully, I didn’t have to solely rely on AAA games to have a great gaming experience, as this year we saw many fantastic indies that included Untitled Goose Game, Outer Wilds, Lost Ember, My Friend Pedro, to name a few. This only goes to prove how far independent studios have come along, and how they have firmly made their mark within the gaming industry.

As a gamer, I’m very open to what I will play – which is probably a good thing in this business. As you’ll tell from my diverse list, I’m not afraid to jump into whatever piques my interest. That may be from the adorable and cutesy, to the dark and twisted underbelly of the video games universe. As much as I love experiencing all areas of gaming, there’s one factor that always calls me home, and that’s immersive storytelling. I don’t think there’s a feeling in the world like sitting back and getting completely lost within a world interwoven in an amazingly captivating narrative. Since the start of time, humans have used storytelling as a way to connect to others, to bring people closer together and how the world is right now, there couldn’t be a more apt time to continue this tradition in the games we play.

As we slide into 2020, I’m excited to uncover what’s in store for me – especially with my most anticipated game mere months away, The Last of Us Part II. But until then, allow me to share with you what has been my Top 10 games of 2019. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy to narrow it down to just 10!

10. Sayonara Wild Hearts

Sayonara Wild Hearts is a beautifully crafted piece of kit. It oozes bags of appeal and a refreshing, upbeat soundtrack that accompanied the game’s style perfectly. Other than its eye-popping visuals, the underlying story of heartbreak made this short, heart-pumping title really stand out.

I played it all in one go from start to finish and since then, I’ve been recommending gamers to give this unique and worthwhile title a try. On a side note: Queen Latifah’s voice is the epitome of ASMR.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Sayonara Wild Hearts.

9. Divinity: Original Sin II

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to play this game when it first released back in 2017 but when I saw that it was releasing on the Nintendo Switch, I knew that I had to play it. Divinity: Original Sin II is acclaimed to be one of the best western-style RPGs ever made, with stellar writing, voice acting, and brilliantly crafted tactical combat, and I couldn’t agree more.

The Switch’s small screen in handheld mode is perfect to get up close and personal with the bucket loads of action and endless, compelling dialogue. Divinity: Original Sin II’s emotion-wrought fantasy world really does make it one of the finest RPG games of recent years.

Check out DualShockers‘ review forDivinity: Original Sin II on Nintendo Switch.

8. Mosaic

Over the past few years, I’ve seen a rise in talking about mental health in video games. I love that we are now more open and free to discuss these issues that affect so many of us, and that developers are willing to take this on and adapt it to their games.

Mosaic offers a painstakingly realistic look under the heavy covers of depression and burnout in the workplace. I applaud that Krillbite Studio made no apologizes as they dove head-on in tackling these difficult subjects in Mosaic. Its cruelly dark and, at times, hard to play because of how authentic the main character plays out his troubles. But this is, in my opinion, when you know you’ve made a great game; when the player feels what you’re portraying.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Mosaic (by me!).

7. Planet Zoo

When it comes to management sims, I tend to get a little overwhelmed with how much you have to do. You almost have to divide yourself into a million pieces to just stay afloat, but thankfully Planet Zoo offered much more manageable gameplay that I thoroughly enjoyed.

With its plentiful tutorials and smart UI, I spent hours taking care of all the zoo’s creatures, and who doesn’t want to care for a baby lion cub? Frontier Developments also tackled important educational and conservation topics throughout, which gave me bags of insight into each species. If you’re looking for a management sim that won’t take hours just to know what you’re supposed to be doing or kill every brain cell due to an overload of tasks, Planet Zoo may be the one for you.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Planet Zoo by me, again.

6. My Friend Pedro

My Friend Pedro made me feel like I was actually really good at games. It made me feel like Neo from The Matrix with its slow-motion gunplay and super crazy stunts that offered one hell of an adrenaline-filled ride.

From barrel riding to swinging off chains to achieve the ultimate stunt-shot, My Friend Pedro provided me hours of entertainment. I was a bad-ass ninja on a skateboard with a talking banana; what’s not to love?

Check out DualShockers’ review for My Friend Pedro.

5. Life is Strange 2

This tale of brotherly love between Sean and Daniel Diaz begins as they try and flee America to start a new life in Mexico, and it hooked me from the get-go. Sure, it was a little slow in the beginning but it soon picked up steam and turned into a goldmine of storytelling.

What I appreciated most about Life is Strange 2 is how deeply it resonated with me in how well it addressed a lot of the current political and social issues we see in America today. Dontnod Entertainment obviously went to great lengths to make the player feel and care about what happened to these brothers, and for that, they have my respect. I’m really looking forward to knowing more about their next game, Tell Me Why – my guess is that it will be another emotionally hard-hitting adventure, and I’m totally here for that.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for the first episode of Life is Strange 2.

