#we’ve reached that point gamers

[objectshow-enjoyer]

Hating you won’t make you suck any less

lyrics: Kokopelli Face Tattoo - AJJ

[aspiringtrashpanda]

This is the dumbest thing I've ever written. Please familiarize yourself with this scene from the Little Mermaid for best reader experience.

Characters: Leviathan x MC Stupid musical fluff, first kiss, kiss the fish baybeeee No warnings apply

“First, we’ve got to create the mood…”

A ripple surged through the aquarium, light undulating in soft waves, permeating the wall and reaching the furthest corners of the room. You traced the movements of the tiny goldfish, the pad of your index finger catching on the tacky glass just as the orange scales disappeared from view. 

You thought you could hear the thump of a bass guitar. Was it coming from Mammon’s room?

You almost brushed it off. Almost. 

However, when you thought you saw the water in the tank slosh in time to the steady beat, you asked, “Did you hear that?” 

“Hm?” Leviathan looked up from his computer monitor. One of his many displays. He had been at the start of a popular ARPG from the human world, last time you checked. Now, he had almost completed the tutorial. Turns out, it was as easy to speed through the introduction as it was to purchase a game from another realm through Akuzon. Jeremiah Bezoar, right?

Despite the reluctance to support such a megalomaniac, Levi found his thumbs smashing buttons. Why was there always so much exposition at the beginning of the quest? He frowned, “Hear what?”

“Percussion. Strings. Winds. Words…” 

You shuddered, a chill trickling down your spine. You were voicing your discomfort before you could even place the source. 

“Voices? But… They don’t sound familiar.” Though you were reluctant to tear your eyes away from the seascape stretched before you, you found yourself stepping backwards. One heel after the other, until you nudged against the back of Leviathan’s gaming chair. 

“Gah!” He startled, his headphones falling around his neck as wide, amber eyes turned to meet your gaze. The flex of his fingers seemed anxious, his knuckles popping in time with the rhythmic thud of the bass.  “Erm, you’re probably just hearing things…”

You were so close to believing him, to accepting his words as truth. Perhaps you would have, if it wasn’t for the smooth baritone that spilled into your ears.

“There, you see him. Sitting there across the way. He don’t got a lot to say. ‘Cause he’s playing Skyrim.”

The flit of your eyes confirmed the voice’s dulcet tones. Levi was, indeed, playing the classic fantasy game by Bethesda. There was no arguing the claim, not with the way the dragon attacked the site of his execution. 

Another glance at the aquarium revealed swaying kelp among the decorating stone structures within the tank. A flash of golden filaments forced the question from your mouth, “Can Henry speak?”

“Henry?” Levi paused the game, pulling up the main menu. He squished up his nose in amusement. “LOL. Not to you.”

Though, regardless of his claims, the melody bounced about the room.

“And the arrows fly, your knee’s been nullified. Go on and kiss the boy. ” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” And whether you were asking the fish - you noticed multiple fins fluttering from the hydra anemone to the sweeping greenery within the freshwater - or Levi, you weren’t entirely sure. Regardless, Leviathan spun in his chair, rocking back and forth on the creaking hinge of his high-tech seat. It was probably sponsored. He was a prominent gamer in the Devildom, after all. 

The pause between your question and his answer would have felt deafening if it wasn’t for the consistent thump of the bass, the jingle of mallets on a seashell marimba. Perhaps you appeared confused, though the uncertainty fell in syncopated beats, along with a tune you weren’t sure Levi could hear. 

“Well, you know, you normies have inferior hearing to us dem- HEY!” His squawk managed to overwhelm the crooning from the water fixture. The shellfish had joined in with some lovely harmonies, at this point. However, you found yourself happy to be distracted by Levi’s large, clammy hands as his long fingers pried yours away from a figure on his shelf.  “Don’t touch that!”

“Ah, sorry. I was just wondering…” You couldn’t stop the rush of blood to your face, the heat searing your cheeks a pretty pink. “Is that the Lord of Shadow’s crimson banquet outfit?”

Leviathan froze, his frame somewhere between sitting and standing. With his hands on his thighs, just above his knees, it looked as though he had been about to stand, about to rush to your side and physically remove your touch from the figure you had been admiring. 

“Yes, you want him. Look at him, you know you do. It’s possible he wants you too, and there’s one way to ask him.”

There was a flash of something in the indigo veins of his burning gaze. Did he hear it, too? Before you could ask, Levi narrowed his eyes, redirected your attention to his shelf of figurines. “Are you referring to the movies you marathoned with Mammon, or the books?”

You frowned, indignance igniting a roaring fire up your spine. With a sniff, you turned away from his incredulous glare. “I actually have started reading the books, you know. But… Well, I’m only on book two.”

The soothing accompaniment looped some sort of interlude. Minnows scurried from one rock to another. A toad lingering on a stone fixture breaching the surface croaked low and heavy, “It’s a list of words, by his fave character, go on and kiss the boy.”

And it was only then that you noticed the tension building in Levi’s blue seascape of a room. You felt the way his chapped lips parted, his tongue darting out to nervously wet the skin. He swallowed loudly, rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. His headphones rattled when he pushed them into the soft indigo strands brushing his nape, displaced and apparently forgotten. You smiled as a pretty pink flush spread across Levi’s cheeks, over the bridge of his nose. 

In an attempt to comfort him, you brought his attention back to the figure on his shelf. “Tell me about him, then.”

The prejudice dissolved from his gaze, replaced with a genuine excitement that nearly turned his orange eyes as bright as the sun that never touched the Devildom. He took a deep breath in, choosing his words carefully. “The… Um, the costume design department actually stuck really close to the canon source for the crimson banquet.”

A series of bubbles floated to the surface of the aquarium. As they burst, a note rang out through the room. There were so many instruments involved in the song now. How did a crayfish play a flute? It was past logic at this point. All you could do was pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary. You offered Levi a shy smile, “Is this a special edition?”

“It is!” You loved the beam that stretched across his face, all crooked teeth and enthusiasm. “Oh! You’ll get it, then! See, Mammon tried to steal him and sell him for only 15,000 Grimm! Can you believe it? I mean, not only would it be unthinkable to sell Crimson Banquet Lord of Shadow, but to sell it for such a small amount?! It’s like he didn’t even know that the designer had actually researched the small nordic community off of Greenland to accurately represent the sort of clothing that…”

The sound of his voice was a sweeter melody than any fish could sing. You thought you caught the shimmer of a red scale, a rainbow shark swimming low to the colorful pebbles hidden in the soft silt at the base of the aquarium. You caught its eye. It winked. 

You weren’t sure how you felt about that. 

“Er, you’re probably not interested in all that…” Levi was still rambling. At the sight of his nervous expression, the way he twiddled his thumbs and averted his eyes like he thought you weren’t interested, you kicked it into high gear.

“I am.” Your heart thudded against your ribs. Really, you were. You were interested in anything Levi wanted to tell you. You found his passions fascinating. 

The moment his sunrise gaze slammed into yours, a swelling chorus rose from the aquarium. You felt your pulse thrum in time with the beat. Their voices appealed to the endorphins rushing through your veins.

“Sha-la-la-la-la-la my, oh my! The human is too shy! Ain’t gonna kiss the boy.”

A pair of koi flicked their tails, arcing past the aquarium glass with a loud, “Whoa, whoa!”

It was cute, you thought. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t entered Levi’s room with that very intention. You liked him. You had liked him for a while. Yet, you weren’t sure if he was ever going to get the hint. Hell, if even his fish knew of your soft spot for Leviathan, what did you have to lose? He had to know too, right?

So, there you were, the choir of aquarium life pushing you forward. However, as you took two steps closer to the Avatar of Envy, Levi deflated in his chair, covering his face with his hands. You could just make out his lips moving, a soft repetition, over and over again. 

Shuffling over to him, to his desk and his gaming setup, felt like walking a tight rope. “Hey,” You whispered, “Are you okay?”

He scowled, huffing a soft, “No!” 

“Sha-la-la-la-la-la ain’t that sad? The poor otaku lad. You’re gonna miss the boy.” This time, Henry the goldfish fluttered through the water, suspended in the light of the room. 

You thought he looked smug.

“Levi.” Your fingers gently grazed his knees, the soft fabric of his sweatpants encouraging you to curl your palm around the bone, to squeeze ever so slightly. 

“Yeah?” It squeaked out between the gaps in his fingers, splayed across his face. 

“I think your aquarium is serenading us.”

As if to confirm your claim, Henry - flanked by the two koi - swam in a shape too close to a heart to be anything else. You could hear the th-th-thump of your pulse in your ears. 

“Yeah…” It was cute, the way Levi’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. A crease formed in his brow, his ears burning bright as he winced, “They’ve threatened that a few times, but I didn’t think they actually would!”

“It’s kind of charming.”

“Is it?!”

Where the toad managed to find a saxophone, you weren’t sure. Nevertheless, the breezy tune paved the way for the second verse. And for what? Well… Perhaps your eyes were deceiving you, but was Levi leaning closer? 

There you were, slowly absorbed into Leviathan’s personal space, your frame falling between his knees as they trembled, parting carefully. His hand brushed his mouth, his teeth knocking his knuckles as he protested, “Y-you can just ignore it, really!”

Henry had other plans.

“Now’s your moment. Your room looks like a blue lagoon. Toggle off display #2, and offer your sweater.”

And despite his own advice, concern flashed in Levi’s eyes. “Are you cold?”

You shivered. “A little, yeah.”

“He won’t say a word. He’s just an awkward nerd, go on and kiss the boy.”

Levi’s hands - slick with nervous, cold sweat, rested on your biceps. He took a deep, shuddering breath in, and then, he steeled his resolve. “Y-you… could come closer?”

