#it's also a bit much for my pc but it usually runs okay for awhile

[fstbmp-a]

Robocop...

#my kingdom ;; ooc #be a trigger ;; whisper #that's it that's the post. i've been (trying to) play rogue city and it's a lot of fun #it's also a bit much for my pc but it usually runs okay for awhile #admittedly whisper's mask did crib on robocop a bit already with me #but the urge to make it more-so is there kasjhbdkhsja

[ventura-starlight]

hi! may I request a one-shot of timeskip kenma with a streamer s/o and they do a stream together or something like that? sorry if it's too vague, and thank you in advance!

omg ofc honey <3 this isn't too vague at all :) i made the stream take place in the same place. they don't live together but idk how streaming works so yeahh 😭 I also haven't written for kenma fully yet so I hope this is okay!! enjoy :>

key🔑: italicized but normal type: actual dialogue small and italicized: means text messages :)

kenma was nervous. like actually super nervous. not honestly for the reason one might think.

crazy fans? no, actually. well okay a little bit but there wasn't much kenma could do about that. he has tried. a lot.

no it wasn't that. it was actually because it was the first time he was streaming with y/n l/n. but y/n wasn't just another streamer. no, they were his partner of 7 months.

kenma wanted everything to be perfect. He had the PCs set up, snacks, the stream was practically ready to start. all he had to do was wait, he sat down on the sofa that centered the living space he had created with the help of y/n.

come to think of it y/n had a lot of impact on kenma's life. as he waited for them to arrive he dwelled on the ways that y/n was there with him, even when they were currently stuck in traffic.

y/n <3: so sorry ken, I got stuck in traffic 😫. I'll be there in 15 minutes or so :))

He smiled as he sent a quick response back. Kenma used to never smile at his phone. He leaned back, letting his muscles relax into the throw pillow that y/n insisted that he got because "it matches the sofa! and it's comfy" and they were right.

he stood up and walked into the kitchen, looking in the fridge to see about a small drink to tide him over. the fridge used to be pretty sparce, only filled with the bare necessities and a crap ton of energy drinks. now, vegetables filled the drawers, the door had different healthy smoothies that y/n made a few days prior.

it wasn't like they had forced him to change but he wanted to make sure they had snacks and things y/n liked. he never used to do that anymore.

minutes ticked by, little reminders of how this person that wandered into kenma's life just a mere 7 months ago and yet, he can't really imagine a world where they weren't beside him.

kenma's head turned when he heard the front door to his apartment open. his palms turned sweaty as soon as he saw them.

"hey ken!!" y/n smiled. kenma walked over to them and wrapped them up in his arms, stunning his partner. running their hands up his back, the paired swayed gently on their feet.

"ready for the stream?" y/n asked after awhile. nodding slowly kenma walked y/n to his streaming room.

---

the stream went off without a hitch. the fans enjoyed it and the stream itself just was more fun than usual! [not that it wasn't before] kenma walked to the kitchen, putting away the snacks, and washing the dishes. his hands shaked lightly as he washed his hands.

yeah he was nervous, but not for the reasons you might think.

"kenma!" y/n called from the streaming room as they walked into the kitchen, "that was amazing! babe you did so good and I think the should do this more often..." as they rambled on kenma smiled softly. before he knew it the words slipped through his lips,

"move in with me"

y/n's head looked up immediately, eyes filled with shock and surprise. "w-what?" kenma's face flushed,

"uhm well I have been thinking y/n, you know you're here a lot. now you can do streams here too. y/n you've made such an impact on my life and I love you more than anything, so will you move in with me" his partner smiled softly and nodded.

"well I hope you have room for my setup ken" y/n laughed.

I hope you liked this my love <33 ALSO? I WROTE AGAIN! YAYYYY @wxsteland-bxby @risjime @mariyeahh

#kenma kozume #kenma imagine #kenma x reader #kenma scenario #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagines #summer.loving 🌺 #angelics.anon.angels 🌞 #angelicstrwbrry 🍓 #angelics.haikyuu.txt #answering.letters 💌

[this-is-rina]

Just “Networking”|| Noah Centineo Imagine

Hi everyone!  It’s been a very long time since I wrote on Tumblr and my first time writing on this blog. The last time I wrote on a personal blog was for One Direction when I was in high school (Ack!).  I did not like posting my writing to my personal and made many blogs for my writing (I wonder how many of you will recognize my style :O)  I vowed I would never write on a personal blog again...then I saw a few interviews with Noah Centineo. He has such an interesting personality for an actor and I was inspired to write a story about him. 

It’s gonna be a long one, so I’ll put it under a read more for all my fellow silent scrollers.  However, I’ll leave the synopsis up top so you know if you’re interested!

~Rina xoxo

Plot:  You are an aspiring screenwriter who currently manages a computer repair store in Hollywood with your stepbrother, Xavier, an aspiring composer.  By chance, you meet Noah Centineo in a coffee shop.  Not recognizing him at first, you think nothing about your acquaintance, until Xavier realizes that Noah could be both of your tickets to fame. Suddenly, your writing has a real chance, and that appeals to you, just a much as getting an adorable and kind boyfriend in Noah. However, you highly doubts Noah would agree.  But, what if he doesn’t know? 

You were running late...which was kind of the usual lately.  Ever since you moved out of your brother’s apartment, you had yet to come to work on time.  Xavier, who was technically your stepbrother, but you only made the distinction when you did not want to be associated with him, used it as proof that you couldn’t take care of yourself. However, you both knew that you were one of the most responsible people either of you knew, as long as you followed the schedule you programmed in your phone.

You dashed through the double doors of the computer repair shop, panting.  Xavier shook his head with a “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” as he watched you stash your stuff in the back and run behind the counter.

“You know you’re late, right?” Xavier emphasized. “So, you know what that means...”

