#yennifer being awesome | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

221bsunsettowers · 4 years ago

Text

Geralt/Jaskier: All My Thoughts I’ve Been Saving

For @sparklemagpie, who requested the prompt “don’t move, they hit your head really hard.” Thanks for the prompt, I hope you like this!

A note that there is swearing and some blood in this. Also no one dies, I promise (though I can’t promise that the men who go after Jaskier make it out unscatched when Yen and Geralt get back to them!).

Geralt wouldn’t trade the pain in his neck right now for anything. The uncomfortable tilt of his head meant he could keep his gaze on Jaskier’s face while the bard slept on, his head resting on Geralt’s chest, body cradled in the Witcher’s arms, four legs tangled together under the blankets.

This would be their last day together before they split apart for the winter, Geralt to Kaer Morhen, Jaskier to Oxenfurt, and Geralt didn’t have the words he wanted, only the inability to string together the syllables to ask his bard to come with him, not to leave him. So he lay still, taking in every feature of Jaskier’s face, soft and relaxed as he slept.

"Only you could stare quite so loudly, my Witcher," Jaskier murmured with a smile, nuzzling his face into Geralt's neck. Without even looking, he reached up and laid a finger directly across Geralt's mouth. "And don't you start apologizing, Geralt, I adore that you can't keep your eyes off of me." Finger trailing from Geralt's mouth down to right above the start of the blanket, Jaskier sighed, sitting up and running a hand through his rumpled hair. "We should start getting ready. I worry about you making such a long journey already, let alone once winter truly arrives."

Both men sat on opposite sides of the bed now, Geralt gazing at the wall, Jaskier twisting his hands together and apart. Nodding, Geralt tried to turn off awareness of everything but the muscles in his legs, focus only on the action of standing with no emotions or thoughts attached.

He found this so much harder than he used to.

By the time he had started getting dressed, Jaskier was finished, pack and lute slung across his back, and heading for the stairs. "I'll go scavenge up some easy breakfast for the road, meet me downstairs when you're ready," he called over his shoulder, closing the door behind him.

One piece of armor on, the next piece of armor on. Checked swords. Checked swords again. Counted potions even though no spots are empty. Sighing, Geralt looked around the room one last time, eyes lingering on the rumpled bedsheets before he too walked out the door and closed it behind him.

As he descended the stairs, he noticed the tavern nearly empty, the crowd of bodies pressed against the front door, almost knocking each other over to see whatever it was occurring outside. Geralt moved towards the door only because he needed to get outside, not because of any desire to know what the group of early morning drunks and curiousity seekers were staring at.

Until he heard a scream of pain, intense pain, and took off running, barreling through the crowd, not even registering the swearing and stumbling that he left in his wake.

Geralt had seen horror and blood in his lifetime, bodies torn to shreds, innocent children who never even made it out of their beds, but this, this was a thousand times worse, this was the thing that stopped him in his tracks. His instincts stuttered to a stop, his body froze, every lesson that had been beaten into him fleeing from his head.

Because it was Jaskier in front of him, in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by his own circle of men, kicking and punching and stomping on his bard. And there was blood, so much blood. It looked like a battle scene Geralt himself might leave behind when a monster had finally been vanquished. Not all the blood was Jaskier's, that much was clear from the various deep cuts his attackers were covered in. One even had a slash on his arm that went clear through to the bone.

But Jaskier was on the ground, not moving, eyes shut, blood dribbling from the side of his so still mouth, a dagger protuding from his stomach. "Jaskier!" The name burst from Geralt in a growl so terrible it had the men already turning tail to run, in a sob so painful it stunned the crowd into silence. Dropping to his knees next to Jaskier, Geralt gently lifted his head into his lap, horrified to discover more blood surrounding a dent in Jaskier's skull. It took everything he had to swallow the bile rising up into his throat, and the effort made him gasp.

"'alt?" Jaskier mumbled, trying to turn his head towards the sound.

"It's me, Jask, everything's going to be fine," Geralt tried to keep his voice steady, like always, like a Witcher did, but every word was shaking as hard as his hands were. "Don't move, they hit your head really hard."

