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yhs-silly · 4 years

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Kneel

They were on their way home from school, Sam and Taurtis were just messing around and swinging off the lampposts, the usual. Grian seemed a little grumpier then usual, maybe he'd gotten a low grade on his test, he wouldn't say. But he was adamant that they had to get home as soon as possible, so when Sam and Taurtis started doing their checking both ways gag he was ready to snap.

He groaned and pushed them aside. "You guys are idiots! There are never any cars on this road!" He rolled his eyes and stormed into the middle of the road and stood there with his arms out, glaring at the duo. "See! There's nothing here! I'm perfectly sa-afe..."

He trailed off at the sound of a car horn, turning to face the speeding car, his face falling in horror.

Sam's hands tightened around Taurtis's arms, Taurtis hadn't even realised he'd moved to rush into the road. He just went still and just stared, with wide, tear filled eyes as the car came closer and closer.

Grian was right, there were never any cars on the road. It was very rare that a car came down the road, and if it did, it was usually at night- and always speeding. That was the unwritten rule; speed past the school zone, with luck you might hit one nof the crazy kids. The other towns around were never fond of the academi students, not used to such diversity, neurologically or otherwise.

Ironically, it was most likely the least mad of the students being hit, all the others looking on, glad it wasn't them. The acidemi students were never known for their empathy, only a few students really cared for the Brit. Those that did care already had tears welling in their eyes at the sound of flesh against metal and the grinding of the breaks as the car came to a halt.

The guy driving the car didn't even get out, he just sat there in a state of shock as Taurtis and Sam raced over to Grians side. Taurtis had tears spilling freely down his cheeks and even Sam was panicking, Sam gently lifted Grian off of the floor and checked his vitals. He was still alive, but struggling.

Okami had seen the whole thing go down and had called and ambulance as soon as she'd heard the car, it didn't take long for it to turn him. Sam threatened the emergency response team to let him and Taurtis ride with Grian in the back.

They were so worried, Taurtis had begun sobbing uncontrollably, this was just like before, just like with...

Salex.

Why did everyone he love have to die? Why was it always a car? He pauses, did he love Grian? As a friend of course, he's one of his best friends... he's still hung up on Salex...he hoped and prayed beyond his belief that Grian would not follow her. He couldn't loose someone else so close to him, he wouldn't know what to do.

Sam wasn't as affected but he was still terrified of loosing Grian, he'd never really dealt with a death close to him since his mother passed. He watched as Taurtis fell to his knees, sobbing. He felt so awful, if it wasn't for his and taurtis's insisting that the road wasn't safe, then Grian would be safe. For once Sam didn't feel pleased with being proved right, he wished he was wrong. For once he wished it had been Grian who was right, he could just see Grian's triumphant smirk, the sparkle in his eyes at the idea of being right.

Sam had noticed how much Grian reacted to a little bit of positive reinforcement, he'd used it to get his way before, but now all he wanted to do was tell Grian just how highly Sam valued him. Grian deserved to glow like he always did when praised, Sam was just scared he'd never get the chance.

After a while Grian got better, he still hasn't spoken but the doctors had said he was free to leave. One their way home, Sam and Taurtis had done nothing but pamper and adore him. It was the least they could do for him, but something was off with Grian, his behaviour wasn't normal.

Taurtis was worried about him, he hadn't said a word to either of them since he'd gotten out of the hospital. Sam wasn't as worried, but it was clear he was concerned by how little he'd been mocking Grian lately. But neither of them seemed to be getting through to him.

He's been taking naps lately, it was almost all he did. He never did any of his work and Okami was on the brink of pulling him aside for a quiet word. Everyone was growing increasingly worried about him, they figured he had gained some sort of brain damage.

This all culminated in that one night, Taurtis had stayed up late gaming. Sam was asleep and Grian was probably also sleeping, or so Taurtis thought. He'd turned his head at the sound of footsteps to see Grian standing there, clutching the mop like a staff. He glared intently at Taurtis, a strange fire behind his eyes that made Taurtis shudder.

"Taurtis." Grian's voice was rougher, darker then his usually was. Even his posture seemed heavier, he held himself in a higher sense of pride and power then the anxious, drawn back Grian that Taurtis knew and loved. "Remove yourself from the magic mirror, I require your counsel."

Taurtis was slightly confused, but he'd played enough fantasy games to understand what Grian meant. He switched the tv and game crab off, concerned as to how Grian seemed.to have forgotten what a tv was. He shifted to the side and patted the sofa next to him, with a gentle smile. "Ok Grian, what do you need buddy." He was really happy that Grian was finally speaking again, although those subtle changes did worry him.