“Oh come on!” You complained, smoothing your hair to make it more into your usual style.  “You totally came in early because you know I’m still getting used to the commute.”

“And?” Xavier questioned, “A deal is a deal, kiddo. The last person in buys everyone coffee.”

“Ugh, you only came up with that rule to spite me for moving out.” You complained.  “We should not even be wasting money on coffee when we could just make it at home.”

“Don’t forget my whip,” Xavier said as he tended to a fried PC.  That was your signal that the conversation was over.

“That’s not healthy...” You muttered as you went into the back room to fish out your wallet.  “What would your mother say?”

“That you should be on time to work!” He retorted and you rolled your eyes as you walked to the coffee shop across the street.

You and Xavier were pretty close, when you weren’t fighting over lateness.  Your dad married his mom when you were both around 13 years of age.  Both of you lost a parent young, and were only children until meeting each other. Your Brady Bunch family came together well, and you two grew closely together.  

Xavier was the first to decide he wanted to do showbiz.  He would practice piano and guitar daily, writing new tunes for his performance at the local bookstore talent show ever week.  You were more quiet about your aspirations as a writer, but he broke you out of your shell after college.  While you both studied computer science, you both also also concentrated in your passions, English Language and Music respectively.  You both moved to LA and through a series of lucky breaks and connections were able to manage a computer repair shop.  You hoped that by being in Hollywood you could hone your craft and make your dreams come true.

For now, you settled for fixing broken computers and fetching your brother’s coffee. At least you could buy a chai for yourself to relax too.

When you got to the coffee shop, it was clear that you missed the early morning rush.  You walked straight to the menu next to a guy who was several heads taller than you.  He had long, unruly brown hair, a scruffy beard and wore the baggiest t-shirt with the tightest jeans.  He glanced at you, feeling your presence and he gave you a gorgeous smile.  You gave him a coy smile back, trying not to fall for his chocolate-y brown orbs.  You cleared your throat and looked at the menu.

There was someone ahead of him who was taking awhile to order, and you could see him stealing glances at you from the corner of your eye.  You were definitely flattered.  This guy was pretty cute.  With his tan skin and athletic frame, he looked like that lovable sweetheart who would skate to your house just because he was in the neighborhood.  Whenever you would look in his direction, he always pretended to look away.  However, he would do it in an obvious manner.  He would look you directly in your eyes and then look at the ceiling, and then back to your eyes and then down at the floor. Back and forth his eyes and neck would move in this circular motion until he got a laugh out of you.

“Finally!” He cheered as you laughed, causing you to laugh more.  “I really wanted to make you laugh.  Have a great day, beautiful.” He flashed you a bright smile and then stepped up to make his order.

You couldn’t help, but blush.  It was always nice to be acknowledged by a cute guy.  You wished he stayed longer to make a move.  He finished his order and didn’t look back as he picked up his coffee from the counter.  You were bummed he did not have to wait for his drink, as you hoped you could chat some more, but settled for your bit of luck that he even noticed you.

“Hi,” You said with a smile to the cashier.  “Can I get a small chai and a medium iced mocha latte with extra whip and caramel drizzle?”

The cashier smiled.  “Is this for Xavier?” It was embarrassing how much your brother frequented this place.

You laughed, “Yup. I was late again!”  You snapped your fingers and wagged your fist, pretending to be upset.  You handed the cashier your card and he shook his head.

“That guy ahead of you paid for your order.  He had me write down his name and telephone number for you to reach out.” The cashier pulled out a slip of paper and your jaw dropped.

Noah

213-xxx-xxxx

“Wow, okay.” You weren’t sure what to say. This only happened in movies.  You made a mental note to add this to your list of romantic gestures for your next romcom screenplay.  You slipped the note into your wallet and closed it to put it back in your bag. You took the drinks and sauntered happily back to the repair shop.

Xavier was running a scan on another computer when you walked in.  You handed him his drink as you sipped yours happily.  He narrowed his eyes at you,

“Why are you humming?” He rolled his eyes. “You didn’t spit in this, right?’

“Gosh!” You huffed.  “Can’t a girl be happy and not be judged?”

“Any other girl, of course. You, no way!” Xavier laughed, “You’re always in a crappy mood when you lose bets.  Why is today any different?”

“A really cute guy bought our drinks!” You cooed.  “And he left his phone number.”

“Oh my god!” Xavier imitated your high pitch voice. Then his voice dropped back to a disinterested tone as he added, “Well that’s great, I hope he can pay for both of our rent too.”

“Why can’t you just be happy for me?” You sighed.  “I’m going to text him.”

Xavier shrugged as he focused on removing the hard drive of the computer. “Do what you want...”

You pondered what to text him and then smiled to yourself as you wrote your message.

Y/N: Hey, this is Y/N from the coffee shop.  Thanks for the free drinks! I hope to repay the favor some time soon.

It wasn’t much longer before you received a reply.

Noah: Hey, Y/N! Gorgeous name, by the way ;) Absolutely! How about tomorrow afternoon, let’s get a coffee after work?

Y/N: Works for me! 

You continued to text lightly throughout the day.  It was clear that you both had busy schedules, but you would try to continue the conversation as much as you could during breaks.  You were pleased to see how friendly and genuine he seemed.  You were impressed by his passion for acting, and relayed your love of writing.  He was supportive and encouraged you to try to get published.  You were too shy to admit that was the goal, and instead insisted that he was being too kind.

“Have you been texting that guy all day?” Xavier asked as he closed up shop.

“Yeah,” You said absentmindedly as you read the article Noah just sent you. 

“Well, make sure he’s not a serial killer.” He warned.  “Have you googled the guy?”

“I will when I go home, just chill, okay?” You shrugged it off, but you were moderately concerned.  This guy was kind, charming and a great listener. He was either perfect for you or an ax murderer...hopefully not both.