"They were insulting a Witcher," a woman spoke up suddenly from the crowd still gathered. Geralt could smell the fear radiating off her, but then she looked at him again and he could tell the moment the fear transformed into sadness and sympathy. "They were calling the Witcher a monster, and the young man there, he was packing food into a pouch when they said it to them, and he was immediately on them, he was. He was winning too, I swear he was, until more of their friends came up running to hold him down. They called him a-" The woman paused, blushing, staring down at the ground, her words running together even faster. "They insinuated he-that you and he-together, and he told them he would be so lucky, and that's when the one hit his head with the rock, and the other stabbed him through his stomach, so..." She trailed off, before her next words came out a whisper. "We're right sorry about him, your friend, so we are."

Geralt thought he nodded his head at her in thanks, but he couldn't be sure, every part of his being so completely wrapped up in the weak hold Jaskier now had on him, Jaskier clutching at Geralt's hand with featherlight fingers soaked in red. There would be time for rage later, but now there was only time for Jaskier. "Wouldn't change...not a thing..." Jaskier's voice was fading so fast, but Geralt could hear every gutwrenching word.

"Stay with me, please, stay right here," Geralt begged, pressing his hands over whatever wound looked the worst, but there were so many, and they were all so terrible, his hands were constantly in motion, trembling and slipping. "I need a healer!"

"We don't have one here." Geralt thought it was the same woman again. "Nearest one isn't for miles."

"It's..." The pause between words, between breaths was getting longer, Jaskier was being stretched thin. "It's okay...glad...glad you're here, with me."

"I'm not going anywhere." For the first time in more years than Geralt could remember, he felt tears sliding down his face, faster and faster, landing on Jaskier's doublet and mixing with the endless stream of blood. "And you don't go anywhere either, you stay right here with me."

"I love you," Jaskier gasped out, and his fingers dropped, his eyes closed, and Geralt could feel each of Jaskier's breaths getting shorter, coming slower, and Geralt screamed, the sound erupting from his throat one he could not recognize. He was choking on tears, and growling, and screaming Jaskier's name, and then he was screaming Yennifer's name, ripping the xenovox from his bag.

Geralt knew Yennifer had arrived from the push of magic from behind, and the loud gasp she let out when she saw Jaskier. She immediately knelt down next to the bard, her fingers hovering over his body.

"Please Yen, you have to fix him," Geralt was pleading now, and the look Yennifer gave him was full of sorrow and little hope. "Please, take us to Kaer Morhen, please Yen. He'll be safe there while you heal him."

Nodding, Yennifer tried to smile, but Geralt could see her hands shake as she created the portal. Geralt carefully lifted Jaskier into his arms, cradling his head, supporting his back to not jostle the dagger sticking out of his front. When he took the next step, they were directly outside Kaer Morhen, and there were Witchers running out towards them, but Geralt didn't even register them. Striding past them, he hurried as fast as he dared to his room, gently laying Jaskier out on the bed before turning pleading eyes towards Yennifer.

"You did the right thing not taking the dagger out," Yennifer said, and Geralt gave a tight nod. "But we have to take it out now if we have any chance for the wound to heal."

"It will heal," Geralt said determinedly, and Yennifer laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing softly.

"Of course," she said, eyes kind, but even she couldn't hide the deep concern that flickered through them. "I need you to hold him down in case he awakens while I'm getting the dagger out. It's not going to be pleasant. We need something to press against the bleeding until I can close the wound too."

Within seconds, Geralt had tossed every blanket and shirt he could find onto the bed next to Jaskier's still form. Outside the room, Vesemir, Lambert, and Aiden had gathered, staring at the scene in front of them in confusion. "What the fuck is going on?" Lambert yelled across at Geralt, but Geralt ignored him completely, climbing onto the bed, wrapping his hands around Jaskier's biceps, pressing his legs against his bard's, and nodded at Yennifer.

"I've got him, Yen," Geralt promised, and she nodded back.

