#what sneaky tag spoilers can i provide

[trolleybitch]

trolley does nano days 22-28!

in the immortal words of miley cyrus and/or x factor winner joe mcelderry, i can almost seeeee it, that dream i'm dreeeeaming

look how close we are friends!! there are 2 days left of nano and my total is currently standing at 45,877 words. we did not come this far to fall at the final hurdle! i managed to carve out some writing time alongside work/various outings this weekend and i am so close to properly catching up after the great appendicitis flatline of week two. my health is still not 100% but i will be damned if i don't make it to 50k.

tomorrow will be short on free time, but on wednesday i should have the whole evening free to sprint to that glorious finish line. wish me luck and many, many words!!

[epithet-beloved]

CALIFORNIA SLIM + ALCATRAZ HALLOWEEN HEADCANONS

synopsis… You celebrate Halloween with your favorite ghost! And Slim is there too, I guess.

ft. California Slim, Alcatraz

tags… anime campaign, Halloween shenanigans, can be read as platonic or romantic, banter (with Slim), Alcatraz in a dress because I said so, no spoilers but there’s a sneaky reference to something if you squint

word count… 831

a/n… Hello everyone! Hopefully I’ll be able to get around to some requests soon, but for now I wanted to provide you all with a special Halloween treat! ✧ 🦄

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Slim always just goes as himself. Never dresses up.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 It’s great for him because it’s the one day of the year he can walk around in public without getting arrested.

You resisted rolling your eyes as yet another person commented on the “accuracy” of the man’s California Slim “costume”.

“You hear that?” He turned to you, grin wider than ever. “They praised my attention to detail. Got the mouth scar makeup juuuust right.” He would drag his finger over said scar to emphasize, only to burst out into laughter afterwards. “You should take a page from their book and appreciate my genius for once.”

“You mean your laziness? Keep dreaming.” Despite your sarcasm, you were smiling too.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Alcatraz, however. He HAS to dress up every year and Slim hates it.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Alcatraz enjoys wearing dresses and I will spout this propaganda until the end of time. This year he insisted on being Cinderella, and you wanted to support him, so you decided to try and match the theme somehow. Whether you dress as Prince Charming, or just throw on a pair of mouse ears and call it a day, he’s so happy that you want to participate!

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 It’s a whole new kind of difficult to get this clunky set of armor into an extra large costume, but it’s worth it to see him admire himself in the mirror.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Slim mostly just whines and complains about Alcatraz and his childish costume ruining his “vibe”. But you retort that it helps him blend in better on Halloween, and he doesn’t bother to retort since as long as he’s getting candy he doesn’t care.

“Did we really have to bring him?”

Before you could even snap back at him, Al piped up politely. “Well, you can’t really help it anyway, so—“

“Wasn’t asking you.” Seeing that bantering with the ghost would get him nowhere as usual, Slim would instead sidle up to you and eye your pillowcase full of goodies with interest.

“Got any peanut brittle in there? Since you probably don’t want it anyway, I’ll just be a kind soul and take it off your hands ever so generously—“

“Hey! Don’t touch my stuff!”

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 My personal belief is that Slim is an absolute fiend for peanut butter. Especially peanut butter/chocolate combos. Stuff like Buckeyes especially are favorites.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Al can’t really eat candy, per se, but you can slot some skittles into his helmet and he’s just happy to be participating.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Conversely, if you’re giving out candy, do. Not. Let Slim do it. Just don’t

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 He will scare the hell out of those poor kids, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Usually the former, though.

“Slim! Stop doing that!”

“What? They knocked on the door. They were asking for it.” Even as the potential trick or treaters ran in terror, he still had that shit eating grin plastered across his face like a decal. “You don’t actually wanna give all this candy away anyway, do you?”

“Yes I do, it’s called being nice. I am aware that you are unfamiliar, but at least try to get into a holiday spirit?”

And yet the actual murderer remained apathetic, rolling his (candy) cigarette between his fingers. “Hey, it’s called trick OR treat. Didn’t say it had to be treat.”

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Al is a delight, though. As long as you keep Slim in check, he loves being able to interact with the trick or treaters. He gets a range of compliments, from one kid telling him how cool it is that he was a knight and a princess at the same time, and even a little girl in a princess costume telling him they were matching. You’re pretty sure it made his entire year.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 After the trick or treating hours are over, you and Slim stay up super late on a movie marathon. He insists on criticizing all the slasher movies and pointing out the inaccuracy of the gore.

“There’s no way her arm would get cut clean off like that! You’d need a bone saw or something, not some wimpy scythe!”

You were quite used to your companion’s morbid musings, but that didn’t mean you had to like them. “Quit it, I’m trying to pay attention.”

“I mean, what kind of serial murderer even uses a scythe? Cosplaying as a reaper is not an excuse for inefficiency.”

“You are constantly dressing for a period piece and use a bat.”

“Hey, don’t you talk that way about Hollywood. She gets the job done!”

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 He also eggs people’s houses. Mostly because he just doesn’t like them, but also for no reason at all. He just likes throwing eggs at the innocent and unsuspecting. Does some TP’ing too.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Wanted to egg his old boss’s house, but he ended up falling asleep on your shoulder. Plus, he doesn’t even remember who the guy is or where he lives, so all’s well that ends well.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 Just make sure you wake up before him, or you might find your Halloween stash to be seriously diminished.

[fireinmoonshot]

REBEL ONE SHOT / EPILOGUE | A FIELD OF FLOWERS | ARMITAGE HUX x READER

Summary: Three months after the end of Rebel, you and Armitage spend a blissful afternoon together in a field of flowers on a surprisingly sunny Arkanis day, bringing to light things you’ve been wondering about for months. Pairing: female!Reader x Armitage Hux Fandom: Star Wars Word Count: 2286 Warnings: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER SPOILERS, toothrotting fluff. A/N: SURPRISE! As a little gift for Star Wars Day – May the Fourth be with you all! – I piped out this little baby this afternoon. Basically, for those of you who read and loved Rebel a few months ago... here’s a sneaky sort of one shot, set three months after the final chapter! I had so much fun writing this and revisiting these two. I truly hope you enjoy it and that you’re all having a wonderful day celebrating Star Wars. May 4th is basically over here in Australia but I rewatched A New Hope this afternoon and my love for Star Wars is stronger than ever. I hope, in these crazy, rocky times, this little piece of writing will bring some sunlight to your days! (I also tagged those who I had in my taglist for the original parts, just on the chance some of you would want to read this since you wanted to be tagged for the original!! :))

READ THE ORIGINAL FIC – REBEL – BELOW!

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE | PART SIX | PART SEVEN | PART EIGHT | PART NINE | PART TEN | PART ELEVEN | PART TWELVE | PART THIRTEEN | PART FOURTEEN | PART FIFTEEN

Armitage is smiling. That’s the first thing you see as you round the bend and come upon a large field filled with white and yellow flowers. He kneels in the middle of it, the sun beaming down upon him and making his red hair look even brighter than usual. The rain had subsided for the morning and the flowers in the field that were usually weighed down with rain and surrounded by mud are thriving in the warmth the sun provides.

What really stands out, though, is the small village child running circles around him.

The boy’s mother stands beside you, a smile on her own face as she watches her son enjoying his time in the sun. Arkanis rarely ever had days without rain, and when it did, no one remained in their homes at all. You’d taken to going on a walk with her, a woman who’d become your friend over the last three months since you’d made Arkanis a kind of home, and Armitage had insisted he’d be okay to take care of her son while you walked.

She turns to you as she sees them playing. “I mean no offence when I say I doubted him before,” she speaks. “But he certainly seems to have proven himself. I’ve never seen Rhys so happy around a man who isn’t his father.”

You watch as the boy stops running in circles, clearly dizzy, but despite the dizziness, proceeds to leap right into Armitage’s arms. The force knocks Armitage, laughing, back into the flowers behind him.

While rare, and though you had heard his laughter before, it still ran through you with a beam of shock every time you witnessed it and every time you swore you fell a little bit more in love with him.

Leaving the First Order, taking your hand, had done him more good than either of you had imagined.

The boy’s mother looks back towards them. “Have you thought about children?”

Briefly, you scrunch up your nose. The cursed question, it seemed. You had, though. Both of you had had versions of that conversation, though they had ended at the exact same point every time, and you weren’t mad about it. Armitage was honestly terrified of becoming a father out of fear of unwittingly becoming like his own. He’d promised that if the time ever came, he would try his best not to be like his father, and he’d made sure you knew that. But then he’d admitted a worse fear – the fear that in some distant part of the universe, an inkling of the First Order remained. One that would, when your child grew up, reemerge. That it would do just what his First Order did. Take children from their parents and force them into being stormtroopers, or worse.

It had been hard for him to admit that fear, and you’d seen that as he said it. While you preferred not to think about possibilities like that, you understood his fear. And so you’d come to a simple conclusion: maybe. Maybe one day. But if that one day never came, that would be okay too. And both of you were entirely okay with that one day not being today or tomorrow or the next day.

Today, tomorrow and the next day were reserved for the both of you and you alone.  

Still, the sight of Armitage playing with Rhys in the field thrills you immensely, and not just because of how lovely it is to see him with a child he clearly cares for, but also because of how happy it makes him.

He’d been filled with more happiness than you’d ever seen over the past few months on Arkanis, and you were grateful for that. You knew he’d lived a life with very little joy before he took your hand, and so he took extra pleasure in the little joys that seemed to follow him around like a not-so-pesky bug on Arkanis.

You shrug a shoulder and turn to your friend – Dina. “Not yet,” you admit, lying to her in your answer but knowing it’s for the best. Prying eyes still followed you around here on occasion and you didn’t need more on baby watch. It had only been three months, after all. Virtually no time had passed. “It’s still early days.”

She nods understandingly and doesn’t seem to want to say anything else on the matter, so slowly you break away from her and begin to walk towards Armitage and Rhys, still playing in the field. Rhys has moved to sit atop Armitage’s chest and is yelling about how he’s “taken down the big, scary monster” and you’re glad to see that childhood fun on a topic like that didn’t seem to bother Armitage.

He clutches at his chest. “No, no – he got me! Rhys got me! I’m–”

“No, the monster doesn’t know my name.” Rhys drops the act for a second to tell Armitage of this crucial fact before jumping straight back into his games.

You watch as Armitage blushes a shade of bright pink for just a second before continuing to join in with Rhys on his game. It’s only when Rhys eventually looks up and sees his mother wandering a few steps behind you that he pushes himself off of Armitage’s chest – rather forcefully – and begins sprinting towards her.

Armitage stays lying in the grass as you reach his side.

“Does the monster want to lay in the grass forever?” You ask, looking down at him.

His hair is messy, just like you’d seen it many times before. He’d given up on using hair gel months ago and you’d gotten used to the messy, floppy hair it was sometimes. You particularly enjoy how messy it would be after a nights sleep. He did not. And the beard he’d grown during his time on Ajan Kloss had gotten rather messy when he slept too. It was part of the reason he’d shaved it off, and while you miss it sometimes, a slight scruff still remains that makes him look not quite as clean cut as he had when you first met him.

Gone were the days of tight fitting, ironed First Order uniforms, and here were the days of slightly baggy t-shirts and trousers that weren’t as flattering as he would have liked them to be.

Not that you cared.

“Would the princess be mad if the monster did stay in the grass forever?”

“Not at all. But she would be lonely.”

You hold out a hand to him, and his smile returns as he takes it and accepts the help to stand. He brushes himself off as soon as he’s standing, removing some of the grass from the field from the back of his shirt before looking at you.

It’s quite impossible for him to stop smiling around you.

And he still hasn’t quite gotten used to being with you always.

He leans down to press a quick, chaste kiss to your lips before reaching down to take your hand again. With your spare one, you reach up quickly to brush a stray petal out of his hair before you walk over to Dina and Rhys. He’s talking excitedly about his afternoon with Armitage, and Dina is listening deeply.

“She asked me if we’d thought about children before, you know?” You mutter up to him before you get too close. “I think people are starting to get suspicious of us.”

Armitage raises his eyebrows. “People should, frankly, mind their own business.”

You nudge him gently. “People are just curious. They’re a tight knit community. There are kids all over this place. And we’re a new, young-ish couple that are without children. They probably think there’s something wrong with us.”

“Perhaps they should look closer to home.” He shakes his head.

He rarely ever thought about his own children. But only because it wasn’t something that was necessary to him right now. He had you, and he had the other children who lived around him that seemed to like him, strangely. He had been thinking of something else, of course… but you didn’t know about that.

He’d been thinking about it ever since you attended a wedding in Arkanis a month and a half ago. Wondering what his own would look like, if he were to have one. Wondering what you would look like in a dress like the bride at that one had worn. Wondering how he would look in a suit like the groom had worn. The thought had kept him up late at night more than he’d like to admit.

The both of you reach Dina and Rhys and she looks up at you.

“Rhys was just telling me what good fun you had,” she speaks directly to Armitage. “Thank you for taking care of him, love. If you’re up for it, next time we go for a walk, you might look after him again? Only if you’d like to, of course. No pressure here.” She looks at you and it doesn’t take you long to catch her double meaning.

No pressure here for you to have your own children when you can babysit mine.