The next day, you met Noah for coffee dressed in your favorite outfit.  You waved at him as he walked in and he gave you the widest grin.  You had been texting all night and up until this morning, so when he pulled you into an embrace, it felt natural.

“Get whatever you like!” You offered.

“I’ll probably just get my usual coffee and maybe some sweets to share?” Noah smiled, “Since I only paid for drinks, I’ll contribute to the sweets as well.”

“No!” You insisted.  “My brother’s drink was also covered, so I think it is only fair.”

You argued about it for awhile until it was decided that he would buy one sweet and you would buy another and the two drinks. You tried to ignore the fact that the one sweet he bought was the same price as the two drinks combined.

“So, this is going to be really dumb...” You warned, “But I never did get your last name...”

“Oh,” Noah chuckled.  “It’s Centineo. Yours?”

“Y/L/N...” You responded as you sent the text to your brother.  Just in case he was going to kill you, you wanted Xavier to trace it back.  You were pretty sure you spelled his name wrong, but you hoped it would be enough.  You put your phone in your bag and then gave him a smile.

“Now that we have been formally introduced, let’s eat!” You said, picking up a fork and digging into the mini-cheesecake first.

You two exchanged ideas on your favorite books, popular films, and making it in Hollywood.  You were surprised at how much Noah knew about showbiz.  He said he was on a few tv shows and in a couple movies, but you did not expect him to be so wise.  It made you a bit self conscious.  You had just been working on scripts in your downtime.  Maybe you should get training by going to workshops...

“Oh man, you seem sad.” Noah pouted.  “What did I say?”

“Ah, no.” You shook your head.  “It’s not you! I just feel a little overwhelmed, maybe? You just seem so together. I’m just starting out.”

“I mean, I’m only 22.” Noah laughed.  “I’m still learning too.”

You grunted as you sipped your chai.  He was a bit younger than you. It was less than a year, but still, you felt envious.

“However...” Noah bit his lip.  “...you’re quite a distraction for me.  I realize that if I don’t get my daily dose of Y/N, I may lose track of my goals permanently.”

You coughed to hide your snort of laughter.  “Is this your way of saying you want to hang out more?”

“Absolutely.” Noah grinned at you and you returned it.  “I’m going to this pool party on Saturday.  Would you like to come? You can bring your brother and a few friends...”

“Sure,” You nodded.  “There’s a few dudes and dudettes that work part-time at the shop.  If it’s after hours, I can bring them too.”

“Yeah, it starts at like 8pm and goes to like 5 in the morning.  It’s supposed to be a dance party slash pool party slash cocktail extravaganza.” Noah laughed.  “Plus, I heard a few really cool people might be there like the cast of my last film.  It would be great to introduce you.”

“Are you sure you want a girl like me on your arm?” You teased.  

“I wouldn’t want anyone else...” Noah leaned over, lifted your hand and kissed it.

You could feel yourself swooning and knew in an instant that he were falling for him.

When you returned to the store, you were greeted by a very excited Xavier. He was almost ready to jump up and down when you entered the store.  You made a weird face as you waited for him to explain.

“That Noah guy recently got mega famous.  He was cast in two Netflix films and is basically the white hottie of Instagram.”

“Oh wow,” You nodded to yourself. “No wonder he’s so knowledgeable.”

“Y/N, don’t you know what this means?” Xavier looked like he wanted to scream.  “If you get with this guy, we’ll be in the in-crowd! This will be our big break.”

“Woah, woah, woah.” You said quickly.  “That sounds like I’m using him.  Xav, he’s a great guy. I really like him.”

“Do you not want to be published? Recognized? Rewarded? Think about the looks on our parents faces when they see that sending us to Hollywood was not for naught.” Xavier used hand gestures to show the grandiosity of his ideas.

You made a deep sigh.  “Of course, I do! I just...I really like him.”

“Even better,” Xavier said with a smile as he put his arm around you.  “Then you’re just networking...that’s all.”

“Networking...not using...is that what you’re saying?” You repeated it to yourself. “I guess...”

“That’s my girl!” Xavier snapped his fingers happily.  “Now, when do we meet him...”

You hesitated to tell him about the party on Saturday.  However, the more you thought about it, the less worried you felt.  You did have feelings for Noah, it did not hurt to take advantage of his connections.

Noah met you, Xavier and one of your other co-workers, Andrea, outside. He was in baggy swim trunks that were low enough to show his chiseled hips and impressive core.  You tried not to drool, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed by your monokini under your see-through cover up.  Noah greeted you warmly, putting an arm around you.

“Hello kiss?” He asked sweetly, making you smile.

You extended your cheek in response and he gave you a light peck.  Then he turned to your group as you introduced them.  You walked into the party, and started to see the familiar faces of the cast of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. After Xavier told you Noah was famous, you decided to look him up, and the guest list of the party was like all of the related actors on Noah’s Google Search.

He introduced you to Lana and her boyfriend first and you were in awe of her beauty.  She was so down-to-earth, but she also had this respectable air about her.  You pointed out your brother and Andrea for her to meet as Noah pulled you to meet the rest of his friends and co-workers.

At one point, Noah pulls you to the bar and offers to get you a drink.  You pick something light, deciding not to get sloppy drunk in front of the guy you liked. He got a beer and you both turned to watch the party.  You were a bit away from the speakers which allowed you to talk a bit more. 

Suddenly, Noah pulls out his phone and reads a text message that makes his brows furrow.  He excuses himself and runs over to Lana.  She clearly looked upset and was gesturing towards you and also towards Xavier and Andrea.

Oh no... You thought as you pulled out your phone and texted Xavier.

Y/N: Tell me you didn’t do something stupid!!!!!

Xavier:  Nope! I was just talking to Lana about my music....

Y/N: She looks pissed.  You didn’t ask her for anything, right?

Xavier: Oh man...I had a few shots and I think I might have mentioned how glad I was that you’re dating up by dating Noah...

