#we don’t talk about game 3.

[atsr-studios]

Yayyyyyy!

[milkywayes]

GARRUS VAKARIAN: DATABASE IMAGE ACCESS. > PT. 1 : 2160, 2166, 2170. > all files backdated according to user preferences: (terran_coordinated.calendar).

[thepriceofsurvival]

I know once you start looking at numbers in AFTG you can’t stop.

And yet here is another post about it.

The number 5 is consistent in especially TSC. Small things, like tries to get up when Jean wakes up at Abby’s and tries to run, five numbers programmed into Jean’s new phone, five Trojans at the first meet/party at the house.

And bigger things, too:

Kevin was 9 when he came to Evermore, Jean was 14 (5 year difference)

Jean fought Riko with blood and teeth for 5 months until he didn’t have the strength.

Jean stayed at Evermore for 5 years.

Jean and Kevin’s numbers add up to 5.

“Five volunteers to break him in, Zane’s betrayal to destroy him, and one promise that kept him alive despite it all.”

And, of course:

A cool evening breeze. Rainbows. Open roads. Teammates.

Friends?

Five reasons to stay.

[volitioncheck]

nvm this is still on my brain. kim does not like to watch harry suffer… to say that kim takes satisfaction in harry’s pain is a huge misconstruing of his character.

the “getting thrashed like a schoolboy” line comes from a board game, lol. it’s a tease, not a cruelty. there’s never any line that implies that Kim enjoys seeing Harry taking actual morale damage.

he can be amused if you fail a check, but the check is always relatively inconsequential, and again, Harry isn’t taking damage in these.

Failing to pry the trash bin open:

Failing to shatter Ruby’s lorry window:

(also in both of these examples he only responds smugly if you choose for Harry to stubbornly dig in his heels. if Harry gets huffy, Kim teases. If Harry backs down right away Kim won’t rub it in, which feels significant to me! it reminds me of that recent post goin around about Kim meeting your energy!)

and here’s some reactions to failed checks where he does take damage.

Failing the jump to get your cloak:

Failing to break down Plaisance’s door:

he’s not laughing if Harry’s taking damage because he’s not a dick lol.

aaaaand here’s some other instances of morale/health damage and kim’s reactions.

alternate dialogue for failing the harbor jump:

after the call with precinct 41:

seeing bullet holes in the wall:

most significant examples to argue this point for me come when harry has done something to jeopardize the RCM’s image. which kim goes on and on about the importance of maintaining— and yet even here, he still extends worry and assurance.

telling Billie about her husband and handling it badly:

hardie authority check failure cock carousel:

aaaaand the car. this line is one of the most mask-off kim moments we get in the game in my opinion, honestly.

tying this back to the schoolboy line— that line doesn’t show up if you have a negative reputation with Kim. if you have <1 rep, it gets replaced with him calling it “about four hours of our lives that we'll never get back,” lol.

it’s affectionate ribbing!! twisting it into anything else is bizarre 2 me lmao!

anyways. kim is a foil to every other cop we meet in the game specifically because he doesn’t view harry as a punching bag or a lost cause. gottlieb does nothing but sling jabs and glib jokes about harry’s health. torson+mclaine and the others laugh at harry’s panic attack over the radio. in response to harry’s suicide-by-car attempt(!!!!) jean yells about RCM budget. all kim’s lines in response to harry’s check failures and health-damage are consistent, explicit textual contrast against the callousness of the rest of the RCM. twisting kim’s character here requires a bad faith interpretation of the whole game.

[quibbs126]

I love how like 90% of the “Sonic 3 spoilers” tag is just stobotnik related

I mean yeah, that is the first thing I looked for when I came back from the movie yesterday, but still

[autistic-katara]

u guys won’t believe how normal i acted yesterday when one of the kids i volunteer with was making miraculous references during part of a game

[boag]

Help💀

[thomstrainers]

actually crashing out, vent in tags

[lulu2992]

I’ve just found this interesting 10-year-old video I don’t remember ever seeing before in which Dan Hay, former “shepherd” (term they half-jokingly use in the interview) of the Far Cry series discusses the past but also the future of the franchise, a few months before the release of Far Cry 4. Mark Thompson, narrative director of the game, is also interviewed.

When he’s asked if he has “any interest in unifying the larger world and creating a larger meta-story between all the games” and if they’re all “in the same universe”, Dan Hay answers he’s “just gonna smile at that”, and after talking a bit about how invested the team is and how smart he thinks players are, concludes, “But your question is very intriguing, and it makes me smile.”