Grian didn't sit down however, he continued to stand and just stare at Taurtis expectantly. "Well?" He began to tap his foot. "Stand."

Taurtis was surprised but did so without thinking, watching in confusion as Grian nodded in approval and moved to take his seat. Grians posture while sitting was also more confident Taurtis noticed, how hadn't he noticed before? He goes to sit down but Grian raises his hand to stop him.

"No, kneel." Grian spoke with a command, more adept at control then Sam. But Taurtis wasn't just going to obey, he just frowned at Grian in concern. Then his eyes widened at Grian put the mop to his shoulder and forced him down, Taurtis would've been impressed by Grian's control on the mop if he wasn't currently being forced onto his knees. He stares up at Grian in concern as the blonde nods in approval.

"Grian..? What the hell..?"

Grian raised his eyebrows a little at that, smiling gentle. "Oh? Is something the matter Taurtis? I must admit, I am also a little thrown off by our predicament but it is alright, you have your king to guide you."

Taurtis frowned deeply, king? Grian wasn't a king? He now had concerns about Grian's sanity, he had to play this carefully. He just quietly nods, smiling up at him gently. "No, nothings the matter Grian. You said you wanted to talk about something?"

Grian smiled back and nodded. "Ah yes, it was actually about this predicament... I'm unsure as to what happened but these clothes aren't mine? And I've never seen such powerful magic then there is here, it rivals even the likes of me... that's another thing. I've found myself unable to perform spells recently, I attempted to harness the power of this strange looking staff but it doesn't seem to like me."

Taurtis just nodded. "Alright...well what do you want to do?"

"I wish to return home, is that not obvious?" Grian scoffed. "My kingdom needs their king."

Taurtis nods and slowly and cautiously gets to his feet. "Okay...so I think the best thing to do right now is go back to bed and figure out what to do in the morning."

Grian nods and stands. "That does seem like the ideal plan, I trust you to gaurd my chambers?"

Taurtis just nodded in response, watching Grian head back upstairs. His knees where shaking, he sat on the sofa, feeling horrible.

Tears bunched in his eyes as he thought about how his poor sweet friend had completely lost his mind, Grian was supposed to be the responsible one! Now he seemed to believe he was some magical fantasy king... Poor guy was always a nerd, Taurtis figured that he must've latched on to a favourite fantasy story as a coping mechanism after the accident.

He felt so bad for poor Grian, he didn't ask for this, the poor guy didn't even understand what was going on. He felt the hot tears run down his face and looked down at his shaking hands, he realised that he had to tell Sam, he had to.

He slowly got to his feet and crept upstairs silently, knocking gently on Sam's door. "Sam? Sam wake up."

Sam eventually came to the door, looking sleepy. "Taurtis..? What's wrong?" He was surprised to see how worried Taurtis looked, he instantly also began to get worried.

"It's Grian." Taurtis spoke quietly, as if he was afraid of disturbing said blonde. He speaks slowly and carefully. "He's gone mad...he thinks he's some sort of wizard king..." He sniffles and wipes some tears away. "I'm just so worried about him..."

Sam felt his heart pang, he didn't know this feeling, it was almost guilt, almost responsibility, but it was neither- and it certainly wasn't pity, Sam knew what it was like to be the mad one. Only thing is, Sam was never really mad, just not normal. He nodded slowly, brain working harder then it ever did before at this time of night, heart hammering in his chest just like that day. "Alright...so what do we do?"

They made eye contact, the best thing to do would be to call the authorities, tell a teacher, get him to the hospital, to do something. But they both knew they couldn't do that, they didn't have the heart. Taurtis slowly began to speak. "Well...his delusions aren't tha-"

Sam put his hand up to stop him. "No, we can't go along with his delusions, that wouldn't be fair on him." He sighs and hums in thought "Is there really anything we can do..? I think he might be fucked."

"Don't say that!" Taurtis squeaked, quickly lowering his volume quickly. "We have to do something, we can't just leave him to his delusions." He was getting choked up again, Grian might not have died, but Taurtis still felt that he'd lost him.

They barely slept that night, simply discussing what they could do. They didn't really come up with anything that hadn't been said before, but eventually they decided they'd treat his delusions like how a parent treats a child's fantasies, playing along to a certain point.

And so they did, they managed this for around a week, but unfortunately people began to notice that Grian was behaving strangely. Eventually, Okami pulled the trio aside to talk to them.

Sam was glancing around and making sure there were exits, Taurtis was wringing his hands and glancing at Grian every five seconds. Grian himself had his arms crossed and was glaring daggers at Okami for being so rude.