You shuffled further into his space. How you ended up edging your body between his knees as he sat in his gaming chair, you couldn’t quite recall. You supposed he had covered his face, and then you had crouched down to make eye contact, and well… Now you were wedged awfully close to his heaving chest, his eyes screwed tightly shut. 

“Sha-la-la-la-la-la don’t be scared, you’ve got the facts prepared. Go on and kiss the boy (Whoa, whoa). Sha-la-la-la-la-la don’t stop now, you’ve leveled up and wow, you’re gonna kiss the boy.” 

“Levi,” You sang, soft and sweet, drawing his name out in the same key of the song. His right eye fluttered open, peering at you with cautious optimism. 

Noses nudged together, breath mingling as the song faded into the routine bubble of the aquarium. Levi’s thumbs rubbed circles into your arms, and you found yourself near hypnotized by the steady pattern paired with the blazing heat in his fiery eyes. 

A shaky breath. A soft, “You, er, don’t have to! I mean, I’m just a yucky otaku! You… Um, if this is just a joke, it’s fine, and -”

Your lips met his. 

It was a quick kiss. Chaste and gentle. Simply the press of two mouths, both unwilling to cross any invisible line drawn in the aquarium sand. 

There was pure silence as you pulled away. The music had disappeared completely. Even the tank’s filter and the hum of Levi’s computer tower fizzled out. 

A beat, where it was only you and Leviathan.

You and Levi in the watery haze of his bedroom, your lips so very close, and yet…

It was Levi who surged forward, slotting his lips between yours once more. This time, he kissed you like he meant it, as if you were a crimson banquet-themed delicacy that he had been saving for a very special dessert. His fingers curling into your sleeves, you found yourself melting into his embrace, your heart pitter-pattering in time with the rattle from his own chest. Cupping the nape of his neck, you reveled in the soft indigo strands that brushed your palm, in the breezy scent of the sea that followed him wherever he went. 

It was a strange sensation - to feel as though you were burning alive while cocooned in the blue haze of the ocean. And yet, you never wished to experience anything else. The taste of his lips, the twist of his needy hands on your body all you could register as you scrambled into his lap, his chair creaking under your combined weight.

A quiet huff spilled from his wet lips, his bangs butting against your forehead. His jaw tensed, and you knew he was about to say something when…

A voice sounded. A voice from outside the walls of the House of Lamentation. A voice so low, it shook the very foundation beneath you.

“Oh, you wanna kiss the boy!”

Levi grimaced. You blinked. 

“Was… Was that Lotan?” You weren’t sure your ears had registered the melody correctly. 

“Can we…” Levi nuzzled his face into your neck. You could feel the humiliation radiating off him in waves. “Can we go to your room?”

*・゜・*:.。.*.。.:*・☆・゜・*:.。.*.。.:*・☆・゜

MY REQUESTS ARE OPEN! I've finished the first round, please give me more! This is a fun little writing exercise for me! Find out more HERE. i love you all so much, but shout out to @shootingstarrfish and @4laurus. Please check them out. 💕

[lilyginnyblackv2]

It’s Valentine’s Day, so I want to talk about Rei:

In the trailer for Rei that was released before the series aired, he was described as: 愛を知らない男 or “A man who doesn’t know love.” It should be noted that “love” here is referring to 愛 (ai), which is a love that can be used for both family and lovers, 恋 (koi) is the term that refers more specifically to romantic love.

This, of course, makes sense with what we know about Rei’s past and childhood. He grew up in a loveless family, where his father wanted him to call him “boss.” 

As the series progresses, we see Rei learning love and what a family actually means through things associated with childhood and family:

Learning to ride on a seesaw.

Hearing what Miri thinks a father should be.

Going to the zoo for the first time.

etc.

Why am I bringing all this up? Well, usually, when it comes to a character that “doesn’t know love,” the narrative is to “fix them.” I know I recently just posted a meme about Kazuki basically seeing Rei’s living conditions and going, “I can fix that,” and I do think that that is how Kazuki initially approached the idea of helping Rei. Fixing him up all these fancy meals and such. But, over time, we’ve seen Kazuki learn to work with Rei, in way that allows Rei to slowly improve himself, without necessarily “fixing” or “changing” him. And the focus there also seems to mostly be on Rei’s “self-care” and general household chores stuff, rather than anything centered on his personalities or expression of feelings and emotions. 

The addition of Miri has also helped, generally speaking, in this regard as well.

I think a clear example of this is how Rei is a gamer. He is a gamer in Episode 1 and he continues to be a gamer in Episodes 5 and 6. But let’s take a look at his gaming space (and games he was playing) in Episodes 1 and 2 versus Episodes 5 and 6.

Here I am going to put the rest of this post under a Read More due to length and pictures (it ended up way longer than I had initially planned...^ ^;> )

In Episode 1:

We see the table in front of Rei is an unhealthy mess. A whole ash tray full of smoked cigs, opened chips, two unfinished bottles of coke, and two convenience store lunches.

The game? I don’t know what it is, but it looks strategy and fighting based. Continuing with this...

In Episode 2 we can see some of his actual games:

I can’t really make any of them out all too well, but one is called “Attack” and the red one on the right looks like it is called “Under Ground.” Along with that, the general color scheme and look of these games is definitely in the “grimdark” range. All of these games look and sound like they are based in violence and are likely single player experiences (since Rei doesn’t seem like the type that would do multiplayer or online based games, imo).

There is nothing wrong with these games, of course, but they further highlight how Rei has no experience with family and skills that reach beyond his assassin based ones. These aren’t games a kid should be playing either, really (I definitely played Mortal Kombat when I was younger, I turned out okay...but I really should not have been playing that game franchise when I was a kid).

Now let’s jump to Episode 5:

Rei is playing a game with Miri. He isn’t playing solo anymore, and by the sounds of it, it sounds like Morio Kart, a family game, a kids game, a game that is meant to be played with others.

In Episode 6:

We get a clear shot of the table. It’s clean and there is no junk food or cigs in sight. Now, is that cleanliness likely due to Kazuki cleaning? Probably, but it is also likely due to Rei eating healthier now that Miri is here, which is still connected to Kazuki, but Rei could still try and sneak junk food or something, but it doesn’t seem like he even tries that. And while Kazuki is the one that points out Rei can’t smoke around Miri, we see Rei actually sticking to this. He willingly chooses to stick to that.

More telling than even that though, is the fact that in Episode 2, when Miri asks if Rei has Morio Kart he tells her no, but we now see in Episode 6 that he has bought Morio Kart:

Kazuki doesn’t really seem to know much of anything about video games. That’s all Rei. So Rei was likely the one who either purchased the game for Miri or, more likely imo, Miri asked for it and Rei got it.

We know from Miri’s conversation with Taiga that Rei is very good and skilled at the game. And we can see that happen within the scene where he is playing the game while Kazuki tries to talk to Miri about what happened at school. He goes from 4th Place to 2nd Place very quickly and easily.

Though, it’s when he gets to 2nd Place that he spins out. This is timed right when Kazuki angrily tells Rei to “Stay out of it!”

We see an example here of family causing a break in concentration, which causes him to falter in his gameplay a bit. But then he just goes right back to playing. Knowing, from Episode 5, that he has been playing the game with Miri as well, makes me think that it Rei has gotten used to this sort of interruption-based experience by now. 

But, the thing that is so great about seeing Rei play Morio Kart is it shows Rei using his gaming skills (and likely in turn the assassin based skills he learned) in a fun, competitive way, that doesn’t involve more realistic and hardcore violence (or actual violence). It’s him using these skills purely for fun and him strategizing in a family friendly way. Similar to how we see him and Kazuki use their hitmen skills to make sure Miri and her friends stay safe later on in the episode, but without killing anyone (just throwing rocks and beating people up in mascot costumes, lol). 

But, bringing this all back around to why I wanted to discuss Rei specifically on Valentine’s Day. Usually when a character is stated as “not understanding love,” “not feeling love,” or “not knowing love,” the narrative then goes on to “fix” the character by having them fall (romantically) in love with someone or get caught up in a love triangle or something of that nature.

Buddy Daddies isn’t doing this though. Kazuki wants to help out Rei, but not necessarily on an emotional level. In fact, he even stated in Episode 3 that Rei didn’t have to share about his past:

Kazuki wants to help out Rei and see him improve on, like, a basic care level. And the series does a good job of showing how all of the emotional growth Rei has been making is something he is actively engaging with on his own level and terms, and through his own low-energy pace. And that’s fine! 

The series also makes the source of Rei’s growth familial love, rather than romantic based love. His bond with Miri is just as, if not even more, important than his bond with Kazuki. As someone who is aromantic and asexual - I appreciate that so much. It’s highlighting that Rei’s improvement in character is more so because he is putting more effort into things, getting out of the house more, and learning how to socialize and build emotional connections in general - not just “learn” how to romantically love someone like that is the end all, be all aspect of being human.

Now, this is an anime original series, so who knows what direction Kazuki and Rei’s relationship might take in the future. But, personally, I feel like, even if romance were to develop, it wouldn’t feel like the usual aphobic narrative of “ ‘learning’ to fall (romantically) in love will fix this person who doesn’t experience, know, or understand love and romance and will turn them from the robot-like thing they were into an actual person” BS. Because Buddy Daddies has already established the familial, community, and general well being aspects being the core parts of Rei’s character that needs improving. As well that it is by-and-large his familial bond with Miri that is the springboard for most of his growth and development, anything with Kazuki is just another layer to his already growing familial based love.