"I know you do," Yennifer said softly, and then took a deep breath, reaching for the dagger. With a swift move, she pulled the dagger out straight, and Jaskier bucked, a scream of pain erupting from his bloodstained lips.

"I'm here, Jaskier, I'm here," Geralt chanted, holding Jaskier down as hard as he dared, resting their foreheads against each other. "You're going to be alright, Yen's here, we're going to take care of you."

Jaskier went limp again, and Geralt turned a panicked gaze at Yennifer, but she forced a smile across her face. "That's good, he won't feel this, it's a good thing Geralt."

Stripping Jaskier's clothes off him, down to his smallclothes, Geralt clenched the destroyed doublet between his fingers. "This was one of his favorites," he said softly, and shook his head quickly, as if trying to jostle the thought out of his mind. Letting the doublet fall to the floor, he grabbed the nearest cloth and pressed it against Jaskier's stomach as the blood spilled out. When one cloth was soaked, he reached for another, and another, continuing on until a shirt came up clean, and he saw Yennifer collapse onto the bed.

"Yen, are you alright?" Geralt called out, looking over to find Yennifer nodding, an exhausted smile on her face. Taking a deep, slow breath, he looked down at Jaskier. His bard's breathing was steady, all blood vanished, skull smooth and whole, stomach marred only by a faint scar. Geralt felt his body sag in relief, adrenaline pouring out of him in waves and leaving him drained and exhausted.

"You saved his life," Yen said, raising herself up enough to squeeze Geralt's shoulder, dipping her head down to meet his eyes with a smile.

"He almost died because of me, Yen," Geralt choked out, running a soft hand through Jaskier's sweat-soaked hair. "Those men, they called him names because he was with me, yelled at him that he was sleeping with a monster-"

"And of course Jaskier did what Jaskier does," Yen said with a fond chuckle. She lowered her voice so the others couldn't overhear, even with their advanced senses. "Geralt, he chose his actions because he loves you, you know that. And you're not at fault for that. If anything, you actively tried to make him hate you first." This startled a chuckle out of Geralt, who smiled fondly down at Jaskier. "Now, I need to go rest up and recover, and then I need to go see some men about choosing to put their dagger in our bard."

"Not without me," Geralt growled, feeling like he could smell the blood all over again. "I need everyone to know what happens if they lay a finger on Jaskier."

"Of course," Yennifer nodded, "I wouldn't expect anything less from you." She took Geralt's hands in hers and squeezed them tightly, before standing up.

Reaching over, she took Jaskier's hand in hers, holding it for a moment before gently placing it back down on the bed and turning to leave.

"Yen," Geralt called, and Yennifer turned around. "Thank you. I wouldn't expect anything less from you either." Yen smiled, and exited the room.

“So he fought them because he didn’t like them saying he was fucking a Witcher?” Lambert spat out, crossing his arms over his chest, and Geralt was suddenly reminded of the others in the room. “Don’t understand why you’d give a fuck about someone who would get the shit kicked out of them just to protect their own damn reputation.” Geralt growled loudly, lunging for Lambert.

“Didn’t like that they called Geralt a monster,” Jaskier mumbled, and the Witchers spun around, Geralt hurrying to the side of the bed , dropping to his knees as he reached for Jaskier. “Really like the fucking, quite proud of that actually.”

“Jaskier,” Geralt’s voice shook as he grabbed Jaskier’s hand, lifting it to his lips.

“Hello dear heart,” Jaskier smiled, leaning into Geralt's touch. "I must admit, I wasn't sure I would see you again."

"Jask, please don't say that, you-I, I couldn't ever..." With a deep sigh, Geralt lowered his face into the crook of Jaskier's neck, inhaling his scent, taking in deep breaths, feeling his body finally starting to relax.

Vesemir ushered the other Witchers away, Lambert calling back with a deep laugh, "Proud of the fucking, I like that, that bard's got balls!"

"Well if he approves," Jaskier said, rolling his eyes, and Geralt laughed, and then just as suddenly he was crying, great heaving sobs soaking Jaskier's skin. "Oh sweetheart, Geralt, my love," Jaskier mumured soothingly, laying kisses on every inch of Geralt he could reach, opening his arms as Geralt crawled onto the bed and carefully wrapped himself around his bard, clinging to him tightly.