4. Concrete Genie

What can I say about this wholesome and charming game? I feel like it would be better to take my heart out and let it tell you, because that’s where I’ve stored everything that has touched me from this beautiful title. Concrete Genie throws you into the shoes of Ash, a young sensitive boy you loves to paint. When his town gets consumed by a dark, negative force coupled with some bullies set to make his life harder, Ash goes on an adventure where he meets the most adorable genies and together, they right so many wrongs.

Just before playing this game, I was going through a rough patch in life, so jumping into this adorably endearing title made that period much more bearable – I honestly couldn’t stop smiling throughout my entire time playing it. If you’re looking for something that will lift your spirits throughout these winter months, consider Concrete Genie. I dare you not to fall in love with Luna.

3. Luigi’s Mansion 3

I sometimes tend to lean towards games that are pretty dark and sinister, but as you can start to tell from this list – I’m trying to change that. In freshening up my game playing habits more, I found myself wanting to give Luigi’s Mansion 3 on the Nintendo Switch a shot and boy, am I thankful that I gave this game a chance.

There’s so much to love in the third installment of the adventure series that lets Mario’s chicken-livered twin Luigi take control. The graphics in Luigi’s Mansion 3 are a kaleidoscope of beauty that pops straight from the beginning, and in my opinion, the best graphics currently on the Nintendo Switch. Coupled with impressive animation, fun levels, and acute attention to detail, this game was an absolute pleasure to play. I honestly have never had so much fun hoovering in all my life – just ask Chrissy Teigen.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Luigi’s Mansion 3.

2. A Plague Tale: Innocence

In case you didn’t know this about me, I love games where I must fight to stay alive, so here I am again getting sucked into a world where I have to go head-to-head with forces that wants me dead – sounds charming doesn’t it? This time I’m running from rats in this deeply somber tale of the evil that scurries in the dark, and it’s not just the rats, FYI.

What I loved most about A Plague Tale is the narrative between the two siblings, Amicia and Hugo de Rune, who are thrown into a dangerous world where all they have are each other to rely on. Amicia, who constantly has to reassure her little brother Hugo, and Hugo constantly asking a barrage of questions is so life-like that you almost forget you’re playing a video game due to how well Asobo Studio cultivated the relationship between them both. A Plague Tale: Innocence will propel you into a broken and terrifying world, but also remind you that beneath the cruelty of its environment, a deeply set unconditional love story between a brother and sister waits to be uncovered.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for A Plague Tale: Innocence by yours truly.

1. Days Gone

From its very first reveal at Sony’s E3 2016 panel, Days Gone had me hook, line and sinker. As I’ve already stated, there’s something immediately appealing to me about apocalyptic survival games, (hello, The Last of Us). Whether it’s a metaphor from my own internal struggles, I’m not sure, but what I do know is that trying to stay alive in a world that wants to swallow you whole captivates me on a whole other level.

Days Gone has a meaningful and varied narrative with just the right amount of pain, hope, and unexpected surprises to keep you glued to your seat the entire ride. Bend Studio crafted something personal and unique to them where they invited players to enter this world with an open heart and a little patience, where only then would your gaming experience really pay off in this stellar title.

The story is rich and meaty with a wide array of diverse characters you meet on your journey around Oregon’s beautiful landscapes, with countless areas you can interact with and explore. I’ve even found myself mindlessly riding my drifter bike for hours from one end of the map to the other, merely to soak in the scenery – the lakes, mountains, and forests are breathtakingly beautiful that I’ve already filled up a lot of space on my PS4 with the games built-in photo mode. Hats off to Bend Studio on this epic adventure; I can’t wait to experience what’s next from the studio.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Days Gone by – yep you’ve guessed it.

Before you leave, I’d like to share some Honorable Mentions that didn’t quite make my top 10:

Untitled Goose Game – What a cute little asshole.

Disco Elysium – I haven’t yet finished this game but so far, I’m finding it really enjoyable with a cracking narrative.

Hearthstone – I finally dove into this online digital collectible card game at the start of 2019 and in my opinion, it’s the best card game out there.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare multiplayer: this is where I go to release some pent up frustration. There’s nothing quite like finding unique ways to kill strangers online.

Death Stranding – I’m still peeing and pooping my way around this strange world. It may or may not fall into my Top 10 in 2020, but as of right now, it’s unsettling and addictive for reasons that are beyond my comprehension at present.

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 // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer 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 31, 2019 4:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-rachaels-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-rachaels-top-10

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