Any romantic feelings would just be coming from that growth and experience, and Rei wouldn’t need to completely change who he is in order to achieve that. It would be saying that having a family that you feel wanted and apart of is what matters the most, and that is something anyone can have and experience, whether you know love, understand love, or experience romantic attraction or not. 

So, yeah, I just hope Buddy Daddies keeps doing what it has been doing. And that future episodes won’t completely unravel this current reading I have of Rei, his bonds, and how he’ll continue to grow and evolve as a character. I have trust in the Buddy Daddy writing though, so I’m not too worried. <3

[ten-quadrillion-blog]

Why is it so difficult for people to understand that Ubisoft is being racist?

I’m a long-time fan of Assassin’s Creed. It’s a part of me at this point: a reason I got interested in history, a reason I opted to take French classes in Highschool. I remember counting the days until the movie came out, going to theaters on release weekend with a friend. It wasn’t a good movie, but it remains a fond memory to this day.

As I played Ghost of Tsushima, I kept thinking about how cool it would be if the protagonist were a Ninja. Sure, there was a skill tree focused on stealth, but the storyline was very much about honor and the internal conflict of being a warrior. I wanted more subversion, loyalty and shady dealings- in short, I wanted to see the Assassin’s creed take on it. Templars funding corrupt kirishitan daimyo, lone assassin shinobi becoming nukenin, that sort of thing.

When I first heard that there would be an Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan, I was excited for it. Then, they revealed the protagonists to be a Japanese kunoichi and …a samurai foreigner. Was it a marketing decision? Because we’ve had Italian assassins in Italy and American Assassins in North America and Egyptian Assassins in Egypt. It’s obviously a conscious choice, then. Ubisoft stating that no, having a Japanese woman as the sole protagonist just won’t do. The Japanese Ubisoft statement that has since been deleted spoke of the creative team finding “our” samurai. Are the Asian, much less Japanese, constituents of the AC fandom not “theirs” enough?

If that were all, then it would’ve been business as usual; I wouldn’t have posted anything, albeit with lingering disappointment towards Ubisoft. However, there’ve been claims that the allegations of cultural appropriation and historical fabrication are all racist reactionary backlash to having a black protagonist, which I felt was actively harmful to my continued existence so here I am.

First of all, the fact that Assassin’s Creed is a work of fiction and that there are many works of historical fiction that do outright silly things in Japan is not the center of discourse anymore in Japanese circles so arguing that Ubisoft has artistic license is rather a moot point. Yes there’s feminized Oda Nobunaga in FGO, made by a Japanese company, move on from that please. Most people aren’t concerned about the player base being stupid enough that they can’t tell that AC is a fictional game. We aren’t stupid, neither are you.

The issue about historical fabrication lies in the concern that players will enjoy the game and decide to search about the historical Yasuke and come across Lockley’s book, African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan, which is utter bullsh*t. He is alleged to have edited Wikipedia in small increments over the course of ten years to authenticate his speculations as fact. After being outed on Twitter by Japanese AC fans he deleted his socials. And although I believe gamers aren’t stupid enough to believe AC is completely factual, I can’t believe that people won’t trust a printed book written by a scholar since even Encyclopedia Brittanica believed him. An article in ScreenRant even cites this book; while Japanese fans have been exposing one falsification after another these past few weeks, none of that information is reaching across the waters, where it would actually be relevant to target misinformation. If you think I’m lying, go to the Japanese language version of Wikipedia and click on ‘translate page’ for a quick overview of the problem (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%88%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BB%E3%83%AD%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC). It’s not in the English version. We are rightfully concerned that people will read the book because they like the game and come to believe that Japan participated in the transatlantic slave trade. We are rightfully concerned because we know there’s been wars fought over who has enslaved who and punishing those deemed morally degenerate. We are actually scared because Assassin’s Creed is a big title series god*amn it.

This is honestly my first time coming face to face with racism to this degree. Posts on Tumblr, English Twitter, and gaming media have made it out to be that the only people complaining are white men, as if the backlash is only from gamergate. I enjoy reading articles from IGN and Polygon and whatnot on a normal day, but now I’m faced with articles saying there’s been “some criticisms” (emphasis not mine) being raised in Japan and even claims that Japanese people are overwhelmingly looking forwards to the game while white bigots are the only ones complaining, completely minimizing the issue. There’s 90k+ signatures to cancel the game in a Japanese language petition, and sure, there may be a few thousand racists who took the time to translate the page and sign, but it’s insane to state that it’s composed of mostly white men. Like c’mon. There’s been boatloads of Japanese language tweets about the AC Shadows controversy getting tens of thousands of likes and quotes on Twitter. There were only two English articles that I could find that cut into the issue and one was written by a Japanese writer translated from Japanese media. COME ON. “Ubisoft didn’t need to release an apology since they’re only angering internet trolls” is not the point media should be making. Can someone have the guts to write “Ubisoft needs to release an actual apology instead of dancing around the problem?” And why do we need to say that we want a Japanese Assassin’s creed game to be about Japanese people in the first place? Shouldn’t it have been the obvious choice? I’m looking forwards to playing an African Assassin cutting the throats of colonial traders in Capetown, whenever that might happen, and my non-Asian friends have been looking forwards to playing a Japanese Assassin in feudal Japan, and I think Ubisoft is just giving all of us the finger. A nice, nonthreatening, manicured finger.

I really hope Ubisoft and/or HarperCollins denounces Lockley’s book before the release date for at least some semblance of damage control.

And before anybody says anything stupid, I am in fact not a white dude, I am a Japanese American Female studying Anthropology. So thank you, Ubisoft, for influencing my life decisions. I hope my disappointment reaches you.

[doctorweebmd]

i wanted to ask u basically everything from the fanfic ask game but hopefully these aren’t too many:

🤡, 🦅, 🧠(tenko!), 🎉, ✅

RANI AHHH I LOVE YOU THANK YOU YOU'RE SO GOOD TO MEEEf

Of course i wrote too much i'm sorry lmaoooooo

🤡 - oh definitely! i think all my best jokes are in 'my brother's keeper.' My fave it probably this groupchat from chapter 4:

SharkWeek🦈: afjakljdfalkdjsflasl;dfajsldf;jaldfjasl;df SharkWeek🦈: you have to be fucking kidding me, man Spidey🕸️: this is the plot of every porn ever Spidey🕸️: on Thanksgiving, turkey isn’t the only thing that’s gonna get stuffed Spidey🕸️: on Christmas, the present won’t be the only package he’s opening Spidey🕸️: birthday? Surprise its more dick  Pikachu⚡: YOUR EX IS YOUR STEPBROTHER Pikachu⚡: bitch you nasty Bakuhoe💥: who the fuck changed my name in this groupchat Bakuhoe💥: this shit ISNT FUNNY Bakuhoe💥: and he’s not my ex – he’s just a fuck buddy from high school SharkWeek🦈: dude, you know that you’ve drunkenly fucking recited poetry about the guy? SharkWeek🦈: this is us you’re talking to SharkWeek🦈: Mr. World’s Most Perfect Ass and Softest Lips and Makes My Heart Explode SharkWeek🦈: don’t make me send you the video again bro Spidey 🕸️: does Perfect Ass know you still dig him? Bakuhoe💥: are you fucking insane?! Bakuhoe💥: the fuck went and got a girlfriend Bakuhoe💥: he’s my STEP BROTHER Pikachu⚡: bakuboy Pikachu⚡: don’t be a bakubitch Pikachu⚡: rail your brother like a MAN

AND this scene from chapter 18:

“Uh… thank you for having me here.” Izuku says politely, shaking off the previous comment. “Yeah, dude! We’ve been psyched! We even put you on the calendar!” The exuberant blonde points to the refrigerator, and, against his better judgement, Izuku follows the man’s finger. Izuku turns to the refrigerator, where a sexy fireman calendar is held up by a Pikachu magnet. Mr. March has an 8 pack and is lounging with low slung pants and suspenders on a red truck. Well, there’s that, but there’s a cutout of Kacchan’s face, grimacing, taped over the actual fireman’s face. Today the date is circled, followed, in big words “Brother gang bang today!” “G…gang bang? Do… I’m….” Izuku’s face automatically flushes bright red, and be can’t stop the stammer from leaking out, to Kaminari’s amusement. He turns to Katsuki, eyes wide.

'rail your brother like a MAN' still plays on my head on repeat. Oh Denki Kaminari you will always be my favorite clown.

🦅 - i kind of both outline AND fly by the seat of my pants. my outlines are REALLY bare bones but i do write down a general 'storyline' prior to starting a new longfic. now how to make it all WORK..... thats all just bullshitting lmao. like my outline could be 'here they defeat the villain in a cool way.' Nice. How the FUCK am i gonna do that smh. people who come up with whole actual outlines prior to writing are my heroes.

🧠(tenko!) - lol the now-cannon headcannon that he got his Quirk from All-for-One? 👀 well... i think he might have actually become a hero, if what happened to him didn't happen to him (i mean...other than the fact that he was likely quirkless.) while i love loser-boy greasy gamer head-canons, Tenko is charismatic, an excellent leader, and highly motivated. he just needed the opportunity. if a hero had found him that day... if somebody helped him... just think of the way tenko was. he was a sweet, caring kid, who played with boys that no one else wanted to play with, that was emotional and sensitive, that was called all might because he was so nice and heroic. all might is a symbol of his lost opportunity to be a hero. all might is the representation of the life he never had. but what if all might had found him? reached out to him? rage in itself is not an 'evil' quality. tenko can be angry AND righteous. even now we see that, in the end, he wanted to be a hero, even if it was for the 'villains.' he's so good. he's SO GOOD. HOW DARE HYOU MAKE ME ANSWER THIS RIGHT NOW AHHJhdjfaldjfljsadklfasldkfj (i'm crying. tenko. tenko please.)