"I love you too," Geralt said softly, feeling the answering catch in Jaskier's breath. Propping himself up on his elbows, cupping Jaskier's face in his hands and bringing their lips together, Geralt pressed their foreheads together. "I should have told you that before. I should have asked you to come with me to Kaer Morhen like I wanted to."

"Well, you have me here now," Jaskier teased gently, smiling when he saw the happy crinkle in Geralt's eyes. "There you are, love. My love."

"Yours," Geralt promised, moving away just long enough to drag the heavy fur blanket up from the bottom of the bed and over their bodies, before wrapping himself completely around Jaskier again. Feeling Jaskier relax, breathing evening out into a healing sleep, Geralt let his aching muscles sink into the bed, his head resting over Jaskier's heart. "Forever, Jask. Yours."

100 notes · View notes

ao3feed-geralt-jaskier · 5 years ago

Link

by MusingsOnBuckyBarnes

Two queens (one crowned, one not) see that the amount of pine between Geralt and Jaskier surpasses that of a conifer forest, and have had enough of it. Or in other words, Calanthe and Yennifer team up to play matchmaker in their own unique ways.

Words: 2777, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Witcher (TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Calanthe Fiona Riannon

Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe, Happy Ending, Women Being Awesome, Matchmaking

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #netflix the witcher #jaskier x geralt #geralt x jaskier #geraskier

9 notes · View notes

altruistic-meme · 4 years ago

Text

ik I just reblogged a post about yennifer from the Witcher and I just wanted to acknowledge smth, so I'm doing it here bc they asked in the post to keep it out of the tags;

I don't like yennifer, as a character. She is just not a character that I like. I don't really know if I can explain why, I just do not like her.

That said, i understand that a lot of people do, and i think that's awesome! I agree with everything said in that post about her. I think the portrayal of her and everything she does is wonderful, I love how she owns her sexuality without being unnecessarily sexualized, i think it's amazing.

I still do not like her as a character. I don't think that's something that will change. But it is just my opinion.

Idk why, but I just felt the need to say it. Maybe to show that you can acknowledge all of the amazing traits and building of a character, and still not like them? I'm not sure.

But like,,, in case you didn't know,,, you can. You can dislike a character just because. You can dislike a character and still acknowledge that they're an awesome character. You can (and should) dislike a character without hating on a character, or saying the character is actually shit. You do not have to justify your dislike of a character. You are allowed to not like a character just because. Maybe they run you the wrong way, or you just do not vibe with them. It's fine.

#not gonna tag it bc its just me ranting #anyway those are my thoughts of the night #shh ac

4 notes · View notes

hellsbells91 · 5 years ago

Text

The Witcher from the POV of someone who’s never read the books or played the games:

So I finished watching The Witcher, and apart from being disappointed when I discovered there were only 8 episodes rather than the 10 I thought there were for some reason, I quite enjoyed it...

But first it must be said that I’m coming at this as someone who’s never read the books nor played the games - the extent of my knowledge prior to watching this was that at some point there was a game called The Witcher. This is just to add some context to this review (something the show definitely doesn’t help you with).

Despite losing its way here and there, there are definite standout moments in the Witcher, and it would be a disservice harp on about confusing timelines or messy pacing without saying how sheerly enjoyable The Witcher is.

+ There is great representation. It’s nice to see POC characters who aren’t relegated to playing the part of ‘scary/savage/deviant foreigners’ - especially in a fantasy where this sort of thing is rife.

+ The Music/soundtrack is absolutely fantastic with a really cool, off-key folky vibe that sets the scene perfectly. And yes ‘Toss a coin to your Witcher’ is as catchy as everyone says it is.