He then happily explains Far Cry is “near and dear to [his] heart” (he even has it tattooed on him because he lost a bet) and that he “[plans] on working on it for a long time” because he “can’t think of anything else”.

That was in 2014.

In June 2021, it was officially explained that Far Cry games were only loosely connected and each had their own world. In November 2021, Dan Hay left Ubisoft.

I don’t know what happened (or even if anything happened at all) and don’t blame the Far Cry 6 team for their decision to create a new timeline to tell their story (they didn’t really have a choice after the ending of Far Cry 5), but I admit I’m a bit sad we never got to see the full extent of that “meta-story” they clearly had in mind 10 years ago...

[bleue-flora]

@error-dream-was-found, WIP Thursday huh?… well see I actually got writing done this week and I’d honestly love nothing more than to share some but it just spoilers way too much soo… I guess enjoy the most recent thing I wrote that doesn’t have major plot giveaways :) and… ya know what I’m not even gonna tell you what it’s from…

There was nothing safe about the corner, nothing that made it cozy or softer than the rest of the harsh surface of the cell, and nothing that could keep Quackity and Sam from getting to him. But there was something comforting about the spot between the chest and the wall, not just because the chest was much cooler than the scorching obsidian, but because there was something so stupidly and mortifyingly comforting about cowering in a corner.

There was a sense of protection, one he didn’t have in the water hole or near the lava. There was something about being pressed in by both sides that made it feel like it was arms instead of jagged obsidian and splintered wood. It wasn’t safe but it was the closest he had, and if he squeezed his eyes and pressed enough he could almost feel like he was safe, safe in someone’s arms instead of alone.

It was stupid, but that was all he had. It had to be enough. It had to be.

When the chair got involved or rope or chains pinned him down, it made it so much worse, robbing him of yet his last freedom and comfort, taking away the only thing he had left to take.

And even now, now that he has agency again and food and days without Quackity and access to the sky and the world beyond, sometimes he finds himself back in the corner. Curled up alone in his fortress pretending he’s safe when nowhere is safe.

Beds are soft, but they weren’t his only companion in his darkest moments, they weren’t his hiding spot. They are no hiding spot at all. On a bed one is exposed. And no matter how soft and cozy a bed is, it's not comfortable like the corner is. It doesn’t provide the same illogical safe that the two walls pressing upon him on both sides do.

A bed can break, people can leave, but walls remain steadfast and dependable, almost impossible to destroy. The best loyalty to watch his back. The walls don’t judge the tears sliding down his face, or his whimpering breathes. They don’t judge his flinches and shaking and fear. They just remain. Unlike people.

“Dream!” A voice screams on the other side of the lava.

Tagging uh… @elmhat @simplepotatofarmer @catsandgoodbooks I guess and as always whoever wants to join in.

[rottenbrainstuff]

BG3 playthrough - what I found on the road of the shadow-cursed lands

Spoilers under the cut.

Sigh, here’s the stuff I was dreading: the first dead tiefling refugee found on the road: Elegis. She was in charge of opening and closing the gate after Kanon was killed. She was always so nervous. During the siege, she was very frightened but she fought well. She was apparently killed by an ox that was possessed by the shadow curse.

Then farther along in a big group I found:

Rechel, Amek, Xeph. These three were the most angry at the druids, back at the grove. They ran away from the grove on their own the night before the siege and left everyone else to their fate. Looks like it didn’t save them. I wonder if they reunited with the other refugees on the road, or if they died first and their bodies were found later by the group.

Asharak. Zevlor’s second in command. He was teaching the kids their sword lessons. He seemed like a nice guy.

Ikaron. Okta’s son and the guard posted inside the hollow. He was gruff and stiff in the grove, with the air (to me) of a kid taking his new job too seriously, or perhaps a kid who had to grow up too fast and doesn’t know how to relax anymore. During the siege he was furious about the group that left and was arguing with his mother. He mentioned since him and his mother had no ox, he’d be pulling a cart himself! At the party I finally got him to relax and enjoy a pint. I liked him.

Memnos. He tried to talk Arka down from her anger after Kanon died. During the siege I found him in the ritual grove praying to the god of death, because he was convinced they were all going to die. Even though he was scared, he still went and stood at his post.

Kaldani. She was a guard at the gate. Cried over Kanon’s body when he died. During the siege she was building barricades. She always seemed more tired of this shit than frightened.

Toron. He was tending the oxen at the grove. Probably he would have been the most scared when their ox fell to the shadow curse, he would have known first that something was very wrong.