Armitage, though, is thrilled. He smiles. “If Rhys will have me back, I’d be happy to.”

Both Rhys and Dina beam at that, and soon enough they’re off, wandering back down the hill and through the small woods towards the city centre.

You and Armitage hang back. From this field, you can see half of the city in the distance, but from the other side of it, you have a perfect view of the hills and ridges that cover the planet before the lake, not too far away from here. Armitage lets go of your hand just so he can wrap an arm around your back as you wander back towards the flowers, wanting to take advantage of the sun while it lasts.

Facing out towards the hills, you and Armitage happily settle back in the flowers. Armitage sits behind you, and you lean back into his chest, the warm sun beating down on you. For a few moments there is silence.

Then, Armitage speaks.

“What do you think we could do to deter those who wants us to have a child?”

You can’t look up at him, but you furrow your eyebrows in confusion anyway. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do. No matter what we do, people will still wonder. Even though it’s only been a few months, they’ll still wonder,” you admit. “They know how serious we are about each other. Not much would deter them.”

Armitage huffs softly. “What about…” He hesitates. Never in his life had he ever been in a position to discuss something like this with anyone before, though he supposed that the likelihood of there being a good time to discuss it was slim. “No… never-mind.”

“No, what is it?”

“What about…” He hesitates again, and then sighs. “Would marriage deter them?”

You’re spinning around to face him half way through the word marriage, unable to keep the shock and surprise off of your face as you meet his eyes. “You– marriage?”

He nods nonchalantly. “Would it?”

”I– probably not, no. It’d spur them on even more, I think.”

Armitage screws up his nose and shakes his head, disappointed. “Oh.”

“What… what makes you ask that? What makes you think of it?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Ever since we attended that wedding I’ve wondered.”

“Wondered… what?”

He meets your eyes and smiles slightly. “What it would be like to marry you. It’s a luxury I never allowed myself to think of before. Marriage. One I never wanted to, one I never thought I would get a chance to even dream of. But I heard stories sometimes, heard people in the First Order, those who worked there, sometimes mentioning husbands or wives. I always allowed myself a luxury of curiosity, but not a curiosity about my own life. About my own possible wife.”

You try and look for the right words to say, but none that come to mind seem to be right. Instead, you lean up and kiss him softly and gently, letting your lips linger for a little longer than usual before you pull away.

Armitage’s eyes are sparkling as he looks at you after. “What was that for?”

“I think I’d like to call you my husband one day.”

His lips twitch. “We could do it, if you’d like.”

“People would be even more invested in us having children, though.”

“I’d get better at ignoring them.”

You’re unable to stop yourself from snorting in laughter at him. Sometimes he surprised you in his kindness and sincerity, and other times he was just like the Armitage you’d met on his ship months ago. Just as cold, just as unfeeling, but different – always with an undercurrent of warmth. This was one of those moments.

“You don’t think it’s too soon? To get married?”

He shook his head. “If there’s one thing I learnt after taking your hand and letting you save my life, it’s that life is not long enough to wait around for things you know you want.” He swiftly kisses you once more. “And I can guarantee I’d like to call you my wife even more than you want to call me your husband.”

You narrow your eyes. “I don’t know… that’s a pretty heavy bet…”

“It’s one I’ll win,” he assures you happily.

He’d had the odds against him for much of his life. This time, the odds were in his hands, and he was going to do with them whatever he pleased. This time, that included marrying the love of his life.

–

TAG LIST: @agirlinherhead, @songforhema, @sleep-paralysis-demon @midgardian-witch @capcrayon @redsacrament @wlucyw @the-dream-catch3r @petalduck @hopesxxhigh @treblebeth @burritonee @acaprioglino @rebelspykim @iwritefanficnotprophecies @ahsfan23 @erys-targaryen @tazzclegane @ibikus @seafrost-fangirl @percivalgravs @chewle @j1224 @livy1391 @drowsebaby @lafy-taffy @sleepy-blossom @memys-art-stuff @pink-pirate @sophiasescape @whovianayesha @theserenityspace @rageofpatroclus @hanyasnape @pancakefancake @esperanzavelez @shoochi @iirelynn @we-all-are-strange @empressoftheundergroundsun @carisi-sonny @fredd-weasley @kxte-p @oneandahalfeggs @watercolour-sloth @thekeywordisbalance

[rainydaywoes]

Crash Landing on You: 5 North Korean Facts or Fiction?

Crash-landed in love with the inter-Korea romantic comedy, Crash Landing on You? Ever wondered how close the depiction of the South-Korean drama is to real-life under the North-Korean dictatorship? Wonder no more! Quench your curiosity as we explore 5 highlights of the drama that will make you exclaim – hurai ggajimala (take the frying pan off your head) – the North-Korean slang for “Don’t lie to me!”

Note: This article contains spoilers up to episode 13.

 1.     Defecting and accommodation censorship

Remember that nerve-wrecking scene when our leading lady, Yoon Se-Ri (Son Ye-Jin) was caught hiding in the kimchi storage during an accommodation censorship search? According to a North Korean defector, Kang Na-ra, these house searches were as common as a daily occurrence for houses near the borders. Having personally experienced it herself when she was defecting, Na-Ra added that her broker made her hide in the furnace fireplace. So yes, this is very much true!

However realistic the drama depicted of accommodation censorships, defecting from North-Korea is absolutely not as easy as stepping across a piece of wire that physical separates the two warring territories. Ask any North-Korean defectors of their arduous journey out of the authoritarian country and their heart-pounding accounts will have you on the edge of your seat. From paying up to thousands of dollars to brokers, hiding from constant vigilance to swimming across rivers while being shot by soldiers, each step of the defecting journey is fraught with the danger of losing their lives. Even after reaching South Korea, the defectors have to undergo a mandatory three-months long re-education at the settlement center, Hanawon (House of Unity).

I guess, since this is a rom-com K-drama after all, we can relent on this fantastical depiction and finally send our dearest heiress, Se-Ri, back to the South before she loses her beloved company!

 2.     Cars

Surely, we mustn’t forget to sprinkle in a (car) race-against-time scene for our leading man, Ri Jung-Hyeok (Hyun Bin), as he zooms off in a showy luxury vehicle with the famous traffic-stopping 729 car-plate to save Son Ye-Jin’s character during an accommodation censorship.

Foreign luxury cars are surprisingly not as uncommon as you would imagine in North Korea, albeit mainly seen in the capital, Pyongyang. According to a tour guide who frequently travels to the country, BMW’s, Mercedez Benz and the Audi, you name it, they have it. So this depiction of cars and traffic in the drama is true to a certain extent.

The more important question is – is this 729 car-plate number really as powerful as it seems? Instead of the number “729” which the drama adopts, car plates starting with “727” indeed receive the bows of traffic ladies and are granted with traffic-stopping access in North Korea. You must be wondering – why 727?? The number “727” represents the 27 July. To history buffs, does this date ring any bell? It’s the day that the Korean Armistice Agreement, which brought complete cessation of hostilities of the Korean war, was signed. And, for North Korea, this date represents the extremely important national holiday, the Victory Day. Hence, yes, I would count this as a realistic drama depiction of North Korean vehicles.

 3.     Division 11

The next puzzling question at the forefront of your mind that follows Jung-Hyeok’s heart-stopping revelation of Se-Ri as his fiancée must be – What in the world is Division 11??? Does it even exist in real life?

To save Se-Ri from the secret police, Jung Hyeok blurted out that the reason for Se-Ri’s lack of identification materials is because she belongs to the mysterious Division 11 – to which, the village ahjummas (aunties) responded with surprised gasps and muffled utterings amongst themselves. In the drama, Division 11 is a military unit of individuals who work undercover in South Korea. This fits perfectly into the plot as it accounts for Se-Ri’s uncommon hairstyle, dressing and most prominently, her Southern accent and slangs.

Unfortunately, the existence of Division 11 remains an unknown due to the lack of official documents. However, considering how one of the drama’s writers is a North-Korean defector with insider information on North Korean officials and their functions, there is room for valid suspicion that this division does indeed exist.

 4.     K-drama love

There are many reasons why Se-Ri was able to make it past the demilitarised zone, across the North-Korea border and into Jung-Hyeok’s house. Luck, determination, fate – whichever you choose. But if you’re a true fan of the drama, you have to agree that it was due to soldier Kim Joo Muk (Yoo Soo Bin)’s love for K-drama (and the tragic love story of Stairway to Heaven).  

“No matter how far you go… Love returns.” Choi Ji Woo’s cameo brought tears in our (and Joo Muk’s) eyes as we recall the iconic scene of the wildly popular 2005 K-drama Stairway to Heaven. Too old a drama for your liking? For the North-Koreans, K-dramas are extremely hard to get access to. Believe it or not, some even risk their lives for this source of entertainment. North-Korean defectors shared that if the citizens were caught watching, they would face punishments such as hard labour, a jail term or even be shot to death. Despite such severity, there is still high demand for it. K-dramas are one of the limited windows through which North-Koreans peek through to understand life in the South that deviates from the national narrative by the dictatorship.

You must be wondering –how do North-Koreans go about getting their hands on such K-drama? Think the drama’s market merchant and her sneaky sale of foreign beauty products. North-Koreans usually buy illegally imported USB drivers with the K-drama saved in it from random ahjummas loitering around the marketplace.

The next time you complain about the slow buffering of your K-drama episodes, think of the risks and hardships North-Koreans have to go through just to get their hands on it.

 5.     Electricity cuts and train delays

Remember those satellite images of North Korea plunged into total darkness at night? That surprise by the Company Five soldiers at the constantly lit-up Seoul? True to the drama’s depiction, electricity is extremely rare in North-Korea and electricity cuts are merely constants of the everyday life. In fact, citizens receive electricity as rare as 2 hours a month! This irregular flow of electricity meant that there were generally no refrigerators and heating up an apartment with furnaces are the reality. A defector even pointed out that the scene of a village ahjumma riding the electric bicycle generator brought back precious memories and that almost every household had a similar machine to generate electricity during blackouts.

The inconveniences of the inconsistent electricity flow do not end there. The chaebol (conglomerate) heiress’ reaction to the ridiculous 14-hour train delay on the way to Pyongyang is one that most, if not all, Singaporeans who use the public transport can relate to. Surely this is false? Yes, this is indeed false. These delays not only last for merely 14-hours, but could go up to even a week! And the merchants that come running? They are known as the grasshopper merchants. Similar to what was depicted in the drama, these merchants sell daily essentials such as water, toothbrushes, soaps and food. An addition of the reality not reflected in the drama would be the ‘vinyl greenhouse’. Since train delays can last for a week or so, these ‘vinyl greenhouses’ provide warmth and accommodation for those willing to fork out the amount. Unfortunately for the citizens, train delays are considered a norm instead of a rarity and rage-tweeting or angered tagging of their train service providers on social media is certainly forbidden.

 Although Crash Landing on You is based on unbelievable premises true to its genre of a fantasy rom-com K-drama, the drama’s depiction of life in North Korea presents its audience with a rare and largely accurate glimpse into the secretive life under the strict dictatorship. With its deviation from the usual representation of North Korea as a poor and harsh regime in the media, the simplicity of life and the relatability of the citizens portrayed bring about an unexplored and refreshing outlook on North Korea and its citizens. So, after reading these fact/fiction of Crash Landing on You how many times did you exclaim hurai ggajimala?

[kbstories]

Hegemony

he·ge·mo·ny (n.) A dominant influence or authority over others.

One cell, two captains and an uncertain future ahead.

(Or: Kidd’s prison makeup is flawless. Here’s why.)

Tags: Captivity, Enemies to Friends, Bickering, Fluff (?)

Read Chapter 1 here. Set in Wano. Spoiler warning for Act Two of Wano.

***

Kidd is awake before Strawhat, that first day.

Time is a nebulous concept, measured by shades of grey and shifting shadows. A mouse scuttles by, looking for scraps, and Kidd lets it nip at his boot for a bit before he shoos it away.

Outside, not a single soul moves. The stone pit will be busy soon enough.

Strawhat snorts in his slumber and turns around, sleeping off his clash with Kaido one snore at a time. He’s a mess, hair plastered in place with blood long dried, the yukata he wears torn and drenched in it, too. Blue from his fingers to his wrists, and Kidd didn’t even know a rubber man can bruise. It makes him wonder whether his metal fist would withstand whatever punches the brat dished out to get those.

Kidd smirks. Something to keep in mind for the day the shackles come off.

He leaves Strawhat to it; the guards are still a while out anyways. Instead, Kidd twists in his chains, far enough to wipe his lips against his fur coat. The thing is done for anyways, crusted with dust and filth of all kinds. There’s a handsewn pocket on the inside that Kidd reaches into, straining his wrist to grab what’s inside.

Despite the encounter with an Emperor (among other things), his lipstick has yet to break. The case is a little dented, sure, bullet worn almost to the nub – Kidd didn’t exactly count on being imprisoned for a week – but it’ll do. After years of daily use, Kidd has no need for a mirror or any sort of diligence for this, the shape of his mouth traced in one fluid motion.

Finding this shade of red in the New World was a pain in the ass to say the least: The rest of his stash is on the Punk and that’s another reason his ship better be fine and not on the bottom of the ocean. Lives have been lost over much, much less.