+ Speaking of Witchers, Henry Cavill does an excellent job as the stoic, sarcastic yet kind-hearted Geralt. I found him totally convincing and far from the accusations of ‘blandness’ from some critics - I really cherished the moments where you could see his emotions peek through the solid ‘Witchers don’t feel emotions’ thing he has going on. The action sequences featuring him are brilliantly done and are a highlight of the series as a whole - he is very talented at fighting and the choreographers involved should be congratulated for making each fight play out like a brutal dance.

+ The monsters are also twisted, terrifying and awesome - the Striga in particular is genuinely frightening and with such an intriguing horror mystery surrounding it. If anything I wish there was more monster hunting (not that there isn’t plenty, only that I want more in the future).

Critiques:

Okay, the show’s not perfect and I had a few different complaints after watching but I soon figured most of them could be summarised as there being simultaneously too much information to learn, but not enough context. Names and locations are thrown around left and right and to someone new to the world it’s a lot to take in, and there’s little time to breathe or to ground the information, which then makes it harder to see the world as a living breathing reality. I’ve read fantasy novels that get around this by sticking a great big map at the front of the book so you can check when you’re feeling lost.

And whilst the use of different timelines is a really ingenious way to show long backstories without exposition dumps/excessive flashbacks, the hints of there being different timelines are often so subtle that they’re easily missed or disregarded as throwaway lines especially without that pre-existing knowledge of the world. I registered that something was off with the timelines but it didn’t wholly click until it was made super obvious in episode 4, but that might just be me.

It is a shame though because this confusion also led to me misinterpreting characters, of which Yennifer is the prime example. The fact that her disability was magically fixed and then shortly followed by the ‘makeover moment’ signalling her fitness to join society I found, frankly, offensive. I was unhappy with it and shocked at first that Tumblr was reacting so positively. But after reading a couple of posts from people who know more about her story than me, I understood a lot more about her motivations and her naive belief that looks and power would fulfil her only to find that it’s all fake as she struggles to live with the price she paid for it. It makes Yennifer a much more intriguing and complex character to follow than the shallow reading of ‘she’s hot now she can get everything she wants’.

The tone as well can stray all over the place, as if it can’t decide between being a serious fantasy horror or campy fun. I’m not knocking the humour, only suggesting some of it might have been better woven in. Jaskier is the comedic centre of the show and he is a great light-hearted presence to have around but sometimes his jokes just feel totally out of place. I suppose it’s there to highlight just how out of his depth Jaskier is, but sometimes it breaks the tension/drama of a scene and not in a good way.

On a similar note, while the setting is historical the characters feel quite modern - through their looks, mannerisms, speech etc. It’s not necessarily a bad thing - Merlin did a similar thing by making characters of legend feel modern and different - but it does add to the confused tone.

Nevermind all that though, when things start flowing more cohesively as you get further on in the series the Witcher shows real potential and I really look forward to where the story will go in season 2. Just gotta wait a year for it. I’m now wondering whether I should just play The Witcher 3.

#The witcher #the witcher netflix #the witcher spoilers #the witcher review

10 notes · View notes

wuekka · 5 years ago

Note

💤 and 💖for the ship ask?

(crap, this is harder than before on mobile, but thank you~)

Ship that is canon but you don’t ship: 💤

Wait, i could just ramble about voltron here, about how bad of a move they did with Shiro's ending (partly understandable tho) but I won't. Instead, I will say Geralt/Yennifer from Witcher series. I have played only the third game, and hoped the Netflix show would make me like her character and ship more. It did the opposite, and i hate her more now. Their relationship just seemed toxic (and i don't use that word often) with just biggering and Yen being so selfish..she honestly feels like she's stringing Geralt along, because he's useful. (I haven't even finished the Netflix show)

Ship that needs more love: 💖

Too many to pick, i will cheat and say 2. Because first one is from a manga with no fandom. Cain/Riff from Count Cain is something I think is still awesome, they both need each other so much, and it's dear to me.

Second one is from Final Fantasy VII, but...

Vincent and Lucrecia. All I ever hear about them is "she's a horrible bitch, what does Vincent see in her!" Which has always annoyed me. -_- It's tragic, and i love the headcanon of Vincent being/thinking he's Sephiroth's father, it makes so much sense, with Vincent thinking Sephiroth is his responsibility.