I took all their bodies and laid them to rest on one of the cliffs in the monastery, the cliff with that other grave already on it. It’s a beautiful view overlooking the valley, with the sunrise dappling the rocks, and some little white flowers growing out of the grass. Left wine for an offering. This spot is peaceful and bathed in sunshine so they’ll never be afraid in the dark again.

I wish I could have talked to even just one of the corpses. Maybe I couldn’t save any of them, but I wish I could at least know what happened.

[koifrog]

Sees an advertisement for a set of fanmade V*ilgu*rd merch that includes stuff for Luc*nis, Emm*rich, and………. the concept of the F*de

😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑

[giddlygoat]

my brother can make me laugh without moving at all. he can make me laugh on command, just by existing, and there is no physical tell or indication that it is about to happen. it’s like he can will me to laugh and i will. of course we’re not telepathic, but we do speak in unison sometimes. we improvise like no one’s business. we could fool anyone into believing we are psychically linked. when i try to explain it, i sound silly saying it out loud, but i really CAN tell what he’s thinking. we exchange so much information just with a look. he can make me cry laughing and he doesn’t even have to move

[korshrimpski]

it does annoy me how media surrounding the kings and Jordan Spence is more interested in talking about where he was born, a place he doesn’t feel that connected to, compared to a place he literally learned how to play hockey. like I beg kings media to talk more about Jordan’s time in Japan and the difference because it is so interesting

[secondpersonpoetry]

hi! oh my goodness. i am SO sorry i didn’t say anything earlier. i did read everything a couple days ago, and i Have been chewing on it, rotating it in my mind, etc etc…..and the graphic has been my phone lockscreen since i first read it!!!!!

frankly i am obsessed and have also been a little frazzled this month lol. saw your post late because of the general whirlwind that is december and then couldn’t quite get my thoughts into sufficient words n got worried “oh no would it be weird to say something now…..” which is incredibly silly in retrospect, so sorry for that. 

i’m relatively new to hockey fandom and the Narratives don’t always quite click for me (yet, at least :)) because i don’t know all of the lore for a lot of the popular pairings haha, so it means a lot that you’ve taken time out of your day to break things down for me and share your own thoughts <3 tysm. again, super sorry for the delayed response. i’m very sorry if you felt as though you’d wasted your time or something along those lines :’) just wanted to let you know that i really appreciate you and the time it took you to get everything down and make the graphic!!!! and like i can’t overstate how much your tags both over here and on your other blog have helped me to Get It since the start of this season, so thank you.

but now the house is quiet, the in-laws are gone, and no new work stuff until january :) so i can finally get some stuff down. every point you brought up hits in it own way but gosh you are very incredibly right the mcstrome of it all…..that’s sort of the lens i’ve been listening to the song through since you mentioned it.

the golden boy and the “draft bust” and the ever present notion of “isn’t it all about old friends? like everything? all of it?”.  like idk looking back on a bestfriendship from when you were a teenager that was Super intense and the lines were blurred and maybe realizing (if you hadn’t had the words or the “guts” or awareness or wtv to put a name to it at that point in your life) that y’all were a smidge more than just friends. 

best friends forever until you just aren’t! growing up and growing apart. it’s just the way things go but it can and will ache for a damn long time! you think you’re over it until their birthday or the holidays roll around and you wonder in a distant sort of way who they’re spending it with. what you would’ve hypothetically gotten them as a present if you still spoke. what do they even like nowadays, anyway?

maybe having the friendship end subtly. going from playing and traveling together and living in one another’s pockets to 2,080 miles of distance? (i may have my timeline/details confused here so sorry in advance) texting as much as you can at first but he’s a phenom he’s mcjesus he’s the next in line he’s expected to win the cup with his new team and end the drought for Canada. and they have him now but he was yours first, wasn’t he? but it’s fine. because you’re busy too. you’re captaining the team now. you’re gonna get the memorial cup that he couldn’t. it’s fine. you’re fine. you don’t even have time to worry about it anyway. 

one conversation a week turns to one a month turns to once in a blue moon turns to stale words until it goes cold. these days you can’t quite seem to remember who ended things, but does it really matter all that much now?

or maybe it doesn’t end like that at all. maybe it ends in a flurry of angry words and digs in some or other of the endless hotel rooms you’ve shared together over the years. who knows!

and that’s not even getting into the rest of the 2015 draft class. or the ld19 of it all! ooh hoo hoo. you grew up with him but he’s not your waiting room. he grew up with you but he’ll grow “old” (end his career) with someone else. and isn’t that just something! 

i don’t think it’s totally them, but sort of the sentiment of “I hope you get everything you ever wanted and I hope I never hear a word about it.” I want one ticket off of your carousel!!!! merry christmas, please don’t call!!!!!!!