Kidd smacks his lips when he’s done. Repeats the process with the trusty kohl pencil he takes to each of his eyes, the black lines surrounding them reinforced with easy precision.

Much better.

His nails are a whole other story. In the dim morning light, Kidd runs his thumb over their smooth, lacquered texture; he doesn’t get very far before hitting scratches and the odd hole where crimson polish has chipped off entirely.

On any other day, it would be a quick fix. Just a matter of nudging Killer awake next to him and watch him paint on another coat with patient hands. Return the favor in Killer’s favorite blue, if needed.

Now, the bottle of nail polish is an odd weight in his hand. Kidd frowns. It’ll be impossible to get the right angle like this.

“What ya got there, Spikey? Food?”

Kidd doesn’t as much startle as throw a glare over his shoulder – only to realize that Strawhat is right next to him. Big, curious eyes are all the bigger mere inches from his face, and Kidd jerks his hand away before Strawhat can finish grabbing for it.

“Paws off or I’ll bite them off”, Kidd barks between clenched teeth. Who knew the little shit could be this sneaky? Strawhat straight up ignores him, climbing over Kidd to get to his chained hand.

“C’mon, share! I’m so hungr– Ah!”

Even clad in Sea Stone, the guy tastes like rubber and sweat. Urgh. Kidd bites down all the same, only letting go when Strawhat pushes at his head and scrambles for swift retreat on flip-flopped feet.

His arm comes away bloody, teeth marks a perfect half-circle on his skin.

“You bit me!”

There’s a grin on Kidd’s lips, growing wider when he wipes at the corners of his mouth and nothing comes away smudged. “Told ya”, Kidd spits the words out along with the dirt on his tongue. Disgusting. “This ain’t even food, you stupid fuck.”

Strawhat tilts his head at him and Kidd rolls his eyes, shows him the tiny flask held between two fingers.

“Oh! It’s that stuff for the nails. The one that smells bad.”

Look who’s talking. Kidd huffs. “Yeah. Stop bothering me.”

A moment passes and Strawhat actually stays away, sitting cross-legged and slumped with his elbows on his knees. That should’ve been the end of it: By the time Kidd has shaken and opened the bottle and balanced it somewhat precariously on his leg, Kidd’s full attention is focused on the wet shine of the delicate brush.

But so is Strawhat’s. It’s unnerving.

“What?”

“Huh? I didn’t say anything.”

“You’re staring. Fuck off.”

Strawhat doesn’t fuck off. “Isn’t that kinda hard? With, um…”, a vague gesture towards what remains of Kidd’s left arm, “that. How are you gonna do your thumb and stuff?”

Kidd turns his head slowly. His pulse thrums hot in his veins. “You looking for a fight?”

“What? No.” The brat has the nerve to look annoyed. “Jeez. I’m just saying, this place is boring as hell and there’s no food. It sucks.”

Kidd stares. Waits for the connection between one and the other to make sense. “And?”

Chin on his hands, Strawhat’s eyebrows draw into an even deeper frown, cheeks puffed out. It’s… a pout. Strawhat is pouting.

“I can help with that, y’know. Robin and Nami let me paint their nails all the time.”

A laugh bubbles up before Kidd can stop it. He shakes his head, “You’re so full of shit”, turns back to the task at hand. The tip is dipped in again and–

The cuff jerks at his hand. Kidd freezes. The bottle wobbles dangerously without anything to steady it, its precious contents on the precipice of spilling all over the dirty floor.

Breathless seconds later, it stabilizes enough to screw the lid back on.

A defeated sigh. “Monkey.”

“Hm?”

Kidd tells him, “This is my last bottle”, slow and deliberate. “Break it and you will die.”

Strawhat blinks, lifts his head. A smile is quick to burst on his lips, all sunny and delighted, damn him. “Gotcha!”

A rather clumsy shuffle to Kidd’s side makes him regret his decision almost immediately but Strawhat’s fingers are careful as he takes the nail polish from Kidd, handling it like one would a fledgling bird or perhaps a rare butterfly. When Strawhat gets to work, he does so with his tongue sticking out of his mouth and a look of concentration on his face that Kidd has only seen in battle before.

Huh. Perhaps there are worse things out there than having Strawhat Luffy as a cell mate.

*

That first day in the stone pit ends with a veritable feast for both of them.

By the second, Strawhat has managed to piss off the guards enough that they hook his shackles to the wall, too, and the twisting and pulling and gnawing on the chains for hours on end had provided some form of entertainment.

On the third, Kidd catches heat right along with him for helping that old fart with not-starving, and they’re locked in two separate cells right next to each other instead. Which, as much as Kidd doesn’t care, means he can kiss the semi-functional plan he’d come up with goodbye. Strawhat attracts trouble like shit does the flies – it’s… not exactly new information. Sabaody is a little hard to forget, even two years later.

(This is the reason why Killer’s the one with the plans.)

Fuck it. He has never been the guy to shut up and follow another, no matter how many times the world will go tits up in Strawhat’s wake. No, Kidd has his own path to walk: One that will lead him to a crew to be saved and a ship to be recovered and traitors to be hunted and there, at the very end of it, to One Piece itself.

The fourth day sees Queen return to Udon under thunderous applause. By then, Kidd has slipped the guards and climbed his way to freedom without a single glance back.

*

The Wasteland is ahead, Flower Capital beyond that.

Sea Stone weighs heavier with every step, the sun too-bright in his eyes. Over and over, Kidd runs his thumb over his nails and smiles grimly.

There’s not a single crack in the polish.

[internetremix]

In IR lore, what are the personalities of your personas? Basic likes and dislikes?

Kristen: Goggles is An Child and behaves as such. She's very cheerful, very curious, a bit mischievous and also 100% obsessed with making fanwork of her internet family... like a goddamn weirdo. She'll usually be hanging out with everyone, spot some sort of inspiration, squeak with joy and then rush off to write or draw. She's also the defacto leader of the Smol Squad, which is composed of herself, Shyner, Jojo and Chi-chi, and she's usually the one squeaking out ridiculous plans in muppet for dumb shit like stealing cookies and trying to trap people in fanfiction scenarios. She likes to help and can often be found doing such things as assisting Xander in his many schemes or just popping up to provide shit like charts or hold things for other people- basically whenever it would be funny to have some goddamn muppet backing something up.

She loves plush toys, particularly Crockernanner, and also loves sugar, star decorations, and cuddles. She likes being picked up and loves attention, and she's pretty consistently attached to at least one person, often her big brother Split if she's not with the Smol Squad. She is in eternal war with Phill since he bullies her constantly, and will occasionally try to set up elaborate traps for revenge only to fail miserably. Also she's a huge weeb. She does not like to sleep and will often go days without it before being dragged off by some bigger person to take a goddamn nap you ridiculous child.  She is also very afraid of thunderstorms, she doesn't like loud noises or the dark.

She also has... various flaws and problems. But those are spoilers and I have no idea when/if we’ll be doing story stuff with IRsonas so I don’t want to give too much away with that.

Sorry this is very long, I think about my child a lot.

Jojo: JoJo is also a very happy child... like, stupid happy all the time. Like, they don't really have a concept of being angry. they're either manic happy or a bit sad. They love to find any way to make anybody smile or laugh, whether it be a somber happy, or a crying fit of laughter. They thrive off of happiness. They're a bit mischievous as well, and will try to play pranks and swipe things to chew on. They'll just appear in random places you'd never expect. like, in the pantry, the vent, or in your drawer. They chew things all the time to keep their dragon teeth sharp! They do tend to come off as obnoxious and kind of useless sometimes? But that's ok.

They love happiness, rocks, swimming, sandwiches, Vanilla coke, coffee, pianos, stars, ghost stuff(horror genre), and laughter. JoJo is pretty similar to Goggles now that I think about it x_xJoJo is best friends with Phill, and will always be on him in some way. Like his leg, back, holding onto his scarf by their teeth, etc. They're also very close with Goggles and Shyner, and Scott (even though Shyner tries to chase JoJo off with knives, JoJo will take it as a game of tag or something)JoJo doesn't like being yelled at or being told to go away. They get spooked easily by loud noises. They always get paranoid when they think someone is mad at them and will go to ungodly lengths to make them not mad or slightly annoyed with them, which sometimes makes people more annoyed with them than they were before.

JoJo is just an exaggerated version of me XD

Atwas: Atwas is fairly easy going. They make light of things often, and often hide serious sentiments behind jokes. They’re the type to roll with goofy and silly situations, and are very “yes and” type that enjoys escalating things in the name of light-hearted fun. They enjoy playing pranks, especially ones that take advantage of their hologrammatic nature (being able to enter and ‘possess’ electronics is something that they take advantage of often). Being technically in the cloud and a part of the internet at all times, they will often chime in with fun (often unrelated or humorous) metrics about situations and people as they occur—and often forgets that having a HUD isn’t something everyone has access to.

Being ‘technically’ invulnerable, atwas isn’t phased by the more dangerous things that go on in the IR tower, but usually prefers being a spectator or commentator as opposed to being an active participant in general shenaniganry. They don’t have any particular animosity towards anyone, and will occasionally help manage technical parts and functions of the tower.

They enjoy things like tech, cold weather, tea, fun statistics, darkness; and aesthetics like Film Noir and Retrowave.

They dislike things like excessively hot weather, being interrupted, getting too personal, having to put in a lot of “effort”, and being out of the loop.

Shyner: Shyner can easily be summed up to a tsundere in denial, and is the definition of an agent of chaos. If something goes wrong, she’s the one pouring a trail of kerosene to let the fire spread. She's loud, impulsive, and really doesn't give two shits. While quirky and charismatic, she’s also sarcastic and witty, reveling in the amusement of making fun of others. She’s often stubborn and impatient, thinking highly of her own beliefs and angered by those who dare to challenge her ideals. She also lacks a filter, and enjoys garnishing her words with colorful profanities. Filled with gripes of past trauma, she’s engaged in a constant internal war of turmoil and grief. She’s incredibly cautious and closed off around those she doesn’t trust, and can be very selfish.  Despite this, she’s loyal to the few people she cares about, going out of her way to put them first if a dire situation were to arise. She’s also very sneaky and mischievous, often finding amusement in spying on others. Her MBTI is INTP-T.

Her hobbies include stargazing, ghost hunting, spying, and Satanic worship. She enjoys melancholy vibes, horror movies, animals, thunderstorms, and has an unhealthy obsession with sweets. Yes, this child will stab you without hesitancy if you take her cookies. She dislikes seafood, big crowds, kiddie leashes, and is afraid of experiencing intense emotion she doesn’t understand.I love my satanic smol bean very much. If I may be so bold as to dive into the nitty-gritty psychology, Shyner possesses many flaws, a lot of which I personally struggled with growing up. She is a reflection of my past self, some gripes with my current self, and the perception of how I could have turned out if I hadn’t met my family at IR. Hiding behind the exterior of being a merciless bully, she still has an intense internal desire to be a good person, but gets frustrated and often derails herself in the process of fighting her desire to act on impulse. She keeps most relationships with people at arm's length, fearing that if someone were to think highly of her, it would only be a matter of time before they’re disappointed. If we were to go full-fledged story mode, she would most definitely have an intense character redemption arc, making the revelation that being shitty to those who care about her isn’t the way to run from her problems and hide away from her own sense of self-insecurity/hatred.

Phill: Phill likes mischief, bad jokes, sexual undertones, Jojo, sexual overtones, bullying Kristen, and the colour pink. That's it xD

Jojo: :D yay

Alex: Alex don't give a shit but is for whatever reason the bossman and is also as powerful as silver age Superman, just don't try actual murder of the crew and he won't yeet you into the sun

Moon: 2019 Moon is an idiot. If we didn't know any better, we would assume he was born from nothing but an old head of lettuce in Satan's refrigerator. Think like Scott from Monster Prom, but different. He knows his right from his left, but the compass is still just "NESW" to him. Impulsive, lovable, and kinda loud, this muscley dumbass will do practically anything you tell him to if he finds it enjoyable. When paired with a few people, he works well as a second to many dynamic duos. Brodingles and Moon/Split and Moon are two really good ones, dangerous shenanigans ensue. Can and will rap like a beast, any challenge to a freestyle will result in a career ending and a death being sentenced. Extroverted people pleaser, definitely shooting high to perform and when adapting to a character, goes a little too hard. This man played Gander in Charlottes Web and didn't stop making goose sounds for months. Did I mention he's also a disney princess? Singing, animals, mortal enemy falling to their death? Everything

Dawn: ToonWolf/Dawn's personality falls within the confines of recklessly adventurous who doesn't think things through entirely. They like to try and rope others into going on various hikes, treasure hunts, mythic/cryptid searches, etc. Unapologetic sailor mouth. They will fight for friends and family. Various animals, trinkets, treasures, and cool but useless garbage are brought back to the tower often (oops theres a liiiiiiitle bit of hoarding). Sometimes those animals consist of dogs, cats, lizards, bears, wolves, The Great Noble One, horses, lions, elk, you get the idea (Can I keep them?Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaseeeeee??????????).