EDIT: Lupin/Jigen would go here too, because holy shit fandom is sleeping on jealous jigen dynamic from what little I have seen from the fandom!

#ask answered #shipping

1 note · View note

experiencepoints · 8 years ago

Text

2016 Favorites

Games

Final Fantasy XV

My favorite games of the year tend to be ones that stay in my head long after I’ve completed them. Final Fantasy XV is a game that couldn’t possibly live up to the 10 year hype, and in the end it didn’t. What it ended up being was something completely unique, gorgeous, at times irritating, but ultimately a game that resonated with me that none other did as much in 2016. 10/10.

The world is gorgeous, the characters are beautifully realized, the music is god-tier, and the battle system is dynamic and fun, flawed only with a funky camera every now and then. It’s everything Final Fantasy, translated in to modern day open world AAA game design, and the story, while told in a very back handed kind of way towards the end of the game, still managed to hit home.

There are also so many tiny details that add so much to the overall production. From the interactions between the characters in battle, to the amazing feature that every game should now have in which it automatically captures moments from the game on a day to day basis that enable you to save and share; it’s teeming with detail and heart that many games just don’t even bother with. It’s a game that delivers across the spectrum with incredible over the top moments, and lovingly crafted small ones. It’s a game with glaring flaws, blatant overambition, and beautiful moments, and has a secret sauce gameplay that has a great hook. For all its short comings, I can’t help but look past all of them and find an experience and world that I love spending time in. It’s my favorite game I’ve played all year.

I’m also the guy who enjoyed Kingsglaive (moreso after watching after I completed FFXV’s story); so take that for what you will.

Witcher 3

Yes, Witcher 3 released in 2015, but I didn’t get around to playing it proper until the early part of the year. I started it when it first released; maybe got through the Bloody Barron quest, and then for some reason moved on to something else. I know, terrible.

But after getting reacclimated to the game (plus coming back post-update in which the inventory systems were much improved), I found myself supremely hooked on the game, enjoying damn near every side quest along the way. Witcher 3 definitely edges out FF15 from a diversity in story telling standpoint in which while FF15 does an excellent job of delving in to the central characters of the game; Witcher 3 brought me in to characters I had no idea I gave a shit about through excellent quests and story telling. Even as someone who didn’t have the same attachment to many of the main characters since I did not play the first two, I loved etching out Geralt and Yennifer’s relationship, I super dug Ciri’s motivations and everything she brought to the table, and I found myself invested in the world. Don’t get me started on the excellent DLC. Both DLC releases were amazing, with the final one being a lovely good-bye to the game that still left it plenty open for CD Projekt Red to come back to it some day.

Dishonored 2

Back in 2015, I’m pretty sure the original Dishonored was on my list, and I was happy to see Dishonored 2 have a spot in this year’s list. While it didn’t bring a ton new to the table from a gameplay perspective, the original had already set a fantastic foundation to return to. I still need to play Hitman, but the Dishonored series has been my game where I’ve felt the most agency as a player, albeit with a strong reliance on saving and loading often. I played as Emily in my play through and loved her new abilities as I went for a largely stealth leaning playthrough. Taking a deliberately stealth approach made for many standout moments in Dishonored 2 that truly transported me in to the grimy yet beautifully realized worlds (via some of the most amazingly designed levels..ever) these characters inhabit. I couldn’t ask for a better sequel to the original, and will continue to look forward to what Arkane Studios will be doing.

Abzu

Abzu! A beautiful game about going on an undersea journey with Austin Wintory providing a wonderfully realized score. It’s short, it’s lovely, and transcendent. Coming from some of the artists and creative minds that worked on Journey, it comes as little surprise on how much Abzu cribs from Journey. And while it doesn’t quite hit the secret sauce that made Journey a classic, it still provides a wonderful, yet succinct escape.

No Man’s Sky

What a cool ass game. I’m aware of the things that the devs said that ended up not being in the game. I’ve seen the hilarious vine of a wonky ass dinosaur being compared to the majestic E3 201X trailer that featured more majestic creatures. I know, there’s some jank in that game. But I came in to No Man’s Sky with no preconceptions, minimal hype, and just a love for sci fi and space. I was not disappointed.