Y/N: WHAT?!

Before you could chastise Xavier further, Noah and Lana walked up to you.  

Lana spoke first.

“Can I just say I’m really disappointed?  You seem like such a nice girl, but clearly if you and your brother and his friend are here to use Noah, you are not as nice as you seem...” Lana’s lips were tight with anger.

“Stepbrother...” You said sheepishly.  “Look, I’m not proud of what Xavier said, but he means well.”

“Does he?” Lana asked. “Does he know what it’s like to grind and hope and work and pray for an opportunity only to have people try to attain the same success on your coat tails? It’s one thing to come to a function like this for that, but to toy with Noah’s heart...that is unforgivable.”

“Lana, you have every right to be upset. I’m sorry.” You looked at Noah who was looking at you sadly this whole time. “Noah, can we talk, please?”

He nodded and you apologized to Lana again before he pulled you inside of the house that was hosting the party.  He pulled you into a small bedroom after a few failed attempts at finding your own space. Clearly, the house was meant for hooking up not break-up-before-you-even-started-chats. At this point, you were crying and once you were inside the room, you struggled to compose yourself

“Noah...” You exhaled a shaky breath.  “I swear, when I contacted you I had no idea who you were.  When we talked all this week, through text and on the phone and on our dates, I was not trying to use you.  Even after I knew you were famous, I was convinced that if I really liked you, then it wouldn’t be a problem if Xavier and I tried to network.  Although it was Xavier who planted the idea in my head I need to own up to it and--”

Noah lurched forward and hugged you tightly.  You were so shocked and overwhelmed that you began to weep. He rubbed your back as you let it out before he stepped back.

“I know.” Noah nodded.  “Lana means well.  She knows how much I like you and really doesn’t want me to get hurt.  At the same time, she knows that I’m not an idiot.  If I tell her that I trust you, then she will trust you too.”

“You believe me?” You asked with a sniffle.

“Of course, Y/N.  Look, I can tell that you’re into me.  I’m into you too and I want us to continue to date.” Noah smiled, “And for the record, I am happy to support your and your brother’s dreams.  Just be honest with me! I’ll read your scripts, and if I think they are good, which I am sure they are, I’ll connect you with some people who maybe interested. Hell, I might even audition for a role or two if you’ll have me...”

“I’d love that!” You said excitedly.  “But even if you don’t do that...I want to work hard in my own right to earn being by your side.”

“You are already too good to stand by my side.” Noah grinned.  “Let’s grow together, okay?”

“Okay...” You leaned in and looked at him with sultry eyes.  “So, uh, since we’re in this private room...”

“Yeah?” Noah asked, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close.

“Well, I guess that was technically our first fight so we need to make up, right?” You suggested.

“I like where this is going.” Noah smirked.

“Then kiss me.” You said as your lips were almost at his lips.  

And he did.  He lifted you in his arms and kissed you like his life depended on it. You would reprimand Xavier and make it up to Lana later...right now, all you could think about was Noah and his soft kisses.

Fin

#noah centineo #to all the boys i've loved before #noah centineo imagine #writing #drabbles #imagines

[nekopalace]

My Favorite Video Games - Salem

Hiya, everyone! Hope you're having a fantastic day. Recently a game came out that I've been waiting to release for a couple years, and after playing it I was inspired to list and talk about a few of my favorite games and why they're so special to me. So, in no particular order, let's begin.

#element-25382722-97e1-483f-aa56-de277c6d320b .waddons-blog-image.hideImage { display: none;}

#1 Detroit: Become Human This game just came out on the 25th of last month I believe and it's already one of if not my absolute favorite game of all time. Quantic Dream has made some of my favorite games of all time (another one of which you'll see later on) and they really introduced to me how you could have a video game that gives you the same emotional impact as a book or film, only with the added element of directly involving you into the story. DBH follows the stories of Markus, Kara, and Connor, all androids navigating the world they were created to hopefully better. They each have beautifully rich stories and you become deeply invested into these characters and want to do your best to achieve the best outcomes for all of them within each of their storylines.

#2 Life is Strange This 2015 Don't nod title explores the life of Max Caulfield after returning to Arcadia Bay to attend Blackwell Academy. Then some stuff goes down and BOOM she can rewind time! You then follow her trying to figure out her rewind power with her best friend Chloe, who I love dearly, as odd things start happening in the town. This is another game with a big focus on choices, though done in a different way than Quantic Dream and more like another game we will discuss later. Your choices and how you interact with others can have consequences immediately or way later in the game. Lots of twists and turns and lots of emotional turmoil.

#3 Telltale's The Walking Dead series Ever wanted to feel your soul be forcefully ripped out of you and stomped into the ground as you sob? Then welcome to The Walking Dead by Telltale. The choices in this game are similar to how they work in Life is Strange where there's usually two main options which will impact the story, but it does stay mainly linear. Telltale has a lot of amazing series so if zombies aren't your things I'd recommend their Game of Thrones game, The Wolf Among Us, or their Batman series. But as for The Walking Dead, you start off with a man by the name of Lee Everett in the back of a cop car on his way to jail when suddenly you get into a crash. Upon getting out you see the cop who was driving has turned into a zombie as you are introduced to what the world is becoming. You stumble upon a house where you find a little girl named Clementine and the rest of the game follows your journey together trying to figure out how to navigate this new world with friends you'll meet along the way.

#4 Heavy Rain The first Quantic Dream game I ever played and has definitely shaped the kind of games I seek out to enjoy. You play as 4 characters by the names of Norman Jayden, Scott Shelby, Ethan Mars, and Madison Paige. The main plotline follows Ethan searching for his son who has been kidnapped by the Origami Killer, and seeing how far you will go to save your son. Unlike Detroit, this game has none of the futuristic element and just focuses around this serial killer and everyone trying to find Ethan's son Jason. There are a lot of very interesting character plots and dynamics and lots of twists and turns that make this game fun each time you return to it. I definitely recommend going into this game with a blind eye and not reading up on it so you can have the best initial experience possible.