Overall they are most comfortable and relaxed in/around water and likes a whole lotta things including sailing, swimming, adventure, stargazing, animals, mythology/legends, friends, family, and drawing.

They dislike waking up early, limitations, being talked down to, boredom, desert/hot/humid/dry weather, coffee, and the movie "Cube"

Tex: Tex is an avid cryptid detective + has a surprisingly good intuition when creating conspiracy theories about them to follow. Mm lots of memes and disguises. Smart, but usually just off on their own thinking about other stuff.Totally has a wall in their room dedicated to figuring all the cryptids out with like, red string and everything.

[foxgraphics325]

Divinity 2 How To Remove Collar

The quest gives you a perk in exchange for -2 con. By far the best perk is the idol of rebirth which revives a character once upon death and can be recharged by a resurrect scroll. What is little known is that you can pickpocket the idol of rebirth before doing the quest. (2017) Divinity Original Sin 2 How to remove Source Collars - FOR DONATIONS: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RPGDivision. https://foxgraphics325.tumblr.com/post/654434163888406528/body-model-sketch.

There are 2 ways to remove your source collars in Act l. - 1st way can be done really early but only works for your main character by winning the undergound arena in Fort Joy. The hatch is located in Griff's Kitchen. After winning the battle , you can talk to Nebora , the female merchant sits next to Fort Joy main entrance. She will remove the collar for you. - 2nd way works for everyone in the party but you have to first escape Fort Joy , find the Seeker Hideout then help them looking for thier lost leader , Gareth. Once Gareth is brought back , you can talk to Leya , she sits just next to the statue of goddess Amadia. She'll remove your party source collars.

Divinity 2 How To Remove Collar Light

Divinity Original Sin 2 How To Remove Collar From Party Members

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Divinity Original Sin 2 Wiki

Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts. Otherwise, you can remove the collar and get thrown into the prison as a way to escape. Join Our Newsletter and keep up to date on the latest from HyperX. I made two custom characters but only one of them received that tag. There are 2 ways to remove your source collars in Act l. - 1st way can be done really early but only works for your main character by winning the undergound arena in Fort Joy. It lets you equip a neck piece, so if you don't mind magisters attacking on sight it does offer a slight benefit. I got it removed, but then that turned the rest of my island experience into Magister murder time - though I think it would become that anyway once they see you sneaking into the fort. Removing your Source Collar isn’t a twostep process that ends early in the game. Champion tag? I returned his amulet to Leya at the sanctuary to remove the rest of my party´s collars, but now she won´t speak to me .. Help me please remove collars bugged! Once you’ve finished the combat trial, speak with The Thorny One again. Only that person gets the dialogue to remove the collar. All trademarks are property of their respective owners in the US and other countries. If you become the champion of the arena, you can convince her to take your collar off (only the main character). In this playthrough, when I won the area, the NPC said to me 'Wow you keep winning again and again' which was weird as technically this was my first time.? Divinity: Original Sin 2. Once you’ve saved Garteh, return to Leya and speak with her once more at the Sanctuary of Amadia. All trademarks are property of their respective owners in the US and other countries. At this point, head out of the arena and look for Nebora, a woman near several Blacksmith tools in the Fort Joy area. I already have two other ways to get in there. Removing Your Main Source Collar To get Nebora to remove your personal Source Collar, you must first become Arena champion. I suppose it is the one who talked to the arena master starting the fight. Travel with your party to the Ruined Castle in the Hollow Marshes to the north. L. Joined: Oct 2017 Posts: 4: … Starting out on the Super Nintendo with Super Mario World, and ending up in the world of next-generation gaming. I am not ready or have no intention of taking on the entire fort. The quest gives you a perk in exchange for -2 con. In my last playthrough, I won the arena and Nebora removed my collar for me. Instead, go around and climb the vines on the south side to scale the wall and reach the upper level of the castle ruins. This site uses cookies to provide enhanced features and functionality. The first thing you need to do to remove your Source Collar is make your way into the kitchen at Fort Job. To remove your personal character’s Source Collar in Divinity: Original Sin 2, you must complete the quest titled The Collar, which you should have acquired upon starting the game. Starting point The Hold. Head to the Camp Kitchen in Fort Joy and go outside. The hatch is located in Griff's Kitchen. Nebora is offering to after winning in the Arena. Having that happen to that character might turn out to be a good thing, so just roll with it ;), Fixed the issue :D I simply plugged in a second controller, chose to challenge a member of my party (lockpie hoe) and beat my friends to death, now I am pogchamp :D. Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts. In fact, it’s going to take you a good few hours to reach the point where you can actually remove your Source Collar and start throwing around magic spells. don't be too worried about only your mule getting the collar removed. Why would you want to do that? After winning the arena combat trial, return to The Thorny One. All rights reserved. NOTE: If Lohse's collar is already removed (after the Blacksmith Nebora removes it for Lohse's winning of the Arena match), then you won't be given the option from the dwarf Duggan to persuade Leya to remove your (and your party's) collar even if … Not Four. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Entertainment. In this article we’ll walk you through how to remove your Source Collar in Divinity: Original Sin 2, which will allow you to start casting spells upon your enemies once more. So I have ecided not to take her up on her offer. Source Collars prevent your ability to utilize Source magic, limiting your true potential in combat. Attributes, combat skills, civil skills, talents, tags. During this sequence, Gareth will be in combat with another group, and you’ll need to fight off all of the Magisters and speak to Gareth. Nebora is a NPC in Divinity: Original Sin 2. Nebora information. Español - Latinoamérica (Spanish - Latin America). Español - Latinoamérica (Spanish - Latin America). Josh has been exploring fantastic worlds and getting lost in video games for as long as he can remember. Make sure the character that is talking to Nebora have the Champion of the Arena tag. © Valve Corporation. Once you’re outside again, pass through the Camp Kitchen and locate Nebora’s tent down the steps just beyond the Shrine. For a visual walkthrough on how to remove all Source Collars from your party members in Divinity: Original Sin 2, check out this tutorial video from RPG Division. Depending on your level, and what quest lines you have developed. The hotfix addresses a number of player-reported issues. Help! Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts. You won't find a source point till after the fort and there isn't much in between the fort and where you can get the collars removed from everyone (and the entire fort aggros you after the fort anyway). Other potential party members will have their own Source Collars as well. All Discussions Screenshots Artwork Broadcasts Videos Workshop News Guides Reviews. Should I remove the collar while still in the Fort. Larryn is a full-time editor who has written guides and editorial features for various gaming websites. To remove your personal character’s Source Collar in Divinity: Original Sin 2, you must complete the quest titled The Collar, which you should have acquired upon starting the game. All rights reserved. 09 Apr 2020 19:28 . Follow these steps to remove the Source Collars from your party in Divinity: Original Sin 2. Removing Collars early (Potential Spoilers). Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts. In my last playthrough, I won the arena and Nebora removed my collar for me. And all the NPC's spam WHERES YOUR COLLAR? Only if you are ready to be sneaky or fight. Nebora is offering to. Make sure that Gareth is not killed during the fight. The camp is past Fort Joy, which means you've already escaped, possibly have access to source, and all magisters at the prison are hostile. Leya Fort Joy. Divinity: Original Sin 2 > General Discussions > Topic Details. The opportunity to remove the Source Collars off the rest of your party members will come much later in the game, after you have escaped from Fort Joy. In this article we’ll walk you through how to remove your Source Collar in Divinity: Original Sin 2, which will allow you to start casting spells upon your enemies once more. You won't really be rolling in any kind of source points to use your skill until you exit the fort anyway, so no rush to get it off. How to Remove Your Source Collar . There's literally no reason to. unless you make some RP reason to, I suppose. To do this, you’re going to need to be prepared to go a bit further into the game, after you have escaped Fort Joy.

How To Remove Collar In Divinity 2

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[mikiri]

How It Feels

Rating: G Pairings: Gen Summary: Keith gets back to base after a mission to find a pile of presents waiting for him on his bed. Their contents leave Keith feeling wanted. Notes: Is very soft and texture focused. A Keith Birthday fic, though late, but I finally had time. Season 4 spoilers. Gift fic for Elliot.

AO3

Keith stared blankly at the pile of gifts left on his bed. He had thought being in space would have prevented him from getting presents. Or that it would have been like last year, just him, the moon, Jack the rattlesnake and Cody the coyote. It was even more surprising that he’d gotten gifts even after leaving the castle to join the Blade of Marmora, he really hadn’t thought anyone would have gone through the effort to get a present to him, but apparently they had.

Keith took a deep, shaky breath as he sat down at the edge of the bed. He carefully picked up the smallest present that had been left on top, a plain black box with Galran writing on it. Keith opened the box, presumably form some of the Blade members, and found a set of gloves with retractable claws, and a card that he had to scan to read that said “So now even our smallest can have claws.” Keith frowned at the comment about his height but ignored it as he slid the gloves on. The fabric was soft and smooth, but he could feel the sturdiness. He twitched his fingertips to cause the claws to deploy, smiling at the smoothness of the deployment. If he hadn’t known there were claws, he wouldn’t have guessed there were just from the feel.

Keith twitched his fingers again to retract the blades and slid the gloves off before grabbing the next box. It was longer than the first and wrapped in sparkly paper, the tag hanging off it read “From: The Tailor To: Keith.” Presumably it was from Lance, he tried to find and edge of the wrapping but had little success. Eventually Keith gave up and just tore the paper off the box. The box itself was plain and white, so Keith slid the top off without much thought. Inside was a simple black and red striped scarf and a letter that rambled on for three pages. Keith set the letter aside to read later and reached in to feel the scarf. The scarf was surprisingly thick and plush feeling. Keith rubbed his cheek on the fabric for a moment, just enjoying the feel before wrapping it around his neck, making a mental note to at least wear the scarf in front of Lance to show he appreciated it.

The next box Keith grabbed was far heavier than the previous two and was a plain box that latched at the bottom until the previous two boxes. Keith pulled the box into his lap, balancing it carefully, before unlatching the top. He pulled the top off to reveal what looked like a small cake with the words “Happy Birthday Keith” written carefully in icing on the top. Keith assumed it was probably from Hunk, who he trusted with food, but space food was still always a little dangerous. Keith stuck a finger into the cake and licked the frosting off his finger. The frosting tasted almost like peanut butter, which he presumed Pidge had probably absconded all the leftover, and the cake itself was almost chocolate flavored, a little bitter, more like the dark chocolate of home, but still good. Keith carefully slid the lid back on and latched it so he could put it aside to enjoy after he’d opened the rest of the presents.

Keith surveyed the boxes left, a brightly wrapped one covered in bows, a smaller one wrapped simply in white paper, and a large black one with tape all over it. Keith considered his options then grabbed the one wrapped in white paper. Having learned from the last wrapped box, Keith tore straight through the paper and opened the box inside. The box contained a practical hair tie, a particularly fluffy red scrunchy, a soft bristled brush, a note and a short stack of datapads. The note indicated the box was from Allura and Coran, both seeming excited by the human tradition of gift giving to celebrate living another year. Allura had included the hair ties and brush for when he was working out, or if he had a diplomatic mission and needed his hair out of his face. Coran had included the datapads with a number of translated Altean myths, a compendium of animals they might run into, and then one was entirely full of stories Coran remembered from the days of the Old Paladins. Keith checked his watch to make sure he wasn’t going to be required anywhere soon, which he wasn’t, and then brushed his hair out carefully, enjoying the feel of the soft bristles brushing against his scalp. He brushed out his hair until it was shiny then tied it up with the scrunchy, which went exactly three times around his hair without pulling or tugging too much. Keith put the brush back in the box and moved it over to the side with the “things to do later” pile.

Keith hummed quietly to himself as he tried to decide which box to open next, the overly decorated box or the largest box. Eventually he decided to save the largest box for last and opened the brightly wrapped box covered in bows. This box, Keith was able to find and edge of the wrapping paper and carefully removed it from the box. The box was very square and rather heavy so Keith wasn’t sure what to expect. He thought it might be from Pidge so maybe she made him something? Opening the box he discovered it was a set of red headphones, a small orange data storage device, a smaller set of black headphones that would wrap around his ears, and a note with directions and well wishes. The note said that it was from Pidge, Hunk, and Matt who had apparently been found since he had left. The data device was apparently full of movies and music from Pidge’s computer as a reminder of Earth. The headphones could both plug in, the large ones were noise cancelling and the smaller ones were so he could take music to the training deck with him. Apparently Pidge had been working on making more headphones since Lance kept snitching hers and had finally had the time to do so. Apparently it was a prototype so if he had any problems he was supposed to contact them between mission. Keith slid the noise cancelling headphones on, the little background noise of the ship being silenced as he connected the headphones to the space mp3 player and put the music on random.

Keith stared at the final box as he bopped his head to the music. Eventually he reached forward, this was Shiro’s present, it had to be everyone else had already given him something. He surveyed the box with tape on it everywhere and decided it would be easier to just cut it. Carefully using his knife he cut the top off the box and placed both the knife and the top to the side. In the box was a giant plush comforter, when he ran his hands over it it felt similar to the scarf he was wearing, probably made with the same fabric. Keith picked it up and shoved his face in it, noting there seemed to be a certain level of weight to the comforter. Keith smiled, Shiro had provided him with a weighted blanket back on Earth ages ago, but it hadn’t made it to space so the new one was greatly appreciated.