I recognized the basic similarities between all of the planets fairly early on my 30ish hours I played, but that didn’t take anything away from the fundamental thrill of zooming to a new galaxy every time. I mined away for materials on planets that didn’t really do anything for me except power my next blast off from the planet, only to turn around and let the amazing soundtrack by 65daysofstatic envelop me as I turned my spaceship to take in the always spectacular and unique views. Hell I even enjoyed the space combat for what it was.

I don’t look at it for what it may have been, but for what it ended up being. I know that it’s not the easiest thing to reconcile if you were hyped to high heaven, and I can understand being frustrated at the devs for some of the things that didn’t end up coming to pass. But I found myself loving the resulting experience.

I never completed the main ‘quest’. I didn’t really feel the need, and I don’t think the devs wanted me to feel that way either. I think they were happy to provide a unique escape from not only the real world, but the usual stuff that comes out in virtual worlds as well; and I was happy to take them up on that.

Inside

Inside was wild. Anytime a game delivers a ‘hollllly shit’ moment, it usually finds its way to my favorites. The first 90% of Inside would probably be just enough to be on this list. An immersive and intense atmosphere is laid out for you to take a young lad through a heavily guarded scientific military installation with each area providing a brain scratcher environmental puzzle that are always just the right level of difficulty to stump for a few, then make you feel smart when you figure out how to move forward. While not quite on a Portal 2 level, it’s right there in the same ballpark. If you haven’t finished Inside, I won’t spoil it here, but again, the last tenth of the experience delivers a mix of excitement, horror, and giddy-ness that left me stupefied. Classic status attained.

Uncharted 4 – Naughty Dog raising the bar yet again. While it doesn’t reach the heights of TLOU, it’s an amazing showpiece that proves Naughty Dog continues to be the master of blending a compelling narrative, unparalleled cinematic expression in gameplay, and oh yeah, it’s super fun to play.

Overwatch – Multiplayer-centric shooter with amazing playability, accessibility, and super fun characters. I didn’t get in to it as much as some; but I appreciated the universe that Blizzard has built here. Even though I don’t play it as much as I did those first months, I still love seeing the community be so passionate about it. Hoping they add in a single player story campaign at some point.

Rocket League – yes it was on my favorites list last year but ehhh…Rocket League is love. Rocket League is life. The game that keeps on giving.

I Am Setsuna – I AM UP FOR MORE GAMES LIKE THIS. What a lovely game. Unapologetically cribbing from the same elements that made the 16 bit JRPGs from the SNES / Genesis / PS1 era so damn good still work today.

The Last Guardian – a beautifully told story with gameplay experiences you won’t find anywhere else. It doesn’t live up to Shadow of the Colossus (what could), but as a continuation of Team Ico’s legacy, it’s a beautiful piece of the puzzle.

Downwell – Old-school challenging as shit, but expertly crafted.

Final Fantasy XIV - Continuing to play FF14 on an on again off again basis and eternally trying to catch up to the story. While I don’t think I’ll ever be in fully caught up, I continue to love this game anytime I spend time with it.

Titanfall 2 – Super snappy action packed shooter with plenty of variety in story telling and multiplayer that made it my shooter of choice this year.

Rise of the Tomb Raider – a great sequel; and I actually really enjoyed the narrative too. In many aspects, I prefer the aesthetic to that of Uncharted 4, but both games deliver an amazing adventure. Really hoping Crystal Dynamics not only continues to bring more Tomb Raider adventures, but also gets back to exploring some of their more dormant series. I’m looking at you Soul Reaver.

Music

Thrice – To Be Everywhere is to Be Nowhere

Amazing to see my favorite band reunite this year and release what I consider to be their best album ever. The album’s themes are awesomely realized, and each song has a resonance to it that seems to leverage a mastery of their creative aural tool set. I hope these guys keep making music for many years to come.

tricot – the

Japanese math rock never sounded so good. While this album came out back in 2013, my discovery of it this year colored many of my days. A favorite to put on while memorizing Kanji on lunch breaks.