#5 Vampire: The Masquerade-Bloodlines I very recently purchased this game after watching part of a walkthrough of it online and immediately wanted to play it. Fortunately for me a couple weeks later the Steam Summer sale came around and it was on sale and I immediately purchased it and have been loving it ever since. You get the option to play as one of 7 different types of vampires each with different interactions and ways of going through the game, giving a lot of replay value. While this game did come out awhile ago and there are quite a few bugs with it, with the patches fans have continued making the game runs decently smoothly so there's not as much issue. It's definitely a bunch of fun and I highly recommend it.

#6 Dead by Daylight Unlike the rest of the games so far, DBD is a multiplayer survival game where 4 players are survivors and one player is the killer. I've enjoyed playing this game for awhile now as it's just fun and there's a bit of different play styles with the different characters and perks/abilities you can assign those characters. You can play it casually from time to time like I do or you can continue to rank up until you become a top rank killer or survivor. Plus, if you have other friends with the game you can bring them in as well and go into matches together or have games with just a bunch of friends with no one else. Definitely a lot of fun and I would recommend people trying it out.

#7 Nancy Drew PC games Okay so this is a bit more general as I'm a fan of the majority of the games in this series. I started playing these games when I was about 12 or 13 with my sister and have continued since as I just genuinely like them a lot. You play as Nancy Drew, amateur detective extraordinaire. If you're familiar with the Nancy Drew book series there are two games based on books, Secret of the Old Clock and The Secret of Shadow Ranch. Whereas the rest of the games are then their own separate thing, with Nancy often travelling around the world to solve mysteries. I genuinely love a bunch of the games but some recommendations would be Warnings at Waverly Academy, Danger by Design, and Shadow at the Water's Edge, all of which are available on Steam.

#8 The Last of Us Want a rich storyline but also really creepy zombies out to kill you around every turn? Then The Last of Us is for you. I get quite spooked by this game as the clickers are some of the actual creepiest things I've seen in my entire life, but it makes it more challenging which overall I enjoy. You play as Joel who once again is just trying to survive this new world when he ends up coming along Ellie who he is told he has to smuggle away for reasons he is not immediately made aware of. The scenery in this game is gorgeous and all of the characters are nicely well rounded. Overall definitely recommend.

#9 World of Warcraft WoW is something I've been playing since I was a child though of course back then I mainly just ran around as a Night Elf not really doing anything I was told. Now I generally play Alliance as I tend to play as a Worgen druid and mainly just play up to level 20 and if I'm in the mood to continue with that character I'll buy a subscription but I tend to only focus on one game at a time so I haven't gotten super high level in anything yet but I hope to get more into it.

#10 Resident Evil/Biohazard This game is a little different to the others as I haven't really played that much of it myself but I have really fond memories of watching my sister play it on Game Cube and thinking it was so cool but was way too scared to actually play it by myself for a long period of time. I ended up as I got older watching people online play it and it's just a story line I really like and the atmosphere is super cool. I watch the Game Grumps playthrough of it and Silent Hill Shattered Memories all the time when I'm really stressed out or in a bad place and it just has a lot of positive memories and connections for me.

I hope you guys enjoyed this little list of games, of course I couldn't include everything as we'd be here forever so I just did a handful. If there are any games that mean a lot to you or you just love a lot be sure to leave them in the comments and let me know! -Salem

Salem

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#Neko Palace - Articles

[questlogpodcast]

Moonlighter

What is it?

What if Link’s sacred quest was to own and operate a successful business in Kakariko Village instead of chasing princess Zelda through the dungeons of Hyrule? That’s Moonlighter. You play as Will, a young man who is taking over the family store. Your shelves will be stocked with goodies you pilfer from the dungeons, and you can invest your profits in new gear, upgrades for your shop, and attracting new businesses into the town itself.

Did you play Recettear? No. Okay, nevermind. I’ll just stick to the Legend of Zelda comparison then.

Look

Hey everyone, Moonlighter has a retro pixel art style tha-hey where are you going? Come back!

Okay. Moonlighter’s doing the hi-bit visual style that has been in vogue for a few years now. The first visual comparisons that come to mind are Owlboy and Hyper Light Drifter. Are you sick of it yet? I’m not, actually. I love that visual style, and it is firing on all cylinders here. 

The game exudes charm, and the game’s visual style is a big part of that. The vibrant colors almost leap off the screen, particularly in town. Smoke rises from the furnace in your room, the shop’s banner gently flaps in the breeze, and all you see is the top of Will’s head when he runs through tall grass. These little touches like the tinkle of the bell when a customer enters the shop breathe life into the world.

Sound

This is where the game really surprised me. I’ll admit I was pretty excited for Moonlighter to come out. The visual charm of the game piqued my interest the moment I saw it. Recetear was a hidden gem, and I’ve been wondering when another dungeon crawling shop keeping game would come along.

I hadn’t really given the soundtrack a second thought, but the first time I got to walk around the town at night I was hooked. Ryoka at night is such a peaceful experience, I want to just drink it all in. The streetlamps standing out in the darkness, the fireflies...the night feels safe in a way that reminded me of being out in my small town as a child.* The music moves from playful to adventurous to contemplative as the setting demands it. The best soundtracks feel are an integral part of their game worlds, and Moonlighter’s score is no exception.

Feel

Moonlighter has a distinct gameplay loop of “go to the dungeon - sell your loot in the store - buy some upgrades - rinse and repeat.” This treadmill has been satisfying in a “I really need to go to bed but JUST ONE MORE RUN” way. The game has 5 different procedurally generated dungeons to progress through, with each having its own big baddie on the bottom floor. 