Keith left the blanket in his lap while he investigated what else was in the box. There was a datapad with the Altean equivalent of a sticky note that said “watch me last” and a small box that rattled some when he shook it. Taking out the box, Keith inspected what else Shiro had seen fit to give him. The box was full of swatches of fabrics that mostly felt nice, there was one that Keith really didn’t like, it felt too scratchy against his skin, then there was Shiro’s class ring on the chain Keith had left it on when Shiro had given it to him back before Kerberos, the presence of which made Keith’s heart skip a beat. It was Shiro’s one real reminder of Earth, of before the alien war in space, before his kidnapping, when space was something shiny and new, waiting to be explored. Keith couldn’t imagine why Shiro had sent his class ring, it wasn’t like the reminder of the Garrison would bring Keith much comfort. Keith puzzled over it for a few seconds while the song moved to the next one and Keith dumped it all back into the smaller box. He put the small box back into the larger one and grabbed out the datapad before shoving the large box off the bed so he could lie down. Keith flopped onto his side, carefully avoiding the other boxes still on his bed and pulled the weighted blanket up over his shoulder. Relaxing he unplugged the headphones from the music player and plugged them into the datapad. There was a video queued up when he turned the pad on so he relaxed and watched.

The video was dark, there was some whispering before a voice clearly said, “Guys, guys, shhhh the video recording is started.” There was a little more shuffling before what seemed to be candles were lit, each of the Castle’s residents holding one, even Matt who looked scruffier than Keith remembered with the scar on his cheek. Hunk, the person at the beginning started again, “Hey, Keith! So, Shiro told us you didn’t get to celebrate your birthday back on Earth much, so we decided to do it out here in space. You being away with the Blade doing all the sneaky important things made our plans a bit harder, but we adapted.” Hunk paused and it looked like Pidge had jabbed him with an elbow. “Right. Anyways, so we sent all this stuff with Kolivan last mission we had in common, so hope you enjoy the Space Birthday Song.” Keith let out an amused snort at the name, Lance’s habit of just putting space in front of the word seemed infectious.

Shiro counted them in and started the song, “Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you.” Pidge joined in, voice clear, and the pair continued, “Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you.” Lance and Hunk joined in next, adding to the harmony effect, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.” Matt, Allura, and Coran joined in last, “Happy birthday dear Kei-eith, happy birthday to you.” Suddenly Lance yelled, “Make a wish!”

There was a lot of yelling over each other but Keith knew he heard at least once, “Keith comes back okay!” Keith felt tears build up in his eyes that he tried to blink away. Then he head Matt’s voice call out, “Now blow out the candles!” The video descended into darkness again before someone turned the lights on.

Hunk wandered forward, presumably to turn off the camera, and Keith’s eyes were overflowing from the overwhelming amount of feelings he had right now. Right before the camera turned off he heard, “Happy birthday Keith, hope you come home soon. We’re waiting.” The screen turned off, its message given, and Keith curled up in a ball under his blanket sobbing, who knew you could miss a few people this much. Was this how Lance felt all the time when he said he was homesick? Could you feel homesick about missing people? Keith didn’t know the answer as he slowly slipped into an exhausted slumber, clinging to the pad like a teddy bear.

[blueskyheadleft010]

Analysis of Stevenbomb: Wanted

There be spoilers under the cut

Ok, so first off I want to say that I am very pleased with this strong narrative Season 5 has started with and am dying for the next episode(s) to come out even though we have none scheduled as of yet. (I swear to goodness it better not be an entire month before we get another episode I’ll be frothing at the mouth and dying by then).

I’ll go ahead and skip analyzing Stuck Together since it aired early and most of the internet has already seen it. Having said that, let’s proceed to The Trial.

While there’s a lot to say about this episode, I’ll try my best to summarize it as just WOW.

True to her word, Rebecca has done it again by giving the fandom exactly what it has been waiting for since Jailbreak Season 1. A meeting of the Diamonds with Steven acting as a key factor. To be honest, I was honestly surprised we were getting straight to the point with this episode, seeing how Steven just sorta decided to surrender at the last moment in I am my Mom, but I’m grateful the Crewniverse wastes no time throwing us into the hellfire of a 6,000-year-old grudge against Rose Quarts as we finally get to see exactly what roles the Diamonds play on Homeworld.

I absolutely adored Zircon in this scene; trying her best to be a good lawyer and losing her cool, and yeah I get the show’s ‘logic’ is supposed to for kids, but honestly her dialogue had me raising an eyebrow or two as she tried to state her case, and I think even Steven knew she was getting nowhere with her argument.

Speaking of that, the attitudes that the different Zircons and Pearls have towards their own kind ruled under different Diamonds was an interesting little bit of information that clearly shows gems don’t seem to find ‘compassion’ and ‘friendship at the top of their list; at least when it comes to other gems ruled under another Diamond. (I also loved how Y-Pearl typed her entry in, while B-Pearl drew pictures. :3)

Adding Lars in for the trial was an interesting touch that I think surprised just about everyone, seeing how up until now he hasn’t really been significant to the plot other than for comedic relief and furthering Steven’s own maturity. I like how he’s just sorta dragged around by the gems, yet is still allowed to do his own thing to an extent. (So long as he doesn’t interfere with whatever the gems are doing). Seeing how he helps keep Steven grounded and focused on the mission I think is what makes him an important plot piece in the episode, as otherwise I think Steven would be very overwhelmed without a direct goal in mind. (And that goal is saving Lars and getting out of there.)

Blue Zircon really makes her debut after the brief court recess, as she finally gets her act together after Steven provides her with some actual evidence, and completely turns the tables around as she goes as far as to accuse the Diamonds of sabotage based on the factual evidence and eye witness accounts.

Here’s something I found funny. Eyeball as a witness. She had no real reason to be there, and frankly made herself look even worse when she admitted Steven healed her during the trial. Why would a Diamond shatterer heal an enemy gem? ;) Still, it was a nice little touch the Crewniverse added for comedic effect and I loved it all the same.

I’ll wrap it up by saying that Yellow seemed pretty mad to be accused of treason, though I have my suspicions that she’s not the real culprit here, nor is Blue. (Though dang Blue’s emotion manipulating abilities are something to be afraid out.) It might be White, since she’s not been seen yet, and she may not even exist I’m just spit balling, or it might be a color switching/shapeshifting alien/gem? We’ve never seen before.

Point is, Rose is pretty much confirmed to not be the killer of Pink Diamond. I’d bet my two cents that she loved PD, and that Pink was actually trying to help humans. :O

Off Colors

Oh you sneaky writers, you ;)

I really like how the title not only foreshadows Lars’ death, but is also a slang term for ‘defect’ on Homeworld, which I never guessed either would be canon in my wildest dreams.

So, we basically meet 3 new gems (8/9/10 ½ ??? If you count the fusions and whatnot) and Lars becomes a hardcore hero who sacrifices himself to save his new friends.

I have to give props to Lars for doing what he did, seeing how he’d basically been a yellow-belly this entire time and only ran away from his problems. Honestly I expected him to do the same this time around, but when I watched him interact with the defects I realized that he saw something he’d never expected to see in those gems. Himself. And why is this significant?

Let me put this in perspective for ya,

Have you ever looked at an old photo of yourself doing something either embarrassing or something that reminds you of a darker time in your life and go, “If only I had a time machine and could go back and tell myself not to do ‘x’ or that life will get better if you just hang on a bit longer… Then life would be so much better for the both of us.” This is Lars seeing his past-self reflected in these, scared, defenseless gems, who have no one to help them.

So this is why Lars decides to become courageous and be the hero he’s always wished he could be but was too afraid to act, and goes ape sh*t on the robonoids because he knows he’s the only line of defense they’ve got.

So ya, needless to say I’m very proud of Lars for sticking up for himself and protecting the defects from Homeworld.

(Also A+ writing for the team thinking about Lars being ‘invisible’ to the Robonoid’s scanners and using that against them! It was amazing and heroic and alkjfhdgjkdhfjgkhfj!)

Lars’ Head

So a bit of a misleading title, but understandable given it’s hard to explain what’s just occurred in a few short words while simultaneously not spoiling the episode. (Even though everyone already knows that Lars is Pink Lion 2.0 from the previous episode).

So wow, again I never expected this to be a canon thing in the SUniverse.

I can’t really express the excitement I got when Lars was revived by Steven, the team discussing death (briefly and without literally saying that word ‘death’ just ‘away from life’), and Lars is PINK now. (And has what I assume is a BA permanent eye scar, along with the fact his ear lobes are probably stretched out forever now hahahaha sucks to be you Lars! ;D)

I think Lars accurately summed up everyone’s thoughts when he asked Steven “Am I a zombie now?!?” because let’s face it, yes Lars, you are in fact a very, very, magical pink zombie. J

So yeah, let’s talk about the defect gems for a second since I totes forgot about them in favor of paying attention to my Pink Son for a moment.

We’ve got the Twins of Rutile, Rhodonite, Flourite, and  Padparadscha Sapphire (Which I’m gonna call P-Sapphire for now).

The twins are rather interesting, as they seem to be the most level-headed of the team, as well as quite possibly two of the brighter gems in the group. I just really love how they don’t seem to be all that concerned about their appearance, and more concerned about the group, which really shows how compassionate they are in comparison to some of the other characters on the show which are way more hung up on their looks than caring for others.

Rhodonite wasn’t a major shocker for me, seeing how we’ve already been filled in about Garnet’s past, but it did raise some eyebrows about how two gems fused on Homeworld and weren’t shattered right away for doing so, just merely replaced. I think theirs’s a lot more to their story the Crewniverse didn’t have time to put in, but hopefully somewhere along the lines we’ll see her again and get to know more about the two of them.

Flourite is… Interesting. Besides the obvious fact that she looks like the Hookah smoking caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, her personality and combination of gems is so distinct from the others that it’s amazing she’s actually a stable fusion. I get the underlying theme is polyamory for her, but besides that it’s something else to see such a massive fusion remain so gentle and kind while not bickering between herself since she’s got like 6 or 8 gems… Sidenote: something interesting I wanted to point out was how slow Flourite talks when she’s speaking, and one can only assume that’s because of how many gems she’s comprised of, which is fascinating. It speaks volumes that the more gems involved in a fusion, the more time it seems to take to sync up thoughts and even actions, as demonstrated by Flourite’s behavior.

Lastly, P-Sapphire. A classic Rosalina appearance with a heart of gold. I’m really curious to know how the heck she survived this long and how she found this rag-tag misfit of gems since she can only predict the recent past, as she seems to constantly be stuck in her visions as demonstrated by her actions. Regardless, she’s still really cute and I love how eager and excited she is about everything, so hopefully we’ll get to see her character arc grow past just comedic relief.

Anyways, back to Lars. The fact that Lars is essentially a portal home is cool enough, but when Steven steps inside it’s shown he’s got his own tree in there too. So I get Rose can do plant stuff, which explains the tree on? in? Lars, but what I don’t understand is the portal power since it doesn’t seem to be connected to either of her abilities.

The fact Rebecca decided to leave the defects and Lars on Homeworld was a surprise, but an understandable one, not for the story’s sake, but because trying to fit Flourite through Lars’ hair would be a nightmare that I don’t think anyone would want to explain.

So Steven discovers he’s a necromancer and that Lion’s his undead slave pet, and then the gems and Connie and Greg all show up just in time to have a reunion and happy tears are shed. (And then Steven proceeds to eat everything in sight, prompting Greg to go out and buy the boy some more bread lol).

So much has been left out in the open, and I get the distinct feeling this is gonna be the least season for this show. L Still, I feel like everything’s gonna be amazing when we get the next episode, so for now I’m rather content. :D

[thesrr]

My Review on the WWE Royal Rumble

Decided to give my thoughts on the WWE Royal Rumble since this is the first day fully back from Ponycon. So if you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend you do before reading. Or if you’re like me and don’t care for spoilers, go ahead.

NXT TakeOver: San Antonio

To me, the big 4 PPVs don’t start an hour earlier. They start a day earlier with NXT TakeOver. These are like PPVs themselves and sometimes even better than the Big 4. So I’m going to review them alongside the Royal Rumble and treat them all as one big event. Because they are.

Eric Young Vs Tye Dillinger

Been a fan of Eric Young even in TNA. While him winning the world Championship was definitely copying Daniel Bryan, he did deserve it. Nice to see him not do a joke gimmick in the WWE so people new to him can treat him seriously from the start. As for Tye, he has grown on me. To think, only Stonecold and DB were capable of getting one word over and he joins them with “10″.

Nice to see Eric give him one more chance to join. Made it seem he really did want him to join Sanity. But seeing how Tye rejected it was really smart. You can’t disqualify someone for giving back their jacket. If Tye does indeed move to the Main Roster, this is a great completion of his time in NXT. I’m not a fan of heels with minions but I could when done right. And Sanity I felt is done right.

They’re big an intimidating, but they’re not the sole reason Eric Young wins matches. Eric Young is capable of winning his own battles (through underhanded tactics but still on his own). They’re not someone who shows up in the final moments of the match and makes it easy for the heel to win. Overall, an excellent opening to the rest of TakeOver and the Royal Rumble in general.