🎉 - oooof. this is a hard one. i'd actually really like to hear your thoughts about what you'd consider success for a fic, because your stuff is a LOT more popular than mine. my opinion on this has changed in the last few years. obviously your goal-posts change depending on how 'popular' something of yours previously was. especially after switching from comedy to angst writing, as well as switching to an extremely large fandom (bkdk) to a medium fandom (sskk.) just like a lot of other people i had fallen into the ratio of kudos:views, the comments per chapter and 'subscription' tunnels. as well as comparing myself to other fics in the fandom. its very embarrassing and self-involved but i think we're all victims to this. right now, what i consider success (for long fics) is that: people want to keep reading it. that the same people show up in the comments. it makes me feel like the story is worth following. but the ultimate marker of success (to me) is someone saying they were inspired by the writing. in whatever way. to write their own stuff. to draw. to play music. to think about their own life/situation. to try something new. (someone commented the other day that battle of the bands inspired them to get nipple piercings?! not really what i was going for but YEAHHHHHHHHH.) ANYTHING. because that's what its all about, right? connecting with one another and inspiring one another through art, whatever that art may be. even if its anime-boy porn. whatever.

✅ - something that appears in my fics over and over again, even if i don't mean it to? hmmm... i reuse a lot of metaphors. stomach/heart jumping/twisting like its in the olympics is the one that comes to mind. i use a lot of richard siken poetry unfortunately lmao both in its raw form and the vibes from it. i often re-read parts of 'Crush' when i want to write a really emotional scene. the other things people told me i do a lot is write REALLY descriptive, graphic sex (not like... rough or anything. i'm just very descriptive. i think its probably because of my medical background/anatomy knowledge but. yeah.) and that i love doing cliffhangers. lol. lmao even.

EEEE rani thank you for sending this 🥺 you're honestly the best. i'm sorry for ranting i hope you dont regret it i love you forever

[just-antithings]

AOT anon has returned with a gift!

TL; DR: Antis’ moral condemnation of AOT fans has functionally created a perfect environment for gamergate but anime, and worse.

First off, i want to state that I agree that there is a lot of very thinly veiled antisemitism within AOT’s canon, and no number of screencaps about people saying genocide is bad is going to avoid that—be it titans and blood libel, the ghettos and the armbands, the tacit implication that genocide against the Eladians—despite being morally reprehensible—would be a necessary measure to stop them from destroying humanity, i’m sure you all are at least somewhat familiar with these talking points. This is not a condemnation of AOT’s fans, I certainly don’t think you’re all secret nazis or someshit, I’m just highlighting that there is miles of ground to cover for a critical analysis of AOT for anyone who’s willing to approach it in good faith.

However, as many people have pointed out, a lot of these references are allegorical and/or subtextual in a way that means that the only people who would really pick up on them are either already deeply antisemitic themselves or make a concerted effort to keep track of antisemitic tropes and talking-points. My point is the people who would be best targeted by a propagandistic anime/manga like what AOT is claimed to be won’t pick up the message it’s supposedly trying to spread. To a lot of people it’s just a good story with lots of gory monster killing, a gritty conspiracy and some juicy emotional arcs. And, from their view, the Antis who treat their affection for a story as something morally condemnable are being completely unreasonable; they’re reaching, they hate morally and emotionally complex media, and they’re out to kill everyone’s fun. And, this is a reaction that can be very easily exploited by any remotely fandom-savvy far right recruiter: Antis are snowflakes becomes SJWs are snowflakes, criticisms of the status quo is overly sensitive whiners trying to take away the things you love, the SJWs are thought police, harassing marginalised groups is good and necessary because of The Culture War, and actually all even slightly left-leaning critique of something popular must have been engineered by The Communist Jews Who Wanna Take Over The World, so on and so on. We’ve literally already seen this with gamergate. A Feminist™️ took issue with misogyny in the gaming scene became The Left Wants To Steal Our Video Games and the only way to protect them is by calling Anita Sarkisian the k-slur and sending people death threats—except that time, most people weren’t actually accusing The Average Gamer of being a bad and terrible person for playing WoW. Antis turning criticism of a piece of media into a moral condemnation of anyone who consumes it makes the process of media criticism entirely too personal in a way that plays right into the hands of fascist reddit and 4chan types, and antis should, by all respects, be the types of people to pick up on that faster than most—but they seem to care more about their larping as the Last Bastion Of Morality than actually engaging thoughtfully with media and good faith discussion around it, and i kinda really hate that. I know this is long, but in my defence I dod warn you that I have a Lot Of Opinions on Antis’ reactions to AOT.

.

[messiahzzz]

So I came across your post for Wyll. And even though you did an update it really did shake me to see the silencing black voices and how they come off as “hostile.” As a black gamer myself and black character is treated (usually) like a subhuman. On pages where people calm them slurs and other vile things. And we’re told to essentially “get over it.” And in this regard when it comes to Wyll, we see that he has less content than the other 5 origin characters. Which is odd since he’s been around from the very beginning. Yes, he did have a rewrite due to white people saying “he’s not trustworthy/he’s to mean” like black people as a whole are supposed to fit into a nice little mold that suits them. Do I think Larian should have stood on business and kept EA Wyll as he was? Absolutely. Do I enjoy the Wyll we got at release? Absolutely. But hearing takes like yours when you, in the past, said that Wyll needs more content. It’s like you’re backpedaling to fit a narrative or be more palatable for a certain audience.

I don’t know man. It was just hurtful to read really.

“But hearing takes like yours when you, in the past, said that Wyll needs more content. It’s like you’re backpedaling to fit a narrative or be more palatable for a certain audience.”

this is going to be a long reply, but let me start it off by saying: i have always said so and i’ve never claimed anything different, even on the exact post you are currently referring to. i fully and wholeheartedly believe that wyll deserves more content until he has the exact same amount of scenes like everyone else. this includes the quality and any other aspect of his story that is in thorough need of improvement. this is something that won’t ever change.

for the sake of full transparency, these are all of the posts i’ve written that vaguely address this entire topic. [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]

the original post is — like i’ve said many, many times by now — a mere scene tally. meant to compare the amount of content (not the quality or substance thereof) wyll currently has in the game, taken in strict comparison to the other companions. not addressing the racial stereotypes and tropes present in wyll’s story in this specific post was a conscious choice i made.

i didn’t want this specific post to turn into a discussion about racism in media/fandom in the first place, because i fully believe that it is a complex and crucial topic that deserves to be addressed separately and with just as much consideration, respect, and care. as well as with actual, coherent references to back it up. however, i also recognize that these topics are inherently and inevitably interlinked. which is why i felt it unfair to refuse dialogue. i considered it my responsibility to explain my approach and also reiterate what the original purpose of said post was. …until it got out of hand.

i do think we’ve reached a point where a certain (loud minority) of the fandom is vehemently insistent on misunderstanding and misinterpreting anything i will say henceforth, no matter how many times i will repeat myself and explain my intentions. this is unfortunate, but ultimately how fandom as a whole works. branding a single person as “the problem”, while goading and egging each other on, on their respective discord servers until the next discourse pops up. and before anyone even goes in that direction: no, this is not me playing the victim, but merely an observation.

people that have been following my blog for a while now likely know that my posts are almost always accompanied by strict data & examples. i rarely derail from the topic at hand and prefer to make separate posts for each issue i want to address — not a justification, but an explanation. another example, to further illustrate what i’m referring to: if i made a post about the number of scenes gale has in comparison to the other characters and someone else asked me: why "i am not addressing the grooming and abuse he suffered through mystra as well?”. i would also tell them that: yes, while this is a crucial theme that stretches throughout his entire story and ultimately shaped his character, this is not the purpose of this specific post.

i genuinely love wyll as a character, he is one of my favorite companions in the entire game and it saddens me that there is so very little fan content of him. however, i do feel like that by effectively shutting down every discussion around him that isn’t centered on his personality and/or his romance it will inevitably leave fans burned out and even more discouraged from creating more content with him than they were in the first place. policing others on the topics that are acceptable/unacceptable to talk about (and in which manner they should be addressed) is only putting further restrictions on the little content wyll already has within fandom. it is counterproductive.

i can assure you that it was never my intention to be hurtful. neither to make poc players feel like i am silencing them nor urging them to “be quiet and get over it.” quite the contrary, in fact. i believe correction is necessary to ensure that the data (we give larian for review) is detailed, comprehensive, and factually correct. so it will be taken seriously and consistent, elaborate changes will be made. instead of merely receiving a few measly bug fixes to appease the masses.

i do hope you’ll respect my decision to remove myself from this discussion entirely and not send me any more asks regarding said topic in the future, nor reply to this post. respectful and civil dialogue is something i will never reject, but i’d also really like to let it rest and have us all focus on the aspects of fandom that genuinely bring us joy & allow for the pleasant kind of escapism.

now, since this was a lot of text, allow me to sum it up once more:

i fully believe that wyll deserves more content. until the quality, as well as the amount of his scene are exactly on par with the rest of the companions.

i have never urged anyone towards inaction or claimed that the fandom should simply “shut up and be content” with what they’re given.

what i have criticized is the methods of action that were taken by a small amount of fandom (i.e. petitions and demands directed at larian) my personal opinion being that it is not a long-term effective approach that will bring about the desired results (said petitions not even entering larian’s peripheral vision or being consciously ignored entirely). as well as being rather disrespectful to the developers and the people that continuously work on the game.

i have never claimed that you shouldn’t critique larian. in fact, i do this often myself. there are maaaaanyyyyy aspects to be critical of.

i personally believe that it is a much more efficacious approach to provide larian with direct feedback via their form. i have provided instructions, as well as examples of reports you could write on my posts (upon specific request) and also repeatedly linked to their website.

last but not least: please let it rest ✨

[govindhtech]

Hogwarts Legacy 2 Sequel in Development, Says Movie Insider

Fans of The Hogwarts Legacy, be on the lookout: it was only recently disclosed that a sequel is presently in the process of being produced, and when it is published, it will take the series to greater heights than it has ever reached before.