Okami sighed softly and smiles at the boys. "Now, I'm sure you know what's going on. But none of us do, so could you please explain why Grian is behaving like that."

Grian scoffed and begun to speak, before Taurtis gently shut him down and spoke instead. "We're sorry Sensei, he's just a little banged up from the accident still..." He shrugs and smiles awkwardly.

Sam glances at him nervously, Okami frowns and then Grian speaks up. "What accident? I am not 'banged' up? Taurtis what are you talking about?"

There are gasps from both boys as Taurtis glances at grian nervously and Sam quietly hisses. "Grian, shh!"

Grian glares. "Don't you tell me to shh!" He stomps up to Sam and gets real close, getting up on his tippy toes trying to look intimidating.

Okami sighs and looked concerned. "Grian, sweetie, what do you mean 'what incident?'? Do you not remember what happened?"

Grian looked at her in confusion, his face a mixture of confusion and annoyance. He goes to speak when Taurtis steps in and clears his throat.

"Sensei? We're so sorry for trying to hide this...but he's gone mad."

"I am not mad! How dare you!"

Okami pauses and looks at Grian, seemingly looking for something, but whatever she was looking for, she didn't find it. She sighed and gently put her hand on Grian's shoulder. "Grian, sweetie? Can you calm down for me? Try and explain what you think is going on."

Grian began to speak, about a magical kingdom he rules over and how Sam and Taurtis were loyal to him. Okami turned to the boys and mouthed at them to go and fetch Rowan.

Taurtis's heart was hammering in his chest, that was so impulsive of him, but at least Grian was going to get the help he needs. He looks at Sam, seeing the obvious pain his friend was trying to hide, he sighed. He never expected to have to be the normal one, it was too much pressure for him. But if that was what it took to keep his best friends safe and happy, then that's what he would be.

It was Taurtis who explained the situation to Rowan.

It was Taurtis who comforted Sam as Grian was taken away.

It was Taurtis who knelt besides the bed that night, and for the first time in all his life.

Taurtis prayed.

#yhs #yhs grian #yhs sam #yhs taurtis #yhs okami #yhs rowan

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pangtasias-atelier · 4 years

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7 Contracts

Warning: This story contains fetish content, specifically male weight gain.

So I've been playing Ob/ey M/e! recently and I love the cast. Even if the game is pretty standard oto/me fare.

Did not feel like describing 7 characters appearance, especially since this was a sour of the moment thing that I'm not sure if I'll continue so here's an an image of what they look like lol.

Left to Right

Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan, Satan, Asmodeus, Beezlebub, Belphegor.

Wg is kinda just there but not much. This was more of a silly thing

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"So, any plans on fixing this?" Satan grabs his stomach, the fresh layer of pudge slotting itself in between his hands, and shakes it. "Cause last I checked, and last you checked, and last everyone else checked, that human had no ability to take advantage of our pacts," Satan vehemently spits out the last word, teeth clenching. He stares at Lucifer who merely continues to sit at his desk.

Lucifer puts his pen down, the metal utensil clacking against the wood. "I don't know how to fix this, Satan," Lucifer impassively stares back at Satan, his shoulders sagging. Lucifer puts up his hand as Satan goes to speak. "And no, I will not go to Lord Diavolo concerning this matter. Drop the issue," Lucifer the eldest and strongest, Satan bites his cheek.

"Doesn't matter if you go to Diavolo!" A new voice sounding through, Asmodeus cheerfully walks inside. Smiling, his skimpy crop top shows the noticeable bulge of his stomach, his booty shorts rising up on his ass. "The dumb human is too busy with stupid Mammon," Asmodeus puffs out his cheeks. "So I decided to see what other interesting things were happening,"

Lucifer stands up, glaring down at Asmodeus; Satan moves to the side, no longer in the way of a sudden tackle or blast of energy. "Asmodeus, explain. And quickly please,"

"Well, Diavolo made you make a pact with the human in exchange for forgetting about the whole matter of treason," Satan's eyes widen from Asmodeus' words.

"Of course, Lord Diavolo was kind enough to lighten-"

"Diavolo can discern the truth. He knew this was going to happen," Satan holds his head with his hand, staring at the floor.

"Lord Diavolo would never do such a thing!" Lucifer shouts, eyes on Satan now.

"I guess you're right," Asmodeus shrugs. "But!" He puts up a sausage finger. "We'll never know unless we ask Di-"

Satan preemptively turns around, barely flinching when he hears the crunch of the wall.