Samoa Joe in the Audience

If I saw this live, I would have thought “if he’s there, that means he MUST be appearing at the Rumble.” Sadly, I would be wrong.

Roderick Strong Vs Andrade Almas

While I heard of Roderick Strong, I sadly never seen him wrestle outside the WWE. Seeing him has been impressive so far. Andrade Almas I felt was smart to go heel. As a face, he didn’t provide much impact. Especially when he got overshadowed by others coming into NXT. He has been working better as a heel than a face.

The two work really well together. Almas was a fun cocky heel while Strong at times lived up to his name and more by being also pretty agile and quick. Awesome match overall. Both of them would be awesome to see on Raw or Smackdown. 

The Authors of Pain Vs DIY

Outside having Paul Ellering as a manager, I don’t see them being a Road Warriors ripoff. I see this more of Paul wanting to be known more than that guy who managed the Road Warriors. He want to be the guy known for managing champions. And unlike the Disciples of Apocalypse, these two definitely have the look of being Tag Team Champions. I just didn’t like how they won the later rounds of the Dusty Rhodes Tournament. Makes them look weak when they really aren’t.

DIY are frikkin impressive alone and together. They were the Match of Round 1 and possibly even the Entire Tournament of the Cruiserweight Classic. And seeing them take on The Revival all those times proved they have what it takes as single competitors or a team. 206, Raw, Smackdown, these two definitely deserve a call up.

The match told a good story. When DIY were in control, they had a strong intensity and excitement. When AoP were in control, they told the story of big men Vs smaller men very well in both having the advantage and losing it. Seeing Tommaso German Suplex both of them one after another was awesome! That double submission being broken was also an awesome spot! 

This is how the AoP should have won the Dusty Classic: by just being dominate. Definitely beatable, but still showing they could dominate. I hope these two teams collide again in the future. So far, the current match were superior to the previous. I wonder if this can keep up.

Seth Rollins invades NXT

More evidence that TakeOver is part of the Big 4 Events. While this could have been done in the Royal Rumble, seeing it part of NXT really shows how close NXT is to the Main Stage. Would love to see more of this sometimes. Maybe a special event where some NXT stars take on WWE Main Stage ones. The Revival Vs America Alpha would show why both teams are a must see. Joe Vs Styles in the WWE. Sanity Vs Wyatts. A lot of fun possibilities without the need to call them up.

Asuka Vs Nikki Cross Vs Billie Kay Vs Peyton Royce

Asuka is fun: nuff said. Can’t tell if she is a heel or a face but I love the fact that when she asked for a match that she demanded all of them. I don’t remember much of Nikki prior to being in Sanity, but talk about making a nice change. This new gimmick is very fun.

Billy and Peyton, on the other hand, I’m not a fan of. As I said before, I prefer heels who can do things on their own. Either by being completely dominate like the AoP did or being sneaky on their own like Eric Young or the Miz. These two do it in a way I dislike: unable to do anything themselves unless they have numbers. Take away the numbers and they are not a threat and honestly not worthy of a title shot.

And the opening proved it as the two acted more like scared children than wrestlers. They also ruin Asuka and Nikki face each other. When those two collide, its frikkin fun! Intensity Vs Insanity. But when Billie and Peyton join, it slows it down and they  continue to work as a team. Its like you have two high speed cars in a race but they have to stop to allow two kids on a tandem bike to catch up.

I will say the Double Suplex off the Announce Table was a cool spot. And in another positive, unlike Jericho and Owens, the two actually didn’t care who got the pin. As long as they have the belt in their possession. But if they didn’t care who won, why not allow one to pin the other? Most likely because neither one wanted to be the one pinned, so pinning the champion would prove their dominance.

But I am glad Asuka defeated the pair while Nikki was taken out via Double Suplex off Announcer Table to Table. It made sure those two are out of the title hunt because they both failed to defeat her and Nikki can get an actual one on one match in the future.

Bobby Roode Vs Shinsuke Nakamura

All I’ve seen on Shinsuke was what he has shown in the WWE. And the first moment he arrived, I believed he was made to be on the Main Stage of the WWE. It was like Japan wanted to design their version of a WWE Superstar and Shinsuke Nakamura is that final product. He is probably going to have the greatest Wrestlemania Entrance ever in the future.

Bobby Roode I saw a lot in TNA. My first real taste of him turning heel was after the first ever TNA event where the winner of a grueling tournament would face the champion. Bobby Roode won that, only to lose the match at the PPV. That was bad in itself, but it got even worse when James Storm, his partner at the time, WON THE TITLE on TV after that. After that, Roode turned heel and won the title. It would have been so much smarter to just have Roode win it all and then turn heel.

But I blame TNA for that and not Bobby Roode. As part of Beer Money I felt the two had a license to print money. As a heel he was great. And now as NXT, he definitely lives up to his new theme song and is Glorious. Though of his three entrances, this one was weaker than his other two TakeOver entrances. Eight ladies kind of pale in comparison with having an actual choir sing your theme song or descending from above to enter the ring.

It was a fun match until the ending. I do hope it was planned and not a real injury. Would hate to see this take Nakamura out of action. But either way, I am glad to see Bobby Roode as Champion in the WWE. If Shinsuke isn’t injured and this is storyline, I do hope we get to see these two again in the future.

Pre-Show

Now the Day of the PPV. NXT was awesome! But can the WWE Royal Rumble itself live up to that hype? Let’s see with the matches that weren’t officially on the card.

Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, and Naomi Vs Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, and Natalya

There is a lot of people here. Becky is fun. Nikki has been proving herself. And Naomi’s entrance, I hate to say, is more exciting than her. I like Alexa Bliss. She makes a unique heel. Mickie back in the WWE is fun to see. Thanks to her time on the Independent Circuit and TNA, she still has the chops. So weird that Natalya is a heel. As coach, she had a great face gimmick. Sure, it was humorous but it would have gotten over. Considering Tamina is back to full health, I would have had her be the one to attack Nikki.

First, Mickie definitely needs a new theme song. So use to hearing her theme song being more country thanks to her time in TNA. Second, all these story lines in one match? Maybe just have one of them being the pre-show and the others handled in the next PPV. Third, I wish they had an all women Royal Rumble. With the talk of the Woman’s Revolution, it would be cool to see a Full Rumble dedicated to the Wrestlers themselves. 

As for the match itself, that Triple Suplex was a fun spot. Other then that, it was an alright match. Definitely a downgrade after seeing all the TakeOver matches minutes ago. Luckily it wasn’t Mickie or Natalya who were pinned or Becky and Nikki getting the pin. This give Naomi the idea of a singles match at the Elimination Chamber PPV that they have been building up. If Mickie were pinned by Becky or Natalya was pinned by Nikki here, it would have watered down their feuds.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson Vs Cesaro and Sheamus

I did enjoy Gallows in the WWE prior to his return. While being Kane was terrible (mostly because of the wig), his time with CM Punk was great. Festus was alright for a gimmick but seeing his real self was much better for him. In TNA, he was in Aces and Eights which I felt was a terrible fraction. Like I said with Billy and Peyton, I hate heels that relies on numbers. And I felt he had the same belief as he left TNA.

Now with Karl Anderson, they became part of the Bullet Club. While I haven’t seen much outside bits in ROH, even I heard of them. And they have been a good team but sadly haven’t gotten the chance to shine until recently. They definitely need a Team Name though. The Club is when they were with AJ Styles (as an allusion to the Bullet Club). 

Speaking of teams who could use a Team Name: Cesaro and Sheamus. I frikkin enjoy Cesaro, especially in recent time. He makes a great singles competitor and has a lot of fun matches. And even in this situation, he still provides fun. Sheamus I have no real problem with. As a face or a heel, he does his job the best he can. I just am tired to see these two together, be it a team or against each other. I feel they both need to move on to something different.

I like the idea of two referees out there. It would make annoying finishes harder to pull off legitimately since we get a ref not distracted by a wrestler. Downside is we don’t get to see the teamwork of heels due to the fact they can’t attack the wrestler while their partner in the ring is being pushed away by the ref.

As for the match itself, I barely notice the second referee except a few times. This could have been a regular tag team match. Besides that, it was a better match than the 3 on 3 but still down from AoP Vs DIY. But I am glad to see Gallows and Anderson finally win the Tag Team Titles.

Nia Jax Vs Sasha Banks

Sasha is definitely fun. Shame she never got the chance to shine as Women’s Champion. Instead, we see her continually choke on the PPVs. As for Nia, I always liked powerful women. I was hoping to see Awesome Kong (Kharma) be successful but sadly things were out of everyone’s hands. Nia did a great job during NXT and I hope she gets that treatment I was hoping to see in WWE.

As for the match itself, it felt like a TV match than a PPV match. Makes sense since this is not the PPV. Technically a stomp for Nia to prove her dominance. So if she were to ever actually go for the Women’s Title, she would have steam behind her.

The Royal Rumble PPV

So far, NXT TakeOver was Superior to the Pre-Show. But then again, the Pre-Show is not the PPV itself. So can its four single matches match or surpass the ones on NXT?

Charlotte Flair Vs Bayley

Charlotte is a mix bag for me. When she’s alone, I feel she is a great heel. But when she was with someone (be it her father or Dana Brooke), I feel she is a terrible one. Like I said, I like my heels who can win on their own: be it dominance or using tricks. Those two directly interfere in the finish making it worse for me. Bayley I hoped would win the title here. Her character is fun and her last set of matches on TakeOver were great! I am hoping she would get the same kind of success on the Main Roster as she did in NXT.

For the match itself, it was pretty good. A little botchy in the beginning but some great moves from both of them (like the Back Slide Reversal from Charlotte). Definitely better than the NXT Women’s Match because they didn’t have to drag two others with them. And Charlotte goes for a dominance victory with a Natural Selection to the apron. Shame Bayley lost cleanly, but she was defeated by a strong attack like that and that at least doesn’t lower her rankings in my book.

Kevin Owens Vs Roman Reigns

I haven’t seen Kevin Steen prior to the WWE, but he has been a fun heel in NXT and his feud with John Cena. Sadly, as Universal Champion he has been hampered with being a bad heel due to needing the assistance. Kevin definitely can be a dominate heel and he has in the past. But honestly he has to stop being Besties with Jericho and be the show.

I don’t really have a problem with Roman. I believe he has been pushed too soon. And I can see why people dislike Roman due to all the “shoving him down our throats”. Hopefully he can develop into his own in the future and actually be a face people can get behind.

Why is the Shark Cage above the Ring? If I was Foley and I saw NXT’s attempt, I would have kept it away from the ring to prevent any shenanigans like throwing down brass knuckles like they did. But in this case, it didn’t matter because it was also No-DQ. That kind of makes the entire “Keep Jericho Out of the Match” pointless. Because being above the ring and ready to drop a weapon pretty much means he was still there in the match.

The match itself, being a No-DQ match, was fun to see. Lots of fun spots with the biggest being KO Frog Splash Roman through a Table on the Outside. But one of the spots had me worried and that was Kevin Owens falling down onto the Tower of Chairs. I really hate spots like these because I fear it would seriously injure them or worse. I only recently got over them breaking Ladders after someone revealed those are specifically made of wood.

The biggest downer was Braun Strowman. At the end, he showed up and attacked Roman Reigns. Once again, despite having the opportunity to show his dominance the writers decide to make him win because of others. And even ignoring that, why Strowman? Was he still upset with the Double Spear or the Spear in that Three on Three? If the first, why not attack Goldberg when he came out? This wouldn’t be the last time I question the Storytelling. 

Neville Vs Rich Swann

I enjoyed Neville as a face. But now that he is a heel, he has definitely improved character wise. His look and his moves definitely makes the Heel turn legit. Rich Swann is fun and exciting in the ring. I was really hoping he would retain the title. But unlike other matches, I wouldn’t have mind if Neville won. This was a match where either outcome would be a positive for me.

The match was exciting and excellent. Neville is definitely the big star of 205 Live. And to see him win by submission showed that he doesn’t need the Red Arrow or to go off the top. He just wants to to inflict more damage. 

John Cena Vs AJ Styles

I have no real problem with Cena. He does a lot for the WWE so he deserves to be their poster boy. AJ Styles definitely lives up to being phenomenal. In TNA, he was the reason you had to watch it. Even after being Mini-Flair, he was still great in the ring. TNA made a grave mistake to letting him go. Seeing him in the WWE so soon had me worried. But eventually in the end he became World Champion, something I never expected. 

I am still surprised how well the two work together. I will say that sometimes Cena does heelish tactics. Would this lead to an actual heel turn or is he trying to add some edge? Overall, best singles match of the PPV alone.

The Royal Rumble Event

Possibly the most stacked card ever. And the potential of surprise entrants are numerous. How did it do? Let’s go over it by elimination.

Jack Gallagher - Entry #5

I was hoping to see this guy be one of the competitors. Outside the Neville story line, he was the highlight of 205 Live. Sadly, his time was too short and he was the first one eliminated when #6 entered the match. But for the brief time he was there, he was a joy to watch.