Final Symphony – Music from Final Fantasy VI, VII, X.

A more perfect symphonic realization of the music from some of the most classic and highly regarded Final Fantasies, you’ll likely never find (and I’ve listened to a lot of them). If you have an appreciation for the music in these titles, you owe it to yourself to make some time to listen to this album in full and be moved. Can’t wait for Final Symphony 2.

Movies and TV

Arrival

A wonderfully shot tale exploring how humans react to aliens visiting Earth when not prompted by much else beyond their arrival. My favorite movie of the year.

Moana

Continuing to love Disney’s resurgence in their animation, and Moana turned out to be a beautiful film that hit all the right notes. No One Knows still playing on my Spotify every other day.

Star Wars - Rogue One

Finally, the creative license has been obtained to explore other elements of the Star Wars universe on film. Rogue One’s story was a great place to start by telling the story of the theft of the original Death Star’s plans. While I’m excited for the mainline movies, Star Wars fans know there is so much to dig in to outside of the Skywalker story, and I honestly find myself more excited for the side story potential, then the primary episode ones.

Westworld

I loved Westworld’s inaugural season so much, I’m frankly concerned about them doing a second if only for thinking that there is no way they can top S1. Robots!

Doctor Strange

Really glad that Marvel is starting to expand their universe to include some of the atypical characters that don’t get a lot of cinematic love. While I didn’t know much about Doctor Strange before the movie aside from seeing him pop up in certain comic book stories, the nature of his powers I’m sure will make for some awesome crossover stuff in the movies to come. And of course, the movie, as it was, was super fun.

Game of Thrones – Season 6

At this point, my affinity for the books has completely waned in favor of the show’s ability to get the story moving. Hoping that George Martin releases the final two books alongside each of the final two seasons.

10 Cloverfield Lane

A more unnerving movie I don’t think I saw this year. John Goodman brought his A-game to this story set in the weirdo Cloverfield universe. I enjoyed the original maybe more than the average person, but with the end of 10 Cloverfield Lane, it looks like they’re taking a potentially very unique approach to this world.

Dragon Ball Z – Resurrection F

Fuck yeah, why not! DBZ was a massive part of my childhood, and it had been a long time since I was able to just enjoy some crazy DBZ action. Resurrection wasn’t the end all be all anime movie, but it was a perfect injection of everything that I loved about the series and a great addition to the movies.

Kingsglaive and Final Fantasy XV: Brotherhood

Ask yourself, when is the last time a video game had a complete feature length film and well crafted anime mini-series release, in anticipation of the game’s release? I can find plenty of issues with Kingsglaive as a film, and Brotherhood provides a detailed, yet surface level introduction to Final Fantasy 15’s heroes, but as things that didn’t have to exist, but do; I found them massively entertaining and awesome as predecessors that built up and invested me in to the world of FF15.

Kabeneri of the Iron Fortress

Seemingly available only streaming on Amazon Video, this relatively short anime season (13 episodes or so?) seemed to crib a lot from Attack on Titan at first glance. Not surprising I guess since the director is the same guy who directed AoT, along with other awesome stuff like Death Note. What I loved about Kabeneri was its ability to not dilly dally too long on world building and exposition. AoT does this, which to its credit, engenders a dramatic, more tension filled effect. In favor of reducing tension, Kabeneri briefs you on the set up, and then sprints all the way to a satisfying finish of the first season, while keeping the story and character development moving at a good clip. Relatively small story arcs from episode to episode always pay off in fantastic action pieces, and the music is beautiful throughout.

La La Land

I might just love the music and dance numbers in the first half of La La Land more so than the movie as a whole. Westside Story being one of my favorite movies of all time, this is as close as I’ve seen a modern day film capture that same energy. I’m just sad that it’s only largely there in the first half. Thematically that fits with the movie’s narrative, and what’s there in the second half is interesting, but it’s just not as fun. Still, really thankful that a movie like this could get made, and be this good.

0 notes