Lucifer holding Asmodeus' wrists, he pins him to the wall, a sizeable portion dented. "You are expressly forbidden to do such a thing," Asmodeus grins up at Lucifer. "Am I clear, Asmodeus,"

"Clearer than a sunny day!" Lucifer lets go of Asmodeus. "I'm sure we're all fine without any help, none of us are complaining~," Asmodeus winks at them.

"I've been complaining!" Satan denies.

"You only started once the human got bored with you," Asmodeus only slightly weaker than Satan, he dodged out of the punch thrown his way. "That's the way the cookie crumbles, sadly," Asmodeus frowns, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Us three don't exactly personify the best trait for what the human is doing to us," Asmodeus sighs as he rests his hand on his cheek, his other hand on his gut.

"Lucifer is pride, so it's no wonder he's still as slim as ever," Asmodeus ignores the spike of energy that surges behind him from Lucifer's glare. "You're wrath; which isn't bad but it's not good. But me! I'm lust! The human should be putty in my hands. It's not fair," Lamenting his cruel fate, Asmodeus melodramatically puts his arm to his forehead. Asmodeus turns from a hand placed on his shoulder

"Asmodeus, get out of my room," Lucifer commands, irritated. "Satan, you as well,"

"He's probably mad cause I pointed out how little time the human has spent with him," Asmodeus 'whispers' to Satan, Asmodeus barely bothering to lower his voice.

"He did form a pact last," Satan retorts back, the two grinning as they scamper out of Lucifer's room.

The door slammed shut behind them, the two look at each other.

"Well, I'm going back to the human!" Asmodeus announces, about to scamper off again before Satan grabs him by the wrist.

"I'm going too," Satan looks the other way, blushing. "And shut up, so what if I was jealous? So is everyone else in this damn house,"

"Glad you could finally admit it," Asmodeus gloats before rushing off.

Satan growls. Childish behavior expected of Asmodeus, he can't really share in his idiotic antics. Letting Asmodeus reach the human first, he follows him.

The human unaware of the two approaching demons, he simply keeps feeding Mammon.

Currently lying down, Mammon rests his head on the human's lap with his eyes closed. Gargantuan gut rising far above him, it spreads out far, his shirt too small to contain it. His pants busted at the seams, bits of his boxers are visible, Mammon's fatty thighs seeping through the tears.

Mammon lazily lifts up an arm, the effort taxing at his size, and pats his stomach. "It's great to see you appreciate how wonderful I am!" Mammon gloats, the occurrence often now. "The handsomest, smartest, intelligentest of us, I, the great Mammon," Leaving his mouth open, he closes it as the human lowers the grape vine.

"Boooring," Popping through the open door, Asmodeus frowns at the sight.

"I was thinking pathetic," Satan adds, snickering. "Stupid Mammon doesn't even know it's most handsome and most intelligent,"

"Hey!" Flailing, Mammon struggles to bring himself up, out of breath. His gut wobbles in the air as he remains stuck on his back like a turtle. "A little help here," He whimpers, lightly sweating.

Satan and Asmodeus ignore Mammon; instead, they keep their attention focused on the human who smiles at Mammon.

"You, you gotta be stronger than that!" The human's hands holding Mammon's he tugs to help him up. Mammon's gut in the way, he gives up. "Too tired, I need more food," He whines.

"Talking about nothing but food is Beezlebub's shtick," Satan rolls his eyes at Mammon's helpless state.

"He is the demon of greed; guess he went from being greedy for money to being greedy for food," Asmodeus giggles, hand brought to his lips. Walking up to Mammon, Asmodeus leans on him, digging his elbows into his stomach. "Good thing you're so dumb and left yourself helpless, cause we're taking the human for ourselves,"

"Get off of me!" Mammon continues flailing. "And like hell you will!"

"We will," Satan smiles, placing a hand on the human.

"It's supposed to be my turn," Waddling through, Leviathan struggles with the doorway, his hips getting themselves stuck. "And if you take away my turn…" Leviathan bares his teeth at them, shaking as he clenches his fists. Breaking himself free, he stands right in front of the door, blocking their means of escape. Obese, his body is pear shaped, his thighs clashing against each other as his bell shaped stomach sags halfway to his knees. In lounge-wear, his sweatpants cling to and accentuate his wide hips; his sweatshirt rests somewhat loosely on his body.

"Now Levi, just cause you're the demon of envy," Asmodeus backs away, hands up. "There's no need to be upset, besides, it was all Satan's idea!" Asmodeus hides behind Mammon.

"Hey! I'm not some inanimate object to do whatever you want!"

"Unless it's the human," Satan quips, smiling as Mammon gets red.

"He should be happy that I even offer to spend time with him, if-"

"Shut up!" Angered from hearing them talk about the human, Leviathan takes a step forward.