Hogwarts Legacy sequel

MyTimeToShineHello, a well-known movie insider who is also recognized for their amazing track record when it comes to exposing facts about the film industry, is the one who leaked the information. In spite of the fact that the leaker did not reveal a lot of data, it is fair to infer that the leaker has sources within Warner Bros. given that he has previously exposed a variety of pieces of content that came from the studio. In other words, it is acceptable to think that the leaker has sources inside Warner Bros.

Because this is the first time we’ve heard of a prospective sequel, we aren’t very familiar with the intricacies of it. However, we do know that it would be set in the future. Despite this, a second installment of the Hogwarts Legacy series was certain to be developed at some time in the future since the first game in the series was such a huge commercial success.

This game had its best year ever in terms of sales, bringing in a grand total of $1.3 billion in revenue as a result of its popularity. When we evaluated the game, we were impressed by what Warner Bros. brought to the table, especially when it came to developing an engaging and interesting game that was set in a well-known fantasy setting.

Since the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, has already made a remark about the company’s devotion to develop a “perfect” game, even if doing so would come with a tradeoff in terms of production time, one should not think that a release date will be revealed in the near future. Instead, one should not anticipate that an announcement about the release date will be made in the far future.

If we do not think that a certain movie or video game is the culmination of our best efforts, then we will not make it available to the general public. Even if we are successful fifty or seventy percent of the time, it is not going to be worth our effort to continue with this plan.

However, the company has recently embraced this point of view as the foundation of its new cultural philosophy. The recounting of tales is what our company does for a living. The members of our team with the most original ideas are constantly toiling away to enhance our content and make it the very best that it can be.

Taking into consideration the average development cycle for a triple-A video game, it is conceivable that we will not be able to purchase Hogwarts Legacy 2 for at least three to four years

While we wait for the second edition, you may play the original one on a number of different consoles and devices, such as personal computers, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One. The game’s original release date of July 25 has been moved back by four months, and it won’t be available for purchase on the Nintendo Switch device until the month of November.

Quidditch, the sport that is featured in Harry Potter, is going to be the focus of a new video game that is now in development for both personal computers and gaming consoles. This is sure to excite fans of the Harry Potter series. On the other hand, mobile gamers may already participate in the collectible card role-playing game Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, which was released at the end of July for both Android and iOS.

[nat20marketing]

Hello fellow marketers. Welcome to our FINAL session of the Nat 20 Marketing journey!

I just want to ask. How are you? How are we feeling for having come so far? I will be honest here, it is a little touching that we’re seeing the end of this wild adventure on IMC. We’ve covered so many points regarding how to conduct a successful IMC campaign.

When I first started taking business in college, I wasn’t sure what the program would be able to inspire me. I thought business was plain and boring, and had to do with lots of numbers. Sure, as marketers, we still have to deal with numbers every day, but I would like to think that a successful marketing campaign consists of both refreshing creativity and data-supported numbers and statistics. In the realm of business and reality, money (and budgeting) is just far too critical to ignore. This is where we as marketers have to stay grounded when we come up with all sorts of fascinating ideas.

For this final blog post, we’ll look into the aspects of how to deliver a good pitch presentation. At the end of the day, marketers will have to present their BIG IDEAS to people with the capital to invest in these ideas. We are going to cover two major tips I figured out myself when I was preparing for my presentation the other week, hopefully, they’ll prove to be useful for everyone in the future.

First and foremost, you must know your target market inside out.

Research and data collection are sure to bring us insight into how our target markets behave and act. It is the most basic and the very first step to understanding our target market. I am going to take the pitch presentation I recently did for my marketing class as an example. 

My group discussed heavily on the idea beforehand to make sure everyone was on the same page. I think this is extremely important because it can genuinely help each teammate prepare their individual parts at a better level of understanding. I think it is completely fair that each teammate focuses on different parts of the presentation since there are just so many points we have to talk about during the whole pitch. However, having everyone know what is happening exactly opens room for new perspectives, ensuring no stone is left unturned. It helps the team refine the BIG IDEA and allows the team to dive deeper in case there are any unreasonable concepts or objectives. 

I think it is understandable that sometimes we are not completely certain with numbers and we are often left to make educated estimations. On one hand, we want to be logical with our budgeting and projected returns. On the other hand, we also want to be realistically optimistic about the BIG IDEA. If one is unsure of the BIG IDEA in the first place, how is one going to confidently sell the concept to investors and prospectors? How is one going to convince others that their idea is a good one?

Okay, we talked about being confident and thorough with the preparation and brainstorming stage. What about understanding the target market? How does it actually help?

When we reach the stage of complete understanding of our target market, we can shape the tone and energy of the pitch presentation to match the target market. It goes to show that those who come up with the BIG IDEA truly know the wants and needs of the target market well enough to think from their perspective; to consider what they care for; and to provide tailor-made solutions with their best interest in mind. 

Taking the same example, the pitch presentation for my team is for the McDelivery app targeting GenZ gamers. When we think of GenZ, we think of adolescents and young adults. We think of middle schoolers, high schoolers, and university students. We think of young adults who are just kick-starting their career paths. They are a vibrant group with all sorts of interests and personalities. They care about individuality and societal issues. They are attuned to rapid technological advancements and are open to solutions that make their lives easier and more convenient, so they can make time for their hobbies and personal projects. When we think of gamers, we think of video games and entertainment. We think of action games, roleplaying games, puzzle games, horror games, comedy games, cooperative games, competitive games, cozy games, etc. There are so many genres in the market, and it is not a simple task to target all gamers. With a budget in mind, our team narrowed it down to a popular battle royale game in the market for a collaboration campaign. It is competitive and well-known across North America with a stable and large player base. Our team spent time researching the psychology and behavior of gamers who play competitive video games. We finally decided on the tone to be upbeat, energetic, and casual. This leads me to my next big tip.

Knowing the target market and the client should be the key to formulating the delivery format of the pitch presentation. We as marketers want to be close to our target market. We want to be a part of them and make them feel that we do understand their needs and wants. We want them to know that we have just the perfect solutions to their problems. For my team, we brought props to the presentation. We had headsets and console controllers. We had a TikTok video and a live demonstration to reflect how our target audience acts and thinks. We showed that we knew the target market’s priorities and passions. 

I would like to humbly point out that roleplaying in a presentation takes quite some confidence and it may not be for everyone. Rehearsing with the whole team helps, but individual practicing is critical. The more we practice and the more hands-on we are with the group’s whole research and brainstorming process can be very helpful. It can get us to the point where cue cards are not necessary. We can freely move around the stage instead of rigidly standing next to the slides and reciting the script. (If it can be helped, I do suggest memorizing key ideas and terms in place of the script itself. It gives room for improvising on the spot and reduces stammering when we forget the next exact line.)

I do not think there is any standardized answer to how to prepare the perfect pitch presentation, but I think the two tips I leave here with you all today are worth considering and adopting for anyone who is planning for some kind of pitch presentation.

It’s been a wild journey finally practicing what I’ve learned in class in the past few years. Thank you for joining in on this ride fellow adventurers. I hope all your future marketing campaigns run smoothly and successfully. The rocks and bumps on the way are lessons to be learned, and for my final tip of this blog:

NEVER STOP LEARNING.

Thank you, and goodbye!

[44gamez]