dylan being sent up and down and traded around until finally landing in washington, a place where he is clearly at home and LOVED for the guy and player he is!!!!!!!! watching a game and seeing all the strome jerseys in the crowd……..wagh.

all that said. some other songs that are mcstrome to me in various ways: hot & heavy by lucy dacus (lol kinda the whole song). before the world was big by girlpool (“i just miss how it felt standing next to you wearing matching [jerseys? sweaters?] before the world was big”). happiness by Taylor swift (“i guess it’s the price i pay for seven years in heaven”), cut your bangs by radiator hospital (maybe? possibly? unsure. i like the whole dog thing there). i’m so glad i feel this way about you by insignificant other (!!!!!). there are so many THEM lyrics in there……..waough.

anyway. other things off the top of my head: 2015 connor specifically saying something like “hey let’s wait a minute so we can see this” to stand by the stage when dylan was getting drafted after him. MAN. you reminded me of the fact that they couldn’t even make eye contact at the handshake line!!!!!!!!! they didn’t go to each other’s weddings!!!!!!!!!! (do you think once upon a time they ever thought they’d being each other’s best man?). just a couple months ago dylan liking the tweet of connor getting that goal during the playoffs!!!!!!!! makes you wonder if he texted him………..

lol this was all over the place and i was probably wrong on some things and there’s SO much more that someone else could say way more eloquently, but i digress. i dunno everything about them is so nuts to me!!!!! needless to say i will be incredibly sat for the game january 21 🙂‍↕️

thank you again for your time :) hope you have a good one and a happy rest of the holiday season! <3333333

what a lovely message to receive 🥰😭🥹 i had to break it up into chunks because i couldn't sit down to read all of it at once without just. bouncing right back up and shrieking. i am also at heart terribly shy so i understand the struggle but it is never too late to say something <3 you are always welcome here

first!!! i love sharing!! i think most of hockey tumblr loves to see people finding out the Lore for the first time and the wonderful thing about hockey is that. it keeps going on. so there's years and years and generations and generations and always something new to learn about. i've learned to just not be afraid to ask!!! between different teams and players i'm always discovering new narratives (learning about the sharks old man yaoi rn... cbj rarepairs...)

no... to my heart's despair... you have the timeline right. i think in the best most tragic sense there's a mcstrome narrative where it is truly that nothing went wrong. the love was there. we couldn't do enough to save it because we didn't see it slipping away. i didn't notice when you didn't call until you never did. i don't know you now but i still remember when i did, do you?

HE'S NOT YOUR WAITING ROOM?? passing out. i do see "i hope you get everything you ever wanted and i hope i never hear a word about it" as them because!! they didn't go to each other's weddings!!! i don't wish you harm but i'm not going to put myself through that!! i hope you're happy and i'm never going to look on purpose.

i love dylan strome so much and the best part is that they all love him so much too. he wore a cool vintage ovechkin jacket!! and got slapped in the face with a tortilla!! he loves to gently rag on the rookies!! it just takes some time, everything'll be just fine. you're only on the middle of the ride.

OKAY WHEN I READ THIS PART I SCREAMED BECAUSE I DO HAVE A MCSTROME PLAYLIST AND!!!! HOT & HEAVY BY LUCY DACUS IS IN FACT ON IT!!! SO IS CUT YOUR BANGS (BUT BY GIRLPOOL SO DOUBLE JINX)!!!! i have dorothea by taylor swift on there but i don't know happiness so i'll have to give all the other songs a listen. mostly i just shrieked because i was like NO YOU GOT THE VIBES EXACTLY

🧠〰️🧠 truly the mind meld happening here. the handshake line. the mutual wedding non-invitations. i won't block your number or your name on twitter i just hope i don't see it come up on screen!! i do think that we got confirmation the last time they played each other that dylan did text him to say congrats on a milestone but i would have to check the archives

p.s. i think you said it perfectly eloquently :) what matters is that you said it at all and i was delighted to read it 💕

[saikitsu]

i was reading up on ars goetia for solomon reasons, and i noticed something that piqued my interest. most if not all his pact demons are said to command legions of demons themselves (notably eligos with 60 legions, belial with 80 legions, and paimon with 200 legions). a lot of them even have a whole host of abilities comparable to barbatos’ time-related powers (in fact many are listed to be able to speak past and future, or to manipulate it, much like barbatos).

all this to say i think it would be neat if in canon part of the reason solomon is considered so powerful is not only because he has powerful magic in his own right, but also because he commands an army of 72 demons, most of which have entire armies of their own and special abilities to boot.