The combat feels tight and snappy. This was my biggest concern heading into the game, and I’m pleased to report that it feels spot-on. I haven’t encountered anything that feels overwhelming yet, but everything is challenging enough that I get punished if I (invariably) get sloppy and lose focus. The game gives you a pendant that lets you teleport out of the dungeon pretty much anytime (for a gold cost). Knowing when to leave is important, and the temptation to stay just a little longer is ever-present. Before writing this, I defeated the guardian of the desert shrine where I spent the last 25% of the battle one hit away from death. I should have left, but I stayed for reasons I can’t explain. Usually that siren’s call leads me into the rocks, but this time I was successful. And that is an incredible feeling.

Moonlighter gives you 5 different weapon types to choose from - sword & shield, 2-handed sword, spear, bow & arrow, and....gloves? Fists. Each one feels distinct and gives the combat a welcome bit of customization. Their reach and ranges are different, and each one has a special attack associated with it; the two-handed sword grants a spin attack (oh hi Link), the glove grants a quick dash attack, and so on.

The shopkeeper bits are a little simpler than I expected: you price each thing for the first time based on a whim. Customers will either be super excited for the price (you’re selling too cheap) turn their nose up (too expensive) or be satisfied (the item’s “base price”). There’s a 4th response where the customer will pay a bit above the base price, but be a little pissy about it.** The game told me that if I don’t mix up my offerings somewhat, the market will be flooded and drive prices down.

You can expand your store space and add decorations that allow you to have more customers at a time, or make them tip a little more with a purchase. The retail portion of the game is a nice way to break up the dungeon crawling, and it lends a sense of purpose to the dungeon delves. Your inventory space is quite limited, and most every run will see you deciding which items to keep for the shop, which items to keep for crafting, and which ones to quick-sell for a little cash.*

This brings us to what is the game’s weakest element: inventory management. You have a limited amount of space in your backpack. Most items can stack, but you will find items with “enchantments” that restrict where in your backpack they can be stored, or send another backpack item home, or copy an item, and so on. It can quickly turn into a sprawling mess of carefully organized chaos. I’m kinda okay with this. I like trying to wring every last drop of efficiency out of a system. 

The problem is how clunky and unfriendly the UI is. I found that I often couldn’t simply press a button to pick up an item and press it again to put it down. Pressing and holding the button, moving it where I wanted to place it, letting up on the button and then pressing it again (sort of like drag and drop with a mouse) seems to work. Constantly rearranging items with an analog stick quickly becomes tiring and acts as a deterrent to engaging with that whole system. 

And the game gives you a magic mirror or whatever so you can sell unwanted items while in the dungeon (for far less than market value of course). That’s a really nice touch and it helps reduce the analysis paralysis. Just leaving stuff on the ground feels bad. But that’s what I end up doing because the need to constantly shuffle items around to make room to pick up the thing I want to sell really sucks the fun and momentum out of the experience. It feels like a tax imposed on the experience. “If you want to get the most gold out of this run, you’ll spend half of your time moving stuff around your bag.” Adding a button combination to automatically sell stuff lying on the ground would be a godsend here.

The UI issues go a bit beyond the inventory management too. When you’re browsing the blacksmith’s shop, there’s no way to see what you’re already using. A button press to compare gear would keep me from having to back out of the shop and look at my inventory 6 times whenever I go shopping. Also it’s much cheaper to craft potions than to buy them, but there’s no way to buy more than 1 at a time. I’d rather buy 10 potions once than 1 potion 10 times.

Give this game a try if

- Isometric dungeon crawlers are your jam. - Dredging up a bunch of shit from a dungeon, selling it in your own store, then adding more display cases and flowers and banners to your shop and maybe buying a bigger bed sounds awesome to you.

Avoid this game if

- The idea of managing and selling inventory is a turn-off for you. It feels like maybe a third of the game. It’s pretty basic, but it’s a significant portion of the experience. - You want a deep and engaging story. For all the game’s charm, the story in Moonlighter is barely there. It tends to explain away the randomness of the dungeons with “I dunno, probably magic?” I think the game is probably better for it, but this might disappoint some folks. - You have little tolerance for clunky inventory management.

tl;dr

I’ve put about 10 hours into Moonlighter and it feels like I’m maybe halfway through the content. Some part of my brain keeps analyzing the game and saying “It’s just a loop of getting gear in the dungeon and selling it to get stronger gear so you can repeat the loop in slightly more difficult areas; when are you going to get bored with this?” The answer seems to be “Not anytime soon.” 

The dungeons walk the knife’s edge of offering a satisfying challenge without being frustrating. Every journey down offers a push-your-luck experience where I sometimes convince myself that, even though I am low on health and out of potions, whatever is in the next room will be worth that risk and will not kill me. Sometimes I’m even right!

The town is quaint and charming, and being in the game just feels good. The town of Rynoka feels like home - particularly at night. And the game is not without its faults. The inventory system feels like the band-aid in the burrito here. It’s not nearly enough to make me put the game down, but I could understand it being a major issue for some. The game also does the “You’ve been on this floor for too long, here’s a big invincible monster to chase you now” thing. I don’t understand that decision. Your limited backpack space is a limiting factor enough, I don’t feel the need to try to milk every part of every floor. Every time the green blobby dude came after me, it was because I simply hadn’t found the stairs to the next floor yet.

I’m in love with Moonlighter. It feels like I’ll get about 20 hours out of it, and right now that’s my biggest concern - I can see the end on the horizon. It’s like seeing a storm coming and hoping it misses you. It’s not perfect, but the good bits are enough to make the shortcoming palatable. Hopefully the game’s UI issues can be addressed. If that happens, I feel like I can recommend this game with no caveats. 

Even as it stands now, Moonlighter is one of my favorite games of 2018. If it ends in a dozen hours and ends up as solid 20 hour game, I’ll still be very happy with it.