Satan pushes the human to Leviathan, hiding behind Mammon as well.

"What are-" Mammon ends up silenced as Satan and Asmodeus roll him over and help him stand up.

"You're stronger than Leviathan, so do something about him!" Asmodeus pushes Mammon, Mammon not even budging.

Leviathan meanwhile happily smiles at the human, his prize obtained. "I hope those brutes didn't dirty you in any way. I'd be no worse than stupid Mammon if they did,"

"That's not possible," Satan and Asmodeus reply, Leviathan agreeing.

"Do you want me to help or not?" Mammon sighing, he rests his hands on his knees. "I think I need to lie down…"

Asmodeus and Satan busy making sure Mammon doesn't quit on them, Leviathan ignores them.

"Let's go, you owe me a handmade bento just like in episode 7 of-" Leviathan bumped into, he glares behind him, tugging the human closer to himself.

"You're all too loud," Belphegor yawns, his doughy arms sagging as he lazily lifts them. Fat, he moobs bounce as he makes his way to Mammon's bed and lies down on it. Simply wearing boxers, modesty unimportant, his nearly nude body jiggles as he makes himself comfortable.

"The human is here, where's the food?" Beezlebub shows up after Belphegor, munching on pizza. Beezlebub's metabolism working against him, he remains chunky, his paunch of a stomach resting snugly in his shirt.

"Great, like we really needed sloth and gluttony here," Asmodeus murmurs to himself, talking about Belphegor and Beezlebub respectively.

"Too many people here…" Leviathan groans, clenching his teeth.

Everyone chiming in with their own complaints, the room ends up in chaos. No one paying attention, none of them notice the human chanting under his breath.

A black puff of smoke appearing catches all six of their attention. Lucifer summoned, he scoffs at seeing all of them.

"Are you all so pathetic that I need to fix your mistakes?" Lucifer grinds his teeth as their whining continues. "If you intend to act like children, then like children I'll treat you," Lucifer shouts, his voice booming throughout the room.

Everyone now quiet, they wait for him to speak.

"Everyone will get one day of the week with the human," He stomps his foot as the volume picks up. "No complaints,"

"And to end you're bickering for today, the human shall accompany me for tonight," Poofing away, Lucifer takes the human with him.

The two now alone, Lucifer lets go of them. "Don't believe that I'll prostrate myself before you like the rest of them," Heading back to his desk, paperwork from Lord Diavolo more important, Lucifer ignores the human as they leave.

Too focused on paperwork, it feels as if the human returns in mere seconds, a platter of decadent sweets in their hand.

Lucifer eyes them as they leave the platter on Lucifer's desk before leaving. Checking them for magic, he finds nothing. Sniffing a muffin, he glances to make sure no one else is in the room. Taking a small bite, he closes his eyes as the sweet chocolate melts in his mouth. Nibbling the rest of it as he continues his work, the platter ends up empty far too soon.

The day already near its end, having to wait a week to try more of the human's food sounds like an ordeal.

#my writing #male weight gain #fat fiction #fat story

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skriaki · 4 years

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TOP 10 NINTENDO SWITCH GAMES 2019 - my arbitrary list!

Sometimes it's good to be proven wrong. I was pretty sceptical when the Switch was first announced, as it didn't seem too different from the Wii U's gamepad. Then I spent two years watching Nintendo enjoy a complete reversal of fortune, to the point of potentially amassing a more compelling library than Sony's or Microsoft's consoles. So that's how I quite suddenly found myself buying a Switch in October 2019, after having resisted the PS4 and Xbone for five whole years, and my free time has since been dominated by this little machine that defied the odds.

Some of Nintendo's business decisions can still seem inexplicable, but releasing a powerful handheld console that can also be docked with a TV at a moment's notice has proved to be an inspired idea, rather than the gimmick the Wii U's gamepad mostly turned out to be. And along with Nintendo's dependable series of top-notch exclusives, the Switch has enjoyed much better third-party support, which is how I ended up buying Dark Souls for the fourth bloody time just because the option to play it portably was too tempting to resist.

The Switch is the first console I've bought since the PS3 and for all Nintendo's quirks, there's a reason the Switch has dominated Christmas wishlists for three years running. Games like Super Mario Odyssey feel like full-size adventures that just happen to have a portable option, as opposed to handheld games you can also play on the big screen. This is the first year in a long while that I've actually played enough topical titles to justify a "games of the year" list, even if my recent Nintendo bias is pretty blatant.

So with that caveat in mind, and in no particular order, here's my entirely subjective list of the best Nintendo Switch games of 2019.