Mojo Rawley - Entry #4

Mojo is a fun guy in a Tag Team and most likely fun at parties. But as a singles competitor he could use work. Honestly, despite winning the Battle Royal to get in, I was hoping he would be the first one gone. But he lasted longer than Jack and that makes me sad.

Big Cass - Entry #1

He’s pretty good for a big guy, but I like him better with Enzo than a solo act. Sadly, we didn’t get to see the two together because he was eliminated right after Mojo.

Kalisto - Entry #3

I was rooting for him to win the Crusierweight for Smackdown. Sadly, his lost means Raw is also after Smackdown. He’s fun but really needs to be with others his own weight class. But man, that is a lot of height for his elimination.

Mark Henry - Entry #6

Like the three before, Mark was also eliminated by Strowman. I grew up watching Henry from his blue tights being an Olympic hero to being a member of the Nation to Sexual Chocolate and everything between. He definitely deserves a Hall of Fame shot in my book.

The Big Show - Entry #9

Big Show looked good. I believe them when they say this is the most fit he has been in some time. But surprisingly he was there pretty short. Another victim of the Strowman Push.

James Ellsworth - Entry #11

I knew he is a joke entry. I have them a bunch of times in my own Rumble. His spot was funny and that was an impressive bump he took when being eliminated. But I think I am done with the joke Ellsworth. How is the real Ellsworth?

Tye Dillinger - Entry #10

Another guy I wanted to see and even in the exact spot I was hoping for. I was hoping he would last a little longer but sadly he was soon eliminated. 

Braun Strowman - Entry #7

As I type this, I am watching Raw. It was there that they explained, with a clip I totally forgot, that Kevin Owens promised him a title shot after beating Reigns. And Strowman took that as legit. Amazing how one promo can change the results of a match. As for his elimination, I’ll talk about that more when I get to the person he was eliminated by.

The New Day - Kofi #14, Big E #17, Woods #20

Even though they have been around for a long time, I still enjoy their work. Even Woods with his Up Up Down Down channel on Youtube. But for an event that says “Friend Vs Friend”, there is very little friends going on. In fact, these two practically went out at the exact same time.

Cesaro & Sheamus - Entry #19 and #16

Speaking of which, so did they. That is until the final moments. A funny bit was Cesaro getting dizzy hitting everyone with the Big Swing and almost getting Sheamus. But those final moments saw them going against each other and lead to both of them being gone.

Apollo Crews - Entry #22

I feel sorry for Crews. He is definitely good but he was brought up from NXT way too soon. And his time in the Rumble makes that same suggestion. He should probably go back to NXT and wait before WWE actually have a plan with him.

Dean Ambrose - Entry #12

I don’t mind the comedy bits of Dean. I still enjoy him. I just like the Miz better as IC Champion. 

Dolph Ziggler - Entry #24

Ziggler’s chase for the IC title bored me. Besides one time, the Miz always had the upper hand. It is because Miz has a clever use of his wife while Ziggler hits a Glass Ceiling that is invisible. I am glad he turned heel, but in this Rumble you don’t see it. 

Enzo Amore - Entry #27

Talk about a quick time. Like Big Cass, I prefer him with Cass than alone. And his time was quick thanks to Lesnar.

Brock Lesnar - Entry #26

I knew Lesnar wasn’t going to win, but I expected him to at least be the one to Eliminate Goldberg to set up that Wrestlemania Final Match. Instead, Goldberg came in and quickly eliminated him. That shocked me. 

Rusev - Entry #18

Poor Rusev. He has a lot going for him but things just don’t turn out well for him. At least he lasted longer than others.

Baron Corbin - Entry #13

I wasn’t a fan of him before, even when he turned heel. But he has been growing on me. One thing I wanted to see at Survivor Series 2016 was Strowman Vs Corbin. Of the two, I prefer Corbin. My wish failed because of Shane McMahon. But in this rumble, I finally got to see Baron take on Strowman. And with a little help, Corbin was the one to eliminate him. He lasted pretty long too. Maybe in the future he’ll be a World Champion.

Luke Harper - Entry #25

I am honestly surprised that Luke was the one to betray the Wyatt Family. I swear it was going to be Orton and Harper would prove his loyalty. But if he does decide to go solo, here’s hoping he doesn’t return again to the Wyatt Family.

Goldberg - Entry #28

Goldberg did more in this Rumble than his match against Lesnar. But despite what they set up and planned, I am looking forward to seeing Goldberg Vs The Undertaker than either of those other two matches.

The Miz - Entry #15

I was hoping the Miz would win. He is my current favorite wrestler. In that match, practically everyone who entered hit the Miz with one of their best moves. Speared, F5ed, Chokeslammed... While Jericho lasted longer overall, the Miz was in that ring much longer.

Sami Zayn - Entry #8

Zayn is a fun guy and I’ve seen matches of him outside WWE. I am glad he lasted as long as I did but I was hoping to see him at least in the Final Four. Oh well.

The Undertaker - Entry #29

With Goldberg, Lesnar and the Undertaker entering when they did, I was wondering who would be #30. They wouldn’t have done that unless the surprise of the 30th Entrant was worth it. But honestly, it wasn’t. Especially because that person eliminated the Undertaker to set up a Wrestlemania match.

Chris Jericho - Entry #2

I am a big fan of Jericho. He was the first heel I ever cheered for. And in this Rumble, he surpassed Triple H by lasting almost 5 hours in total. Sadly, he didn’t do much as he spent a good number of time outside. 

Bray Wyatt - Entry #21

I enjoy Wyatt. Love his gimmick and his group. While I question the entry of Orton into the fray, it does seem to be working for him. And Final 3 is a great spot to be in.

Roman Reigns - Entry #30

I was upset that Reigns was #30. While the possibility that Joe or Finn would be in the Rumble stung, the real issue was one thing: HOW?!? In story, McMahon hates Reigns. And she was definitely in charge of who enters the Rumble. So how on Earth did she okayed Reigns to enter? So far he hasn’t appeared on Raw so unless he becomes a heel working with the Authority, I don’t like the fact he did enter the Rumble.

Winner: Randy Orton - Entry #23

And our winner is the 7th Two Time Winner. Orton has his ups and down but he seems to be doing well in the Wyatt Family. But now that he won the title, what is gonna happen? Well, we’ll find out when Smackdown is on Tomorrow. I honestly expected him to be the betrayer in this PPV. Looks like I was wrong

Overall

Overall, it was a fun Weekend for Wrestling Fans. TakeOver was awesome and the Rumble was still fun. Now I am looking forward to do my own.

[ciathyzareposts]

Saigon: The Final Days – WON! and Final Rating

by Will Moczarski

Last time I was severely stuck. Not even the first room in Asylum had given me such a headache. I was unable to venture past the Viet Cong gun nest and unable to open the dead soldier’s snap pocket on the starting screen. I must have tried almost everything – I even tried to do something in the one round before the hut is blown to pieces in case you need to manipulate the initial timed explosion (it occurs after one move no matter what you do) somehow. At least, I thought, my introduction was as spoiler-free as possible. All of that will change now – it’s time to leave Saigon. Unfasten your seatbelts, we’re in for a bumpy ride!

In hindsight, all puzzles are easy. Moreover, I even had used the necessary verb before, in the first Jyym Pearson adventure I played through for the blog: Curse of Crowley Manor. Back then I didn’t even think about it too much. I simply unfastened the screws after having found a screwdriver. With the pliers and the snap pocket, this particular verb simply didn’t occur to me at all for a very long time.

Everyday work life has one thing in common with adventure games: it’s sometimes necessary to take a break and step back, look at it all from a distance, unwind. It’s the only thing that helped me solve Saigon: The Final Days. Suddenly I had this idea: what about unfasten? Have I tried that already? I think I haven’t… and it does the trick: unfasten snap pocket. Simple as that. Now I simply love the feeling when a gameworld opens up after a bottleneck puzzle. It’s one of the things that keeps me playing.

In the pocket, there are a document and a grenade. The document is a U.S. memo and reads “Code = White X-Mas.” A Bing Crosby reference? Using the grenade is straightforward and works the same way as in Asylum: I can pull the pin out and then throw the grenade across the clearing to explode the gun nest. Now I can access the new area safely but boy, this game just loves to kill ya. There’s a dead Viet Cong soldier in the gun nest and the game helpfully tells me that “something is under him.” I can move him, causing a booby trap to blow up in my face. At least I can start anew without further penalties. There is also a small radio and when I listen to it, I can hear Bing Crosby sing “White Christmas”. What is this supposed to mean? Do the U.S. troops know they need to attack to the tune of this? Is this the reason my prison was blown to pieces in the beginning? Or will it become important later? Spoiler: it won’t.

East of the gun nest, there’s a Viet Cong minefield. If I move in any direction but north, I step on a mine and have to, you guessed it, start over again. There appears to be no way to map the minefield, and it’s not a maze either, merely a dead end. North of the mine field there’s a muddy dirt road stretched out over three screens. A jungle is east and dense bushes are west but I can’t enter either. Going too far north will let me enter a Viet Cong checkpoint but I get killed right away and I have to start over once more. However, looking and listening several times will help you out as is the case in most Jyym (and Robyn) Pearson games. Looking at the road on the second screen will reveal a gigantic rock. Yes, you just read that sentence. No, it doesn’t make sense. Climbing the rock will get you back to the beginning, effectively providing a circular route to prevent you from having to enter the minefield (i.e. dying) to restart. If you listen on the next screen, there’s a whirring sound from behind the bushes. I reckon that it’s a helicopter but can’t seem to find a way to enter the bushes. However, upon returning to the gun nest and looking again for no particular reason but my experience with this particular game designer, I find that the corpse and booby trap are now gone, Bing Crosby stopped singing and there’s a machete on the ground. Now what did popular culture teach us about machetes? Right, I’ll just cut that bush with it. I actually assume that this will open up a lot of new ex-jungle and ex-bush exits but that is not the case. “Cut bush” doesn’t even work. I remember the recent unfasten fiasco and think of other verbs Jyym Pearson is usually fond of, and “chop bush” reliably does the trick. This would’ve cost me some time if I hadn’t played the other OtherVentures so recently, I’m sure.

Now that I’ve cut a hole (yes, the game does not know the verb at first but tells me it did cut a hole after the fact!) I can enter a clearing with a U.S. helecopter (sic!). A soldier beckons me and I can talk to him but he only tells me to climb aboard. Inside the chopper there’s a ring of keys for some vehicle but otherwise there’s nothing to do except talk to the soldier. He’s got a lot to say as well: “Ford issued the orders we’re all leaving ‘Nam! The Viet Cong are outside the perimeter, Saigon is a mess! The Vietnamese are trying to crash the embassy to escape!” There’s your historical backstory. After that, however, something seems to be off. The soldier suddenly says “Hold on..what’s that?” and then the chopper is struck by a rocket. After another turn, we’re going down and I find myself “paralized” (sic!).

I try several things to get out of my conundrum but moving does not work and trying to open my eyes comes back with “not now”. But soon? I seem to be on the right track. “Move yourself” counterintuitively does the trick, and after entering the same thing four times I can move and my muscles are back to working condition. Now I can also open my eyes and find myself lying on the dirt floor of a small shabby hut. I really used to be stumped when I suddenly had to refer to my body parts in a text adventure as I didn’t consider them part of my ‘inventory’. In some Infocom adventure I needed to open my eyes as well, if I remember correctly. Nowadays, it’s standard repertoire.

Looking again reveals that I’m inside the home of a beautiful Vietnamese girl. When I talk to her, she relates that her name is Ming Li and proceeds to bring me some food. It’s rice but it’s crawling with bugs so I assume that it’s a puzzle – however, it’s only flavour (excuse the pun). I just have to eat it. When I talk to her again she asks me where I want to go. If I say “Saigon” she takes me there. Now this is one of Pearson’s famous scripted sequences but this time you really have to pay attention. Ming Li takes me along some secret path to Saigon and I have to attempt to map it while waiting for us to get there. In one of the dark tunnels I stumble over something – I suppose that I will need to return there to pick it up. In a dimly lit room, Ming Li pulls a chain and thus reveals a secret rope ladder. The next thing I know we’re in Saigon and I’m back in control – but not quite because Ming Li is suddenly shot to death by one of two soldiers running down the street chasing after a prisoner. Blood splatters all over me and if I look at Ming Li’s corpse, the game tells me that it makes me cry. Wow, that was an unforeseen turn of events. The whole encounter is a bit stereotypical but for a 1981 text adventure it’s a really moving attempt to show you the horrors that can occur in a war-torn environment.

  It almost does.