Our 100 most popular Xbox games of 2023 list shows the power of Game Pass

In any case our weekly charts, this this is the massive one: the highest 100 Xbox Gameplay Chart for the entire 12 months of 2023.By some means, regardless of being in first place for almost each chart of the 12 months, Fortnite is not prime of the chart for the preferred video games of 2023. Minecraft has that honor (it was first for final 12 months's prime 100 chart too), adopted by GTA V in second, after which Fortnite in third. Name of Responsibility is in fourth, with Starfield managing to interrupt in at fifth. Starfield was undoubtedly one in every of 2023's largest launches, so regardless of solely releasing on the finish of the 12 months (and to blended opinions) it isn't an excessive amount of of a shock to see it shoot so excessive. It is received extra deliberate for 2024, too, so it'd handle to carry onto its spectacular participant numbers. Halo Infinite was fourth in final 12 months's chart for the highest 100 hottest Xbox video games however has slipped right down to ninth this 12 months regardless of common updates and new Seasons, whereas Rocket League has raced as much as tenth. FIFA 23 has made a large leap up from fiftieth final 12 months to eleventh this 12 months. 2023 noticed it be part of Xbox Sport Move Final and EA Play, earlier than being delisted forward of EA Sports activities FC 24's launch. The subsequent huge change is Atomic Coronary heart, which is at 18th after launching into Sport Move early this 12 months. One other of this 12 months's huge launches is Hogwarts Legacy, which has made it to twentieth after launching just a few weeks or so sooner than Atomic Coronary heart. Payday 3, a September 2023 launch, has made it to twenty second regardless of all its launch points and patch delays. Name of Responsibility: Fashionable Warfare has fallen from fifth place in final 12 months's chart to twenty third this 12 months, whereas just under, The Texas Chain Noticed Bloodbath (one other 2023 Sport Move launch) has reached twenty fifth of the 100 hottest video games. We then have a spate of different 2023 releases: Wo Lengthy Fallen Dynasty at twenty seventh, GoldenEye 007 at twenty eighth, and Forza Motorsport at twenty ninth. All launched on day one into Sport Move. Black Ops 2, in the meantime, has managed to leap up 40 locations from final 12 months's spot at 72nd. Earlier this 12 months, Xbox 360 Name of Responsibility video games noticed an enormous spike in gamers after server fixes, which could assist to clarify this enhance. The remainder of the chart is riddled with 2023's releases, though they may not all be the place you'd count on. At thirty fifth we've got Occasion Animals (a day-one Sport Move launch), adopted by Stranded Deep at thirty sixth, Monster Hunter Rise at thirty seventh, and Redfall (one other day-one Sport Move addition) at thirty eighth. Redfall was stricken by bugs and lacklustre opinions at launch, prompting Phil Spencer to apologize and focus on his disappointment at letting down Xbox followers. Nonetheless, Bethesda's Pete Hines says the crew will maintain engaged on Redfall as a result of it is in Sport Move, saying, "we all know, as a first-party studio, Sport Move lives ceaselessly."Madden NFL 23 launched in 2022 however makes its first look on the highest 100 chart for 2023 at fortieth, most definitely because of becoming a member of Sport Move Final by way of EA Play. Loads of huge Sport Move day-one launches present up all through the chart, akin to Lies of P at forty first, Minecraft Legends at forty seventh, and Hello-Fi Rush at fiftieth. Then we've got main releases like Diablo IV, which exhibits up at forty sixth. Some huge releases, like Murderer's Creed Mirage, do not store up on this prime 100, however the older Murderer's Creed video games are all falling quick: Odyssey is down from 51st to sixty fifth, whereas Valhalla is down from forty seventh to 82nd, and Origins is down from forty first to 89th. The much-updated No Man's Sky is down from 2022's spot at 58th to 73rd, however Good day Video games introduced a brand new multiplayer sport known as Mild No Hearth, which already seems to be to be vastly formidable. In the meantime, it is fascinating to see Vampire Survivors has solely made it into the highest 100 this 12 months, and at 91st, because it joined Sport Move final 12 months. Nonetheless, it is had plenty of huge updates, which could clarify its sudden look. Rounding out the chart at a hundredth is Remnant 2, which launched earlier this 12 months however joined Sport Move solely not too long ago. Chart compiled utilizing gameplay knowledge from over 2.4 million lively Xbox accounts. Chart info is copyright GameInsights. For particulars on how the chart is calculated, click on right here. Source link Read the full article

[tazo123]

Chain Joes Our Play-And-Procure model puts gaming first

The completion of the faint times of gaming is here, and what the future holds is impressive! Around here at Chain Joes we're getting ready to set the gaming scene on fire with our Isometric Action Shooter coming soon to web3. Joined by a love for gaming and everything Web3, we're intending to deal with the hardships related with blockchain gaming to make an unrivaled experience for all of our players. We've zeroed in on blowing some people's minds of the convenient gaming market for isometric movement shooters, and we have a plan to get it rolling.

It's with staggering euphoria that we pronounce our game endeavor, Chain Joes.

We are developing Solana not permanently set up to bring one of the most astonishing web3 games to gamers and NFT aficionados everywhere!

Sooner rather than later, we will reveal more information about our endeavor and our picture, yet for the present, we should share a piece of our perspective that incited the creation of this endeavor.

Mission

Our vision at Chain Joe's is to spread out a Play-AND-Secure organic framework with first in class progressing connection being the fixation, so gamers need to return unendingly time again.

We would prefer not to frame a gamified money related instrument. There are a ton of those by and large accessible, and most are significantly flawed.

They offer very little to the gamer and come up short on significance expected to make an attracting and distinctive experience. In that limit, a huge part of these "get first games" have a high turnover of players and unpredictable economies.

By putting the player's experience first, Chain Joes will be a game gathering need to return to so they can research, participate in PVP and PVE events, make and re-try their character and that is just a hint of something larger.

Everyone at Chain Joes is a long haul gamer. We comprehend what makes a good game, and we comprehend what gamers need. The gathering grew up during the impact of the gaming industry and ended up being veritable geeks who worth fascinating games.

Chain Joes is based on the things that genuinely have an effect on gamers, including:

Testing and repaying PVP and PVE content. Rich legend and intriguing histories. An extent of solid and uncommon weapons. Individual mastery trees and character improvement. Animating and keen enemies. Astounding opportunities to secure and win rewards. Likewise, considerably more. By putting the gamer first, we'll build solid areas for a creating neighborhood will incite a consistent economy.

Sharing Our Vision

Our vision and guide for Chain Joes are clear.

6 principles support all we do at Chain Joes to ensure we remain on track and convey the quality and delight our future gamers merit.

We've covered a part of these at this point, but we can go to some degree more significant.

1. Our Play-And-Procure model puts gaming first

We want to return the accentuation on giving veritable, quality gaming redirection first, which prompts a prudent, open game economy with life range that people truly need to return to.

2. We should be far reaching, with free permission to play

Various players need to play while getting, yet a critical requirement of existing NFT games is their high entry obstacle.

By making the game permitted to play, we will ask more clients to join and play, provoking a predominant game, a really beguiling experience, and a more grounded economy.

3. We're based on the idea of progressing cooperation and mechanics

Extraordinary continuous association not altogether permanently established by the mechanics, which should engage the gamer and make them need to spend something like 20-30 minutes everyday playing.

Chain Joes isn't a gamified money related instrument. We are building a real generally excellent quality AAA game that gamers will esteem.

4. We're revolved around the long stretch

As the P&E market is in its starting periods of progress, we're not expecting to sell a 10k NFT variety.

We intend to offer an "Fundamental battle pack" for early partners and free induction to the game.

There will be specific NFT character and weapon packs, as well as exp helps for early partners, which will uphold the players' progression at the fundamental stage, but not outlandishly.

5. Basic access for non-crypto players

Since NFT is a respectably new development, various gamers are different to it, so they experience issues joining.

NFTs add new layers of progressing communication and significance to videogames, but most endeavors ignore the way that people could find them exorbitantly particular and testing to use.

We really want to change that by offering one small step at a time bearing to welcome new players into the game so they can consider betting everything web3.

6. We keep up with that people ought to live it up!

Why in having a game that isn't charming to play? By and large of in front of you gamers, we love gaming and we want to pass on a marvelous encounter people will value such a great deal of they'll bring their buddies along too.

Go back and forth alongside Us At Chain Joes Our gathering of 50+ people, with blue-chip game development, business exercises, and expert advancing experience, are the real deal.

We know who the veritable foes of Web3 are which is the explanation you can fight the Swindlers, Developers, and Spammers together in our horseplay and testing PVE games.

Accepting you are looking for:

A clever game world Characters with a fascinating story and phenomenal insight Permitted to-play mechanics NFT parts Entertainment at the middle References to cryptothematics Pictures Furthermore, endless gaming quirks from a previous time… Chain Joes is the best spot for you.

Join our stimulating, creating and prospering neighborhood and sort out how you can take part in the veritable destiny of gaming

More information

Official website: https://chainjoes.com/

Telegram group: https://t.me/chainjoes

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chainjoes

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chainjoes

Medium: https://chainjoes.medium.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chainjoes

Sale strategy: https://chainjoes.com/pdfs/Sale_Strategy.pdf

Whitepaper: https://chainjoes.com/pdfs/Whitepaper.pdf

Bitcointalk Username:   tazo1995

BitcoinTalk Profile URL:   https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=1739255

bsc address:   0x675E5228716AE5eD31d67343A801631307931Ca4

[maria-murphy]

How to Create a Game like Axie Infinity?

Blockchain technology has indeed the potential to disrupt a wide range of sectors in the future. Gaming is a great example of how blockchain and cryptocurrencies may upend conventional wisdom and turn the game out of reach. 

The online video game like Axie Infinity has become the most successful of the blockchain-based games, which supports how players earn money in the game. It has made $700 million in sales so far this year and is on track to make $1 billion by the end of the year. 

But, 

What do you need to understand about one of the most prominent play-to-earn games like Axie Infinity? In this blog, we’ve compiled all of the questions related to how to develop an NFT game like Axie Infinity? 

So, let’s begin with,

What is Axie Infinity? 

In today’s cryptocurrency market, NFTs are all the rage, while Crypto collectible games have exploded in popularity around the world.

Axie Infinity is a game, which is a pokemon-inspired blockchain-based digital pet universe where users may earn tokens by playing games. Users can battle, collect, breed, and establish an empire for their pets in this game. 

As the ecosystem grows, players will be able to own assets on the network and monetize them. With over a million daily active users, many gamers have begun to perceive the game as a means of boosting their income. 

Explore once: Unity game development services

It can be used how to create new dimensions, which can subsequently be used in the game. Earned axies can be traded on a real-world platform such as the NFT or Axie marketplaces. Other items such as flowers, digital land, barrels, and more can be exchanged in the NFT marketplace in addition to axies.

Forming a powerful squad of Axies with high statistics might earn the gamers extra rewards. Players can get help with any concerns they have during tournaments and contests by using Discord, email, live chat, and Twitter. 

Moving on, let’s talk about,

Benefits of NFT marketplace development Game like Axie Infinity! 

The below following are some of the advantages of the NFT game development like Axie Infinity:

Strengthening a digital asset’s value.

Gaming elements can be displayed in fully 3D environments, worlds, and minigames.

NFT Gaming platforms that use blockchain technology are more versatile and adaptive.

Use NFTs to create rare, digital reproductions of valuables in the NFT gaming platform.

Thanks to blockchain technology, NFT art may be displayed, and personas can be modified with a variety of accessories.

Better data security.

The gaming industry is becoming more autonomous and competitive.

Gaming elements can be displayed in fully 3D environments, worlds, and minigames.

Moving on, let’s talk about,

How to develop an NFT game like Axie Infinity? 

To build an NFT game platform, you must take into account two major factors:

Team up with the top NFT game development company.

Choose the features that are relevant for the NFT gaming platform.

These two points are by far the most essential in order how to create the ideal custom NFT gaming platform available. But why is that? Let’s be clear about it.

#1. Team up with the top NFT game development company

Hire the best game developers with comprehensive knowledge and experience in the business to avoid any confusion. It is the most crucial aspect that you must consider. There are a lot of NFT game development companies around nowadays, but it’s up to you to find the finest one.

But, fine,

#2. Choose the features that are relevant for the NFT gaming platform

The most crucial NFT gaming platform features and capabilities are those that may set your platform apart from the competition and build or break your market presence.

Hire indian developers for your project

As a result, selecting the appropriate functionality is important. We’ve listed a few that you want to consider: 

Battle

Axie breeding

Payment gateway

Land 

Dashboard

Integrated crypto wallet

Native tokens

Marketplace

Transparency

Security standards

Immersive user experience

How do you choose the best NFT game development company?

So, if you want to employ the best NFT development company, you can follow these steps:

Take a look at their portfolio.

Check out websites like Clutch and Goodfirms, among others, for listings.

Examine their prior experience.

Examine their channels of contact.

Sign a non-disclosure agreement. 

These points will help you in searching for the best NFT marketplace development company.

Check Out Our Porfolio Here…

Conclusion

We hope you have considered this blog about NFT game like Axie Infinity to be both informative and enjoyable. You can stay competitive and disrupt the present NFT game business; make sure to select a top game development company. As a leading NFT gaming platform development company, Quytech develops blockchain-based games for clients from all across the world. Quytech can help you create a high-end, powerful NFT game like Axie Infinity, complete with unique features and functionalities.

Contact: info@quytech.com

Original Source: How to Create a Game like Axie Infinity?

[thestreamdreampony]

Look, I don't post on this website. I lurk. But I do want to say smth for once.

As someone who just turned 22, I'm older than a lot of people in this fandom. A pretty significant part of this fandom is much, much younger than me, often somewhere between 10-15 years old, and a huge part of this fandom is lgbtqia and a lot of them are just now figuring themselves out.

So when the ccs they look up to, use their platform to loudly and openly declare their support to the community then absolutely no one has a right to criticise these kids, or anyone else for feeling reassured, validated, or just happy about it.

Is it the height of allyship? No. Is it basic human decency? Ideally, yes.

But what a lot of this fandom is just too young to remember (and tbh, I'm almost too young too) is how utterly shit the gaming space was just 5-7 years ago.

Gamergate harassed female and lgbt people to the point of actually endangering their lives purely because they dared to be visible and loud in a male cishet dominated space.

Hell, switch to a different fandom and you'll still see people complaining how female protagonists aren't sexualized enough and how PC culture is ruining games.

The fact that this fandom, which, just a few days ago, reached almost 1 million concurrent live viewers for mcc and which is large enough to get "Dogboy" trending just because a creator tweeted "bark" on twitter, is so agressively lgbtqia friendly is honestly a miracle.

You have streamers actively educating themselves everytime they learn smth new, you have others donating thousands to lgbt charities and others curating their audience by banning homophobes and racists with prejucide, so that their audience is comfortable, you have them creating an smp that basically functions as a homonormative society and male streamers unafraid to treat their male friends with love and affection, etc..

Are they perfect? Hell no. Are they largely white (presumably) cishet guys? Yes. (Though I don't want to diminish the contribution of streamers like Eret, Antfrost, Niki, Puffy, Velvet, Scott, etc. (for lgbt) and skeppy, TapL, Quackity, Ponk, etc. (for poc)). Are their tweets basic human decency? Also yes.

But can you take it for granted? Sadly no.

So if you saw Dream, Tommy, Tubbo, Phil's, Ranboo's, etc. Pride month tweets earlier and felt happy about them? You are within your complete right to feel that way.

In an ideal world we wouldn't need to celebrate these occurances, but we don't live in that ideal world, so if a cc's words bring you comfort while you're figuring things out, good for you.

I think it's important to occasinally put this fandom in a gamer fandom history perspective and see how insanely far we've come in just the last 5 years. If you'd told me 5 years ago that one of the biggest and most active fandoms on the internet 2020 and 2021 would be an agressively lgbt friendly minecraft community, where support comes both from the bottom up as well as from up top, I would not have believed you.

I don't think we have to or should put cc's on a pedastal for this, but I do think it's sometimes worth remembering where we came from and where we are now and how goddamn lucky we are for it.

Edit: excuse my punctuation. It's 4am and I'm typing this on my phone /lh

[soft--dragon]

Blueshells and Belly Laughs

Based off of this prompt here

Word Count: 1,390

Warnings: None

This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don’t like that then don’t read :)

“Aaaaaand WINNER!” Dream whooped loudly, throwing his arms up into the air in glee.

“You bastard!” Came Wilbur’s yell of annoyance, his character on the screen passing the finish line seconds after Dream’s. He rounded on the hoodie donned man who was grinning madly and pointed an accusing finger. “Cheated. You bloody cheated.”

Dream gave a snort, lightly slapping away Wilbur’s hand and clicking the buttons on his controller to set up the next race. “You’re just a sore loser, my god. No wonder you and George get along so well.”

“You haven’t lost a single game, what the fuck,” Wilbur grouched. “Do you just never go outside and waste your time playing this shitty game?”

“Firstly rude, I do go out, I’ll have you know,” Dream rolled his eyes. “And it’s not shitty, you just suck at it.” Dream selected a new racetrack and gave Wilbur a side eye. “You done bitching so you can get your ass kicked again?”

Wilbur hunched his shoulders inwards and snatched his discarded controller off the cushions once more. “I regret meeting up with you.”

Dream wheezed loudly, clicking on the track and settling into his Gamer Pose™ on his side of the couch. “Uh huh, and you call Tommy a child.”

“At least Tommy doesn’t throw blue shells at me and call me an old bitch,” Wilbur reached over on instinct and jabbed Dream’s side like he did with his little brother. 

Dream instantly flinched with a muffled noise, kicking Wilbur’s foot in response. “T-That sounds like something he would do,” he shot back, eyes forward on the screen. The slight wobble in his voice peaked Wilbur’s interest, drawing the brunette’s eye back to him.

Dream’s gaze was solely on the screen, a small smile on his face and brows scrunched to his eyes. Wilbur noted there was a faint pinkness in his face. Odd. 

Dream suddenly flicked his eyes over and rolled them with a smug grin. “Oi, I know I’m pretty but get your eyes forward, we’ve started.” 

Wilbur jolted and quickly scrambled to hit the right buttons, his kart boosting forwards on the track. “Fuck fuck- why didn't you say anything?!” He yelped, trying to catch up to Dream who was a natural speed demon and had climbed to first in seconds. 

Dream cackled. “Snooze you lose Wil,” he taunted, “maybe if you didn’t try to spy on how I play, then you’ll know when it actually begins.”

Wilbur shot him a glare, button smashing and hurling the green shells he picked up forwards in hopes they’d throw the other characters off. “Shut up you green motherfucker.” 

“Ooooo, someone’s getting sassy~” A blue shell suddenly swung by and smashed Wilbur’s kart to the side, an instinctual yell of outrage bursting from the British man. Dream cackled, his character speeding past his own destruction. “Take that you old bitch!”

“I’M THREE YEARS OLDER THAN YOU!”

“AND YET YOU DRIVE LIKE YOU’RE SIXTY!” 

Wilbur reached out instinctively again and jabbed Dream’s exposed side, freezing a bit at Dream’s yelp and what sounded to be a muffled giggle.

“Hey! Hands to yourself,” Dream smacked away his fingers, quickly returning back to his controller when a Blooper swung in front of him and sprayed ink all over his screen.

Wilbur, however, couldn’t care less about the ink blinding his character as well. All his attention was now on the new found weakness to his friend. He grinned wide and mischievous, throwing caution to the wind as his fingers were already lunging back into Dream’s sensitive midsection. 

“HEHEhehey! Wil! Whahat the fuck ahAre you dohoing?!” Dream spluttered, instantly letting one hand go off his controller to try and shove Wilbur’s wiggling digits away, his character veering off course as a result. 

“Aw c’mon Dream,” Wilbur spoke sweetly though his eyes had become playfully dark. “What happened to that winning streak? Look, baby Bowser has pulled ahead of you now!”

Dream gasped and laughed harder as Wilbur’s hand scoped out the weak spot on his lower back, pinching and scribbling mercilessly. “Wihihihil! Lehehet gohoho fohohor fuhuhucks sahahake!” 

“Aww noooo, you’ve dropped to fourth Dream! You’re never gonna win at this rate,” Wilbur cooed in faux sadness, “And you’re so good at this game too, imagine how sad it would be to lose.”

Dream wheezed, managing to grab onto Wilbur’s wrist and went to shove him away. “Okahahay! Okahahay Ihihihi gehehet ihihit! Stohohopihihit!” He pleaded, giggling so much it was almost incoherent. 

“You get it? Get what? I’m not even doing anything,” Wilbur dropped his controller, ignoring the game to fully scribble into Dream’s belly.

Dream shrieked at the top of his lungs at that, his own controller dropping to the carpet as he scrambled back to get away. “WIHIHIHIL!”

Wilbur cackled, leaping for the man and tackling him down to the cushions, his hands plunging into the fabric of his hoodie to squeeze, scribble and spider into sensitive skin. Dream arched his back high in wild squeals of laughter, his face fully red now with a large smile spread across his lips. 

“Oh, are you ticklish Dream? Is that what’s wrong?” He teased meanly, poking along the man’s ribs and worming nimble fingers into the grooves in-between. 

Dream squirmed into the couch cushions madly, wheezes breaking between each fit of giggles at the rush of ticklish sensations. “WihiHIHIHIlbuhuhur! Ihihit- Ihihi cahahan’t stahahand thihihis!” He whined, pressing his hands to Wilbur’s chest and trying to shove him off only for his armpits to be drilled into, making him throw his head back in laughter.

Wilbur clicked his tongue mockingly, not the least bit sympathetic. “Aw, well you shouldn’t have gotten so cocky Dweam, I’m afraid you did this to yourself.”

“FUHUHUCK OHOHOFF YOHOHOU DIHIHICKHEHEAD!”

Wilbur rolled his eyes. “Such a nasty mouth too, golly, it’s a wonder no one’s done this sooner.” 

He yanked up Dream’s hoodie so he could claw his fingers straight onto bare skin, and the scream the sounded out made it sound like Dream was getting murdered. 

“OHOHO NOHOHOHO- WIHIHIL! PLEHEHEASE NOHOHOT THAHAHAT!” The man howled, flailing wildly in hysterics at the sensations. 

Wilbur’s eyes lit up and he giggled a bit himself. “Awww, the Manhunt King’s got a ticklish tummy? A sensitive stomach? A buzzy belly?”

The teasing sent a rush of warmth up Dream’s neck and he buried his face into his hands, snorts peppering between his laughter. “YOHOHOU’RE SUHUHUCH AHAHA PRIHIHICK!” 

The tickling lasted a few minutes longer, Wilbur finding all the sensitive spots quickly and making Dream just about scream with laughter, the man reduced to a puddle of giggles by the time Wilbur had settled to just tracing his nails over his trembling belly. 

The brunette then placed his hands on Dream’s lower belly, feeling the muscles quiver instinctively and let out a laugh. “Relax Dream, I’m done for now,” he snickered. 

Dream visibly slumped into the cushions, his hands planted on his face as he calmed down from the attack. He heard Wilbur chuckle quietly and felt a gentle pat to his stomach, subconsciously flinching at the contact with a squeak.

“You know, I’m glad we met up. I get to see you like this,” Wilbur settled beside Dream, grinning down at him. “It’s kinda cute, King.”

Dream whined, the tickling had stopped but the small giggles tumbling out of him hadn’t. He shifted his hands so he could clamp them over his mouth, his eyes squinting with how big his smile was. “Shuhut up, it’s embaharrassing,” he grumbled. 

Wilbur shook his head, smiling genuinely. “Well I found it quite sweet. And I’ll make sure to tell George when I go back.”

Dream immediately flinched and shot up, staring at Wilbur intensely. “No- no you can’t, he’ll actually murder me when he gets over here.”

Wilbur snickered, looking at his nails. “Ah well, I’ll give a nice eulogy then.”

The strawberry blonde spluttered in outrage. “Like hell you will-!”

Wilbur’s own cackles rang through the house as Dream enacted his revenge, yelling at the brunette to not tell George, while Wilbur yelled about him trying to silence the truth. Mario Kart lay abandoned at the side, the characters tied for last place while their players tussled on the couch. The race wasn’t going to continue for a while, but there were more important things at hand.

[redorich]

"Hello, Mr. Blade," Quackity says.

Techno inwardly groans. He knows that tone of voice; it usually precedes some awful joke, or indicates that Quackity's about to take off all his clothes and attempt to sell cocaine to people again. Possibly both. In a desperate attempt to avoid whatever shitstorm is coming his way, Technoblade resolutely reads his book and pretends he does not hear Quackity. He holds out for a whole five minutes, until Quackity starts autotune-singing about how much he and Techno love doing exceedingly nasty things with each other. When Quackity breaks out the guitar, Techno snaps his book shut.

"What do you want?" the piglin grunts.

Quackity shapeshifts into a cute little yellow duckling, presumably to persuade Techno with the power of cuteness. "Break into MCC with me," he says.

That is such a bad idea on so many levels. Challenging, sure, and very interesting...

"What's in it for me?" he says.

"I want to put a whoopie cushion on Scott's chair," the duckling quacks. "That means we've got to break into the admin room, and you can mess with the admin control panel."

Techno raises a skeptical eyebrow. “You want to break into the most secure room in the most secure event in recent history.”

Quackity nods. “Exactly!”

“To put a whoopie cushion on Scott’s chair.”

Technoblade puts his face in his hand and mourns the collective IQ of the Dream SMP, because surely Quackity lowers it just by breathing. The shapeshifter, still in duck form, hops up into Technoblade’s lap, then turns into a human so he can risk death by daring to suggestively straddle the piglin. He immediately gets shoved onto the ground.

“I’m going to regret this...” Technoblade says. “Let’s do it.”

---

Getting into the MCC server is the easy part. They’re both whitelisted, and it would be a hassle to remove everyone on the whitelist only to add them back later each time there’s another championship, so they have indefinite access. The moderators would surely come up with a way to keep everyone out if they knew about the two Dream SMP men’s plan.

“Do you even know where we’re going?” Quackity complains loudly.

Technoblade slaps a hand over Quackity’s mouth and looks around quickly. The shapeshifter responds by licking Techno’s palm, and Techno retaliates by removing his slobbery hand from Quackity’s face and swatting him upside the head for the childish behavior.

“Be quiet, we don’t know who’s here,” Techno says. “And yes, I know where we’re going. The admin room is below the map. There’s a secret passageway around here somewhere...”

The two sneak underneath the bridge to the arena, locating a lever that opens a hallway inside the main gate. The inside of the hallway is mostly quartz and concrete. Obviously, the map-makers put more effort into the bits that were supposed to be seen.

They reach a fork in the hallway: they can either go left or right. Techno points to the left. When they turn the corner, they come face-to-face with another person. Quackity and Technoblade both freeze in place at the sight of Grian leaning on the door to the admin room, fiddling with his phone. When he hears the two intruders, he looks up, squinting at them from behind the thin frame of his glasses.

Why is he here?! Techno thinks. We’re gonna get in so much trouble!

“I didn’t know either of you was an admin,” Grian says casually.

Technoblade sweats. How does he pretend to be an admin?

"Uh, yeah," he says, wrapping his arm around Quackity in a gesture that's supposed to look friendly but is a bit too tight. "My friend's code is, uh, glitching really hard right now."

On cue, Quackity shapeshifts into a moaning pile of limbs, then a duck, and then his normal state again, flickering between human and limb-pile.

"It's time sensitive, so if you could please let us through," Technoblade continues.

Grian raises a singular eyebrow, totally unimpressed. "Is it, now."

Quackity begins to foam at the mouth. Technoblade hopes that that's a shapeshifting trick and not some weird disease Quackity's picked up. Grian steps to the side, allowing the other two men to pass through the door to the admin control panel room.

As soon as they’re on the other side of the door, Technoblade leans heavily against it, pressing a hand to his his chest and exhaling. “He actually bought it,” the piglin says incredulously. Meanwhile, Quackity waltzes over to Scott’s spinny gamer chair without a care in the world, placing a whoopie cushion on the seat. For good measure, he also duct tapes an air horn to the bottom of the chair, so that when Scott sits down it’ll go off.

“We don’t have all day, man,” Quackity chides. “Go do whatever admin thing it is you’ve got planned.”

Right. He’d forgotten about that. Technoblade boots up the admin control panel. The text glows brightly, most of it in Galactic Standard. It would take too long to bother deciphering it all, not to mention it would overtax Techno’s attention span. The piglin skims the characters on the screen just enough to the point where he can locate “automated_messages.txt”. This file, if he is correct, should be the one that the main script references. If he just alters this one bit right here, then heads over to “display_messages.cpp” to alter a few corresponding lines of code... There!

“I’m done,” he says.

Quackity, who’s been climbing the wall as a hot pink lizard, drops to the floor and comes back up as a human again. “Nice, now we should probably get out of here before that Grian guy realizes we’ve done something. What’d you put in the code, by the way?”

Technoblade stuffs his hands in his pockets and shrugs. He can’t suppress his smirk, though. “Oh, nothing much-- every time a game is chosen, instead of saying the name of the game, the system will say ‘subscribe to Technoblade’.”

Quackity groans, heading to the door. He’s about to say something, but when he opens the door, the two see exactly what they don’t want to see.

Grian is still waiting for them when they exit the room, arms crossed and leaning against the wall casual as you please.

He tilts his head. "You two got that issue sorted out?"

Quackity beams, nodding rapidly and speaking even faster. "Oh yes, I'm completely better now! Technoblade fixed me up; it was difficult and scary but it worked perfectly, I feel so much better now! All he had to do was give me a true love's kiss--"

The shapeshifter is cut off by Techno's elbow digging into his ribs.

Grian nods. "That's good, that's good." A pause. "For the record, code isn't glitchy. It's either buggy or it's corrupted, usually corrupted. You're a really bad liar, Technoblade."

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Techno deadpans. When in doubt, deny all knowledge of the evidence!

“Team with me,” Grian demands. “I want to win the next MCC.”

Quackity immediately agrees, “Deal.” At the Look that Techno strikes him with, he simply shrugs. “Hey, I want in on this too.”

---

Grian, Technoblade, and Quackity team with Philza. They win in a landslide and Technoblade gets banned from MCC for a month. It’s worth it.