Luigi's Mansion 3

This is a franchise I'd always been curious about and can finally have an opinion on. The process of going from floor to floor of the hotel hoovering up ghosts and solving puzzles is pretty straightforward, but Luigi's Mansion 3 has so much polish and personality crammed into the cartridge. Luigi is immediately lovable as a determined coward, and each level has a wildly different theme that's realised with extravagant audio and visual flair, so progress always feels rewarding. Though this isn't true horror by any means, there can be an unsettling atmosphere and some of the bosses are pretty freaky. I officially love this oddball franchise and am desperate for a chance to play the story again in co-op. Unquestionably a first-class exclusive.

Doom (Switch port)

Not to be confused with the impressive Switch version of Doom 2016, this is the iconic Doom made cheap and accessible. While purists may take issue with some minor technical deviations, this is the first time I've got most of the way through Doom because the portability and *glorious* true dual-stick control makes this easily my favourite version. There's even a cheat menu for when I just want to mindlessly punch hell beasts. The main thing that ages Doom is its maze-like structure, but playing it casually experience alleviates that frustration somewhat. At a grand total of four pounds, this is a BFB (big fucking bargain).

Untitled Goose Game

You know a game is good when the only asterisk I put on my recommendation is that it *may* be overpriced. Untitled Goose Game took the internet by storm this year because it's the quintessential indie game: cute, simple and with anti-authoritarian undertones. As a horrible goose, it's your mission to cause havoc in an unsuspecting English village, interacting with people and objects to cause chain reactions of chaos. Some of the puzzle solutions are maybe a bit obscure, but 90% of the time just messing around with everything in the area will lead to a solution. Untitled Goose Game makes up for its brevity with sheer comedic charm, feeling much better-designed than a "lul so random" affair like Goat Simulator. A honking good time.

Terraria (Switch port)

I have spent literally hundreds of hours on the PC version of Terraria, so when I was broke after buying my Switch the new Terraria port was an obvious cost-effective choice. While the controls aren't as precise, the amount of time spent mining and sorting through loot makes this a great handheld experience. I can't comment on the multiplayer options but few games represent such a sheer value for money, as there's always a new cave to explore or a new boss to overcome. Time has been kind to this 2011 classic, grind notwithstanding.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

While I personally enjoyed the original Yooka-Laylee, it was definitely flawed and I never seriously expected to see a sequel. But Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair launched quite abruptly and did a pretty spectacular job of upstaging its predecessor. All the previous game's half-baked feel has been replaced with clever design touches, like the equippable tonics which grant helpful abilities at the cost of a currency penalty. The titular Lair is actually the final level and available to throw yourself at right from the beginning, but beating it without first obtaining more hitpoints by completing other stages is incredibly hard, which is a great way to incentivize progress without denying more confident players the option of beating the game earlier if they can meet the challenge. Impossible Lair might be this year's biggest surprise, and despite a modest budget I think it's worthy of comparison to excellent 2D platformers like Rayman Legends. Just don't expect to defeat Capital B on your first attempt.

A Hat In Time (Switch port)

I recently reviewed A Hat In Time but at the risk of repeating myself, it's one of the most charming games of the last few years and an incredibly impressive crowdfunded achievement. Mario's offerings may be a grander technical feat, but A Hat In Time is a fast and fabulous journey through a series of weird and wonderful worlds that all feel distinct in content and tone. It's very openly inspired by GameCube-era platformers like Mario Sunshine and Psychonauts and it easily scratches that itch. Simply one of the best original platformers of this generation, and I defy you not to love Hat Kid's cheeky antics.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Switch port)

As someone who thinks the original Spyro trilogy holds up better than most early 3D games, I'd have actually preferred a simple port rather than a full remake, but The Reignited Trilogy is honestly impeccable. The updated visuals are gorgeous while maintaining the general style of those old, jaggy models, and very little of the gameplay or content has changed except for sensible updates like the ability to immediately warp between every level you've visited. Having full dual-analogue control is also an absolute godsend even for a PS1 veteran like me. Though Spyro may seem a bit basic these days when faced with modern platformer marvels, the Reignited Trilogy makes these old favourites accessible again at a generous price point.