East of the scene of the war crime there is a flimsy wooden door behind which I can find a deserted warehouse. I can chop the door open with my machete and remove the wires with my pliers. It doesn’t take me too long to figure it out but the game still loves to kill me: the warehouse is dark and when I listen closely I can make out some heavy breathing from the south. If I go there, I am shot to death once more. None of my items seem to help me, so I try something else after restoring. West of the narrow street where we first entered Saigon some steps lead upwards. Similar to a situation in Earthquake, there is an American G.I. on top of the stairs guarding a security gate, and he won’t let me pass without a pass. Seeing as I don’t have one – my own people bombed the hut I was kept in as a prisoner, remember? – I suspect that I’ll have to backtrack via Ming Li’s secret passages. I die several more times as you have to retrace her steps precisely or you’ll drop down into deep pits which seem to be almost everywhere. Just where I stumbled over something when Ming Li led me past here, I can use my recently acquired Escape from Traam skills to “feel object” in the dark. I find that it’s a corpse, and upon closer examination I can steal his or her uniform. Not seeing how that may help me with the warehouse sniper (although possibly with the G.I. at the security gate?) I backtrack some more to Ming Li’s now abandoned hut. I find another screen (“W end of a ravine”) while mapping the non-lethal portions of this section as cautiously as possible, and also discover that Ming Li’s hut was destroyed by another rocket. I can investigate a crashed helecopter (sic!) – is this the horse I rode in on? – and a dead soldier which turns up some night-vision goggles (“binoculars”) as well as a wallet with a pass and a revolver. This should solve all of my problems! I go back to Saigon and discover along the way that the west end of the ravine is now populated with a party of Viet Cong. Better not go there in order to avoid another restart.

Back in Saigon I try the warehouse next. Looking through the binoculars reveals a figure to the south where the heavy breathing comes from. I can then proceed to shoot the revolver and the figure drops dead (he shot first!, albeit at another incarnation of me). He leaves behind a shovel, a parachute and dog tags but I can’t pick up all of these at once as the six-item inventory limit is as sneaky as the enemy. I decide to only take the shovel for now but take some notes to remember the other items when it seems that I might need them. Also I drop the binoculars, the pliers and the machete as it seems likely I won’t need them again.

I show the pass (not the wallet, that doesn’t work!) to the G.I. and he lets me enter a narrow street. There I am stopped by a Vietnamese soldier who wants something that will help him escape Saigon. This must be the U.S. Army uniform I found in the cave! I hand it to him and see him go away happily, leaving me to explore further. To the east there is a wide plaza. Refugees are sleeping on the ground. If I linger for too long, they kill me, lynch mob style. To the east there is a burned courtyard. It seems odd that all of the walls are described in detail: “Brick walls are N and S. A wood fence is E.” There was a similar room in Earthquake where I had to deduce that I might need a ladder. I don’t have anything I might need to build one, though. It doesn’t matter anyway, as the solution turns out to be a very different one.

Across the river

South of the plaza there is a tank, and a Vietnamese officer looks out of the hatch. I can shoot him but if I linger for too long the mob kills me. If I climb the tank I am stuck and cannot open the hatch anymore. I don’t figure out how to work the controls, either, so I restart the whole game, assuming I am dead-ended. After some more fiddling I eventually find out that “drive tank” does the trick. Nevertheless I end up dead, hitting a brick wall after two turns. However, I get it right on the next try: You have to maneuver the tank around the brick walls which is what the detailed descriptions were for. The trusty “E” does not work but “turn east” lets me drive into the burned courtyard and crash into the river which is where I can improbably escape the tank because the hatch is no longer stuck, I assume? It’s a nice sequence, though.

Swimming gets me across the river and I emerge on its eastern bank. Here there are some new puzzles for me to solve. To the west there’s a large makeshift arena where some people play chicken. A poisonous snake (get out of my head, Cedric!) is passed to and fro between two opponents and will bite him who moves first. The game plays out before my eyes but I cannot participate (yet). One of the opponents will win $1000, the other one will be doomed to die. Once more, Pearson’s choice of words is a bit off: a “chinaman” presents the game, and a “burly oriental” throws me out. From a 2019 point of view, I could have done without these.

Just to the south is another good example of a classic Pearson “look twice” puzzle. “You are at the E bank of a river on a rocky trail”, the game informs me. If I “look”, I see nothing special. I need to “look rocks” to discover some white streaks which turn out to be chalk. I can’t pick it up, though, so I don’t know what it’s for. Further to the south there is a dirty street. To the east I can see a barbed wire gate guarded by a Vietnamese man. He tells me that “only his people are allowed in gate” but if I return there and talk to him several more times he will ask me who sent me. The answer is obviously “Ming Li”, and he will grant me access.

Even further to the south there is a bricked up building with a water pipe leading up. It’s too slippery to climb but I have a suspicion how it might work. I can “rub hands” on the chalk and now it works. Good thing that I never miss my Olympic Games transmissions. I reach the roof of a building and from there I can see gunfire at the edge of the city. To the south there’s a fire ladder, and when I climb down I find myself in a plaza in front of a big pavillion (sic!) which turns out to be the Huang Lo Pavilion. (Shouldn’t that be Huang-Lao, and isn’t that in fact Chinese? Can somebody enlighten me?) I am confronted by a Vietnamese soldier who wants to be bribed in order to let me pass. I’d better win that snake game, I assume.

The first round nets me $1000 for doing absolutely nothing, so I go back to the Vietnamese solider in triumph but he informs me that $1000 is only half the sum he wants. Can I play again? Turns out I can but this time I die. Does it have a random outcome? Would the game be this cruel?

I decide to explore the crowded courtyard full of Vietnamese east of the barbed wire gate some more. Looking reveals nothing new except for a door to the south which I can’t unlock. I find, however, if I listen closely, that there appears to be a voice in my head! It’s Ming Li! And she helps me from beyond the grave, Obi-Wan Kenobi style! “Help inside..carry box….key in depths..” What does this mean? Key in depths? Wait, can I possibly dive in the river?

Turns out I can! At the bottom of the river there’s a rusty key that will open the door. Behind the door I find a smashed apothecary shop with shelves full of broken bottles. Trying to pick up a box with ampules causes me to break them, and some kind of liquid spills on my hands. I can’t read the “Chineze” symbols on the small box but as Ming Li advised me to carry it, I pick it up. Without a real lead, I try to venture south again. Maybe the soldier will let me pass because he will mistake me for a “Chineze” courier? No, I can’t even climb the pipe because the liquid made my hands slippery…wait a minute! Could this be helpful with the snake? It could! The game master even tells me that he hopes I have applied the snake repellent this time so I know I must be on the right track. I win another $1000 and can now pay the Vietnamese soldier.

This is where I’m stuck for quite a while, and I spend roughly my last half hour of playtime figuring out this final puzzle. I can’t enter the pavilion, no matter how hard I try. I figure out that I can climb the ramp leading up to a U.S. chopper but a soldier tells me to get lost because they will only transport the dead for now. Do I have to die first? Would the game be this cynical? I think of my previous OtherVentures experiences and think about the ending of Earthquake. To board the refugee boat I had to dress up like a woman. How would a dead soldier leave Vietnam? Is this why I found the dog tags?

All the places I’ve seen, boys

Convinced that I need some disguise I search the whole map once again. I find that the Viet Cong are no longer at the western end of the ravine. Instead there is a “V.C.map” with directions to the nearest escape route. Huang Lo Pavilion is marked in red. Looking at the place again also reveals a dirt mound. I backtrack to the warehouse to collect my shovel and then dig up the mound. Eureka – I uncover a corpse in a plastic bag, and removing the bag enables me to pick it up. I’ll spare you my last bout of parser-wrestling and just tell you that I manage to return to the ramp, drop the bag, climb the bag and after a few turns I find myself in that chopper on my way home. This is quite a strong anti-war metaphor, and it’s very much in keeping with the way the game constantly kills you through traps you cannot avoid. What do I make of all this? We’ll see right after the obligatory ports comparison.

I dood it!

Ports Comparison

This is going to be a short one, unfortunately. Only the two Atari versions – with and without pictures – are available. There are two screenshots from the TRS-80 CoCo version over at lcurtisboyle.com but apart from that I can’t show you much – the Apple ][ version which seems to have existed, too, is all but lost.

First Room

After the explosion

Because the text is the same in the two Atari ports, I have only played the version with pictures to let you see what they look like. In general, the pictures are really adding to the tension. You can see the gun nest across the clearing, for example, and picking up the pliers genuinely feels like stealing them from under the Viet Congs’ noses. The wording is sometimes different – I can’t look at the soldier in the beginning but need to “look Viet Cong” to see the jacket and my beloved snap pocket. After the helicopter crash, moving is sufficient, you don’t need to “move yourself” here. I am now “parylized”, not “paralized”, but still not paralyzed.

Ming Li: First Encounter

Ming Li: Final Goodbye

Ming Li now “mumbles Vietnamese” before telling me her name. They still didn’t correct the spelling of the “helecopter”. The Viet Cong no longer leave behind the V.C. map.

First person perspective

Apart from that, it’s the same game. I’ll rate the graphics below but I’ll just say that they are very atmospheric and much better than the Apple ][ graphics for the previous three OtherVentures.

Last room

WON!

PISSED Rating

Of all the four OtherVenture games I’ve recently played for the blog, I enjoyed Saigon: The Final Days the most. The serious setting was handled better than in Earthquake – San Francisco 1906 and it was not as pulpy (though I liked that, too!) as Curse of Crowley Manor. Let’s not talk about Escape from Traam, please. I’m curious how that will reflect in its PISSED score. I’ll try to be objective.

Puzzles & Solvability: That bottleneck puzzle! It took me a long, long time to solve it and I’d almost given up on the game when I finally did. It’s possibly my own fault but I feel that there was quite a bit of guess-the-verb involved here. Previous knowledge helped, making “chop bush” or “remove wire” rather minor offenders. Had I not played the other OtherVentures first I may have been stuck in these situations, too. Apart from that, puzzles are generally much more logical and much more enjoyable to solve than in the other three games. It’s a mixed bag but still an improvement, so I’ll say 4.

Interface & Inventory: More of the same. The use of the parser feels more natural and the inventory limit is not as punishing – there is only one situation that requires you to backtrack because of it. However, there are still some instances of guesswork as described above in the P category. Same release year, no changes: still a 3.

Story & Setting: Ambitious and effective. Saigon: The Final Days takes a cue from Earthquake – San Francisco 1906 and includes many descriptions for the sake of atmosphere while adding a (very short, potential) love story, many encounters with refugees, Viet Cong and G.I.s as well as a varied depiction of Vietnam: 4.

Sound & Graphics: Just a picture on the right side of the screen. The pictures in the Atari version are really good and much better than the ones made for the Apple ][ ports of the other games. Sadly I am unable to compare them to the Apple ][ version of this game but I assume they may be the roughly the same. I’ll give it 1 point for the picture on the right and I’d give it 4 points for the Atari version.

Environment & Atmosphere: The game makes you feel tense and kills you often. I normally don’t like that in an adventure game but in this case the penalty for dying is not too bad – you restart with your inventory intact and there are only few instances in which your death will dead-end you. Saigon: The Final Days does a great job to evoke a situation of utmost urgency – a country during the final days of a devastating war is represented by an air of mistrust, corruption, and general sobriety. This is amazing work for a text adventure and I’ll award that with a high score of 6.

Dialogue & Acting: Better dialogue than in Earthquake – take, for example, the soldier in the chopper who informs you of the background situation, or Ming Li who makes her presence felt even after her cruel and random death. No acting, of course, but Saigon tries to make human encounters more meaningful which is a commendable idea: 2.

Jyym & Robyn Pearson teamed up for this game for the first time. They also worked together on The Institute, I think but after that he went it alone for his final three games. I have played The Institute years ago and thought that it was a great game, in fact it was one of the two reasons for this marathon (the other was Asylum II). Maybe their joint efforts resulted in their best games – they seem to have made a great team from what I can tell by playing through these games. I also like that all of these games have a clear handwriting to them, yet they’re all very different. Jyym Pearson tried something new with every one of his games and that makes his œuvre constantly interesting. Without further ado, I’ll add it up now: 4 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 6 + 2 = 20 / 0.6 = 33 points.

Sounds reasonable! It’s less complex than Asylum but makes up for it through its atmosphere and its writing. I could have punished the initial puzzle a bit harder but maybe it was just my own stupidity. In my post-game research I have found two reader’s letters asking for help with the game: one was stuck in the minefield, the other was unable to get past the gun nest. Apparently I was not alone with this but still: I won’t be too harsh. Anybody who will be stuck there in the future can now look up the solution at The Adventure Gamer! The Atari version would receive an even higher score due to the nice graphics: 38 points seems right as well.

All things considered, Saigon: The Final Days receives the highest score I’ve given so far: 33 points. I feel like such a cheapskate! The PISSED rating system was not conceived for early adventures – especially text adventures – and I definitely had more fun with the game than that. By comparison with all of the other games from the era, it seems fair enough. Coincidentally, this concludes my Jyym & Robyn Pearson mini-marathon. Their other four games were published by Med Systems and are thus part of the main marathon. Next up is The Institute before I will wrap up the second year of our marathon and play all of their available non-adventure games released in 1981. See you soon!

Session time: 2 hr Total time: 6 hr

Med Systems Marathon Overview:

(a) 1980 Summary (b) Reality Ends (1980) (c) Rat’s Revenge / Deathmaze 5000 (1980) (d) Labyrinth (1980) (e) Asylum (1981) (f) Microworld (1981)

Jyym & Robyn Pearson Mini-Marathon Overview: (a) Curse of Crowley Manor (1981) (b) Escape from Traam (1981) (c) Earthquake – San Francisco (1981)

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/saigon-the-final-days-won-and-final-rating/