Release date: May 29, 2018 Developer: Digital Sun Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One 

*I’m overselling it here. Every once in awhile something out of blue stirs some long dormant memory for me. **Like buying a $10 burger. I’ll do it since I’m already here, but it’d better be good.

[doycetopia]

Masks "Menagerie" Campaign - Session 6 to 10

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about our ongoing Masks game (superhero antics in the vein of Young Justice, Teen Titans, or Avengers Academy), but that in no way means the game itself has slowed. Quite the opposite.

So, if only for the sake of bragging, I thought I’d catch things up.

The last time, I covered sessions 0 though 5. This time, it’s sessions 6 to 15, so buckle up.

Before I get rolling, I want to recognize two resources that have made this broad overview far more manageable.

The first is the forum that is automatically made available for any campaign you set up on Roll20.net. (Our game is played online, and while the voice chat isn’t able to handle our group’s particular challenges, the other tools it provides are invaluable.) The forum lives here, and sees continuous, nigh-daily activity in the form of fiction, world-building, general discussion, and (of course) the blow-by-blow Actual Play summaries – usually authored by Dave Hill – which supplement if not completely stand in for my spotty recollection.

(Said forum has been made even more valuable with the addition of a custom coded search/scraper that Bill forced around roll20’s forum code at great personal effort.)

The second tool is a more recent addition to our electronic tool box, a wiki built and customized (again, mostly) by two of the players, Bill and Mike. Thanks to the organization of the wiki (and downright sexy layout), I’m able to excavate all kinds of trivia and bits of game lore that might otherwise have flared and died within minutes of being introduced into a session.

With that out of the way…

When We Last Left Our Heroes…

Sessions 1 though 5 were mostly about introducing the heroes to the people of Halcyon, and the players (and myself) to the Masks system. They had a morning show interview, a downtown brawl with some bad guys, and then rode the fallout from those events, (including the speedster getting temporarily lost in an alternate, devastated version of Earth.)

Session five saw the team looking forward or inward – taking stock of the problems they had on their plate and making plans to deal with them.

It also saw their team coming to the attention of AEGIS, the SHIELD-esque organization of the Masks universe.

Issue 6

Issue 6 recording on YouTube

AP Report

One of the directives for a Masks GM is presenting adults as supportive but short-sighted; willing to help but always pushing their own vision and agenda on the teen heroes – help with strings attached. Okay.

Enter Agent Ted Waters (who’s probably going to be the most supportive, least strings-attached adult in the game – though that’s a low bar), an experienced AEGIS agent and the father-figure/handler for Link (whose actual father is super-villain Rossum the Minion Maker). Waters shows up at Quill Industries (the ‘sanctum’ for the team’s Doomed character) with paperwork in hand that will officially recognize the team by AEGIS… a move AEGIS hasn’t… umm…. actually sanctioned?

This paperwork is simple – it merely requires the team pick a name and an official leader. Easy, right?

The name had been under discussion via in-character posts on the forum, but we hadn’t brought it to the forefront yet. This was meant to facilitate that. They tell Ted the team will be the Menagerie and it gets the expected, bemused response from the older man (a good sign you’re on the right track in a teen-oriented game).

The ‘strings’ attached to this bit of help were more meta-level than an actual condition offered by Waters – the team had to pick a leader; a requirement I thought might generate some drama/angst/hand-wringing/reflection/et cetera.

It did all those things, so yay. 🙂

The team eventually settled on Jason Quill (the Doomed, played by Dave), a decision which the team treated with varying levels of seriousness. (Jason on one end of the panic-stricken-with-the-weighty-responsibility spectrum; speedster Mercury (Kay) providing the ‘whatever man paperwork is boring just write something in it doesn’t matter’ counterbalance.)

While Jason continued to process this development, Ghost Girl went and got herself in one kind of trouble (attacked by someone who saw her as a dangerous menace, starting both an arc and introducing her current Mundane-vs-Freak Hook), while Like found another (investigating a mutual friend’s disappearance and running afoul their supernatural kidnapper).

This development brought us to the end of the session with the team rushing to help GG, but split (“where the hell is Link?”), and under a leader (technically) who was still a bit in shock.

Issue 7: If the Graveyard Be My Destiny!

Issue 7 on YouTube

AP Report

(All credit to Dave for the comic-book-classic session titles.

This session was meant to introduce one of Ghost Girl’s issues and a sort-of nemesis; Ghostheart (one of the characters from the Masks Deck of Villains) whose main deal is obsessively keeping living people over THERE, and dead people over THERE, and NO TOUCHING NO TOUCHING NOT EVER.

Charlotte is all about connecting with people amongst both the living and dead (she’s playing the Outsider playbook, and filled with wonder at the modern world in which she now finds herself), so Ghostheart seemed almost a custom-written enemy for her.

Most of the session was a nighttime fight at GG’s home cemetery against Ghostheart and a couple of his summoned demonic henchthings – Rawhide and I-Didnt-Catch-the-Other-Guy’s-Name. After the fight (and some really stilted, useless, uncomfortable leadership, beautifully delivered by Dave), the heroes (reunited, since Link was tussling with Rawhide on his own, initially) tracked down and rescued the kidnappee “@powerpony” – an online-mutual of both Link and GG’s (PC-NPC-PC relationship triangles are good – need more of those).

Offscreen

The players conducted a couple Google-Doc-based scenes after this session, simply to get them done in satisfying fashion without taking up too much in-game time.

The first was Link talking with green-lantern/Blue-beetle-esque Concord about the details of the kid’s powers.

The second was between Link and Jason – an often tense but ultimately fruitful and relationship-building ‘discussion’ about what kind of leadership the team really needed (and what kind Jason could legitimately provide).

Both scenes were great, and the ‘offline’ RP option proved a good one, though we try not to use it too much, as it tends to move characters whose players have the mid-week bandwidth for such things further center stage, in a play environment (online, short sessions) where it already seems someone ends up drawing the Spotlight Short Straw every week.

Issue 8: Lo, There Shall Be an Evening of Character Interaction!

Issue 8 on YouTube

AP Report

As a means of exploring GG’s current Hook (her Mundane connections with others, versus the Freak nature of her powers), we also learned a bit more about why Ghostheart wanted GG out of public circulation – her interactions with the Living were creating some kind of ectoplasmic catnip that would inevitably attract a terrible entity known as Pandemonium to the material world.

The only way she could guarantee her living friends’ safety was stay away from them. Which sucks.

AEGIS rolled back into the picture much sooner than anyone expected, as the team called them back to take Ghostheart into custody. (The team opts NOT to go the morally-and logically-questionable route of the Flash CW show, with villains held without due process, inside a particle accelerator, and fed Big Belly Burgers on a… mostly daily schedule.)

The rest of the session involved the team either trying to help each other out with Comfort and Support-based roleplaying (with mixed but fascinating and sometimes hilarious results), or working through their own problems; Link’s robotic not-girlfriend Pneuma announced she was departing Halcyon for a bit to visit ‘someone’ in Japan, while Jason went down a digital rabbit hole, investigating how and why his nemesis Alycia Chin infiltrated Quill Compound as a lowly warehouse employee for a month.

Jason’s investigation led to a great scene where he uses his nanobots and latent genius to analyze Alycia Chin’s actions, and gets knocked cold in the process via some kind of latent … mental … something … Alycia left behind in the video recordings of her activities. Remote Memetic Programming, maybe? Image-gestalt boobytrap? That would be bad.

Issue 9: Sizzling Big Adult-Influence Issue!

The Beginning of the Day From Hell

Issue 9 on YouTube

AP Report

Morning! The second Weekday of the campaign, and time once again for all good heroes to… get to school.

(Assuming they aren’t a ghost from the civil war, or unconscious, of course.)

A while back, Concord’s player had started a discussion on the forum where we all talked about whether the Nova playbook was working for him, and we collectively came to the conclusion that the Janus playbook worked better. So we retconned it.

This session was the one where we started to get into that ‘dual identity’ drama a bit more, very literally in this case (because I am a ham-fisted hack) with Concord trying to help Link with an unconscious Jason (via an energy construct copy of himself) while simultaneously attending school in his ‘real’ body. He didn’t exactly balance this out well, and ended up being sent to the principal’s office when he confused his multiple mouths and remonstrated his English teacher for being a ‘walking deceit’ when he meant to be talking to the vision of Alycia Chin in Jason’s head.

I’d call this situation a solid B effort on my part. Maybe a B-. We get better at this in short order, though, so I’m not going to beat myself up too much.

Meanwhile, Mercury and Ghost Girl spent the morning reaching out to adults for advice and input, before Mercury had to get to school.

Harry’s dad-joking, eggplant-emoji-texting dad, Silver Streak.

This is always a fraught situation in Masks – going into a scene with an adult or adults in Masks carries an undercurrent of threat akin to an armed parley with A-level super-villains. Honestly I’ve never done as much broad-spectrum damage to the team with a bad guy as I have in scenes with their well-meaning mentors dispensing advice, constructive feedback, and (horror of horrors) heartfelt praise.

It didn’t really go better here, with both Harry’s dad and the retired ‘grail knight’ Armiger (Lucius, owner/operator of the Has Beans coffee shop, downtown) kicking in their two cents about Ghost Girl’s ongoing Ghostheart/Pandemonium problem, what they thought the kids should do about it (and, ultimately, who they thought the kids should be.) They got what they were after, but Ghost Girl at least wasn’t feeling great about it afterwards, which lead to some Condition-clearing reckless behavior later. (As it should.)

Issue 10: Halcyon High-Jinks (Hell Day, Part 2)

Issue 10 on Youtube

AP Report

Dave, Margie, and Katherine were all out of town, which left Jason recovering from his tussle with not-Alycia, Ghost Girl roaming the city doing reckless things without consulting the team, and Harry actually attending Gardner Academy (the private high school that tends to specialize in rich kids and publicly recognized supers).

Concord and Link, on the other hand, are on their way to HHS – Halcyon High South – part of the public school system, where they academically toil in relative anonymity.

Bill and Mike (and I) were excited to play around with that classic of teen superhero comics, the high school, so we had a good time with this. First order of business was to establish the normal day, and I had fun introducing some of the faculty, and went to the players to fill in NPCs (which gave us the wonderful Ms. “No!” Rodriguez, Leo’s lab partner.

I also introduced Taz, a new transfer and tech-nerd who seemed to either be a bit on the spectrum or way over-informed about Leo, or both. She showed up both in Leo’s chem class as well as at lunch with Leo and Adam, and was generally fun to play, freaked out the players a skosh, and has more going on that I’m looking forward to getting into.

With the norm established, it was time to get some Concord-grade villains on the stage, and that mean “galactic” villains. For this, I went back to the Deck of Villainy and pulled out The Farlander (who is just too weird looking and fun to play) and Sablestar who, by sheer coincidence in visual design, seemed to be … related to Concord and his powers in some way. There’s some vague hand-waving on her card about being a member of the Void Collective and something of a space-anarchist, but I already have an anarchist villain, so Sablestar and the VC became a kind of counter-(if not anti-)Concordance, in my head. We’ll see how that fleshes out over time.

So: a bit of fighting at the school with The Farlander, and the introduction of Sablestar, and as things get complicated we call it for the night, ready to bring in the rest of the team next session as things heat up.

That’s five of the ten sessions I wanted to cover, so I’ll stop here and do 11 to 15 in the next post. More soon!

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#masks #masks rpg #pbta #roll20 #randomaverage