Ring Fit Adventure

Yes, I have a Wii kicking around in a box somewhere. No, Wii Fit never held my attention as anything more than a curiosity. Ring Fit Adventure, meanwhile, is limited only by my cholesterol-encrusted heart and dislike of excessive showering. This is an honest-to-goodness attempt at making an RPG out of a workout toy, and the amount of polish put into the game's presentation and hardware implementation is pretty remarkable. Levels involve jogging on the spot and squeezing the ring accessory to collect goodies and overcome obstacles, and periodically you'll engage in turn-based combat where you use a custom selection of exercise moves to deal damage. It's a fantastic idea pulled off much more elegantly than it sounds. The ring accessory unfortunately makes this quite an expensive game, so it'll take a lot of regular use to get your money's worth, but I can honestly (and surprisingly) say that exercise suddenly becomes more compelling when it's presented as a light RPG adventure with anthropomorphic gym equipment encouraging you to take breaks and drink plenty of water.

Pokémon Sword/Shield

Disclaimer: I can only give my impressions from 25 hours of playing Pokémon Shield, so this is DEFINITELY not a full review. That being said, this is still an easy recommendation to existing Pokemaniacs and a good starting point for any new acolytes. While the core formula hasn't evolved (har har) much since the very first Pokemon, Sword and Shield still has a number of modern quality of life improvements that make previous generations show their age. I've had so much fun building a core crew of cute and/or badass 'mons in a weird Nintendo version of Britain, and the online features combine with a VASTLY improved random encounter system to make grinding far less of a concern. The wild area takes some getting used to, but it's satisfying to come back and capture the huge Onyx you had to run away from a few hours before. Even if Pokémon Sword/Shield has some technical blemishes and could have pushed the series further in some regards, it's still easy to see why this franchise has maintained such a beloved status for so long.

Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-mars-tered (Switch port)

Along with Dark Souls, Red Faction was a game I never even knew I needed on the go, but now I've got it I can't imagine ever going back. A cult classic due to its amazing destruction physics, Red Faction sees you leading a proletariat revolution on Mars, literally tearing down corporate monuments to free the working class from systematic oppression. The open world is a bit claustrophobic and the shooting isn't exactly mind-blowing, but there's a reason I've beaten Red Faction every couple of years ever since its original 2009 release. The Switch port does the game justice and if you set the difficulty to easy then this is one of the best rage-venting experiences money can buy. So yes, I recommend getting your ass to Mars.

#gaming #nintendo #goty #2019 #switch #nintendo Switch #game review #review

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queenie435 · 5 years

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Saturday,

I woke up early and without a word to the vampire I left the house. I was heading to a close friends home of mine. He invited me to stay for the rest of the weekend after hearing about my difficult evening the previous night.

Something heavy on my shoulders it seened, I reluctantly made the hour drive. More than anything I wanted to be a hermit that day. Lay around and wallow in my self pity. Allow some rebuttal maybe. If anything though, I've learned to keep moving on those days. Fight back..

Within a half hour on the road I was already feeling somewhat better. Energy returning where I thought was none.

We planned for a hike that afternoon and I dropped my son off at Grandpas before we started.

The woods as always were beautiful. Suprisingly warm. Sunshine swept through the ravines. Looking up, smiling as it Twinkled through the tree branches at us. Signs of spring were popping up all around us as we pushed into the forest.

I love nature. I pray each time I go that she still loves me.

In certain spots we'd sit quietly for long periods of time. I loved it that my friend refrained from asking me anything more than if I was thirsty from time to time.

We just walked, walked about for most of the afternoon.

Along the way He showed me a couple new crystals he had recently picked up. One stuck out to me. It was a beautiful piece, A crystal quartz tower. Almost flawless but a few small clouds in the center.

I held onto it for most of the hike.

As we grounded, Gaia revealed some extra gifts to us that afternoon. Some Dryad saddles, ramps and fiddle heads that paired nicely with our grilled chicken that evening for dinner.

His wife went to bed early and we quietly talked in his sun room/fireplace room for a long while. One white candle dimly lit the room between us.

As we talked, I couldnt help but notice the return of that heavy unsettling feeling. To the pit of my chest. Uneasy, unsettled, energy stuck. Then flash memories of the verbal argument the night before with my girlfriend would sneak up like a cold knife in the side. I'd wince at the pain.

I was so sharp and hurtful with my tongue. We've been together for years. I've never spoken that way ti her.

Dissapointed in myself for losing my control. The control I kept so well, so fortified I thought for years now. A strength I took pride in. To prideful in my strengths I thought... Always a harsh lesson.

As the pressure built, I lost track of my friends conversation. He tends to enjoy himself talking anyways.

I needed to take a trip inside to investigate what it was that was crushing me so harshly. Grinding away at one side of my skull slowly it felt. Depositing negative thoughts and feelings. Sapping my energy.

As I attempted to feel for what it was, take time to let it kill me if it needed to. I naturally reached into my pocket for a crystal to hold. To help me work.

My left hand felt around, I was happy for that moment to remember the quartz tower my friend let me hold for the hike.

Now, as I raised it to the candle light. Tower pointing up, I let the candle light dance to me through the flat sides. I found a side that gave me goosebumps

as I gazed. A bliss washed over me almost instantly.

Through the clarity of the quartz, slowly appearing, etheric golden wheels like cogs started forming inside. Like if you were opening up and peering into the innards of the swiss watchmakers finest watch. I was amazed! My mind was clear again! So clear, so blissful.

Surprised, I broke my concentration. Put the crystal back into my lap and slowly the bliss faded. My friend still talking quietly to himself stopped mid-sentence.

He asked me "Wtf was that?? I asked him to explain, what??.

I knew He felt the bliss too. But wanted to hear him say it.

He said he's never felt so good.

I asked him to watch quietly.

I repeated the crystal gaze.

The golden gears started to appear again.

Bliss washed over us both. This time, I sat for over an hour transfixed on the beauty revealing itself to me through the crystal. The crystaline shield around us now slowly increasing in size. My friend, I didn't realize at first, but He started channeling to me with his eyes closed. Telling me the size and design of the shield from a birds eye view. The architecture was crystalline mixed with Roman/Greek esque pillars. I saw it inside the crystal, he saw it around us. Beautiful he kept saying, try to push it larger.

After some time passed, my energy increasing with the strength of the shield. He told me that there were shadow entities trying to peer in from just beyond the shield. Slender men he described them. Tall, they'd stretch taller and taller to peer in. He knew they couldn't get in, nor see us clearly. They would slink down and are circling us he would say amused.

I broke concentration to take a peak out into the backyard. A tall shadow went zipping across the back deck, very quickly, went about 50 ft and dissapears through the back wall of the garage. Things inside the garage actuallycrashed loud enough to wake his two dogs. They ran growling at the garage door. Barked a few times. then rushed in to see check on us, Hair on their backs raised high.

He looked to me with eyes of amazement.

I went back into shield gaze.

Best to not think too much I've learned.

I must have held the shield up for another two hours, effortlessly really. My pleasure. My friend and I enjoyed the bliss. The clear mind, the NOW. I love it so, and get tastes of it not nearly enough. I Long for it as I get dragged back down. Sometimes pondering on if I made mistakes. If I'd ever get there again.

In it, I know diffrent. Someday I'll be fully 5d. We all will.

I had to use the restroom, so told friend I was breaking concentration.

As I spoke, I moved from my statue state.

3 aura green fairies flew off my head. Like little tiny butterflies dissapearing off into the room.

Purple, gold, pink pixel dust trailed behind them. I asked him if he saw, he slowly nodded and eyes wide told me at that moment I had huge whisps of green aura flowing under each eye. Like wings on my cheek bones. Said I was a wizard! Lol, I laughed. I wish it to be true someday I thought.

My friend wanted to go have a smoke in the garage.

I thought it not the wisest plan, But, I try to remind myself I'm not dead yet for some damn reason!

As we were getting up, and don't ask me why, but I pointed the tip of the crystal tower at the candle flame. The candle flame, It was incased in glass.

We both watched in amazment as the flame seemed to be getting sliced by some sort of energy flowing like a laser beam through the crystal point.

It was turning the flame red and then blue and even green! Very pronounced slicing through the candle flame. Making the candle flicker hard! Almost extinguished the flame at times. Amazing! Boggled our minds!

We forgot about everything else, heading out to smoke, we laughed while trying with the English words that seem to ever fail me, as to what we just saw.

Naturally it's gotten easier to press into our ever expanding box of beliefs. But somedays.. Wow!

Making it now into the garage, my friend points to a dark corner.

He says "it's there."

I look and sure enough the shadows, they are moving, dripping black darkness.

Poor attempt at hiding I thought.

It's no fear or lose big in these games I remind myself. So I bow my head briefly to it. My friend says hello to it. And we smoke.

It was sitting there, so I lit a Nag champa incense that was half burned.

I clutched a black tourmaline in my pocket.

The cigarette seemed to be taking to long. I felt the urge to get back to the comfort of the candle room.

I walked back towards the door to inside, then thought it bad form to leave my friend mid smoke. As I turned back around.

My friend seemed dazed. I asked him calmly to follow me inside. Though, by the look in his eyes, I knew He wasn't the friend I walked out here with.

I asked him again calmly, "lets head inside Dan, feel the safety of the crystals again."

"It's cozy in there, no?"

He's staring off now, then he says in a weird voice.

"Hold on, I'm just getting acquainted with this body. It feels realllly niccce. *laughs creepily*

but not really creepy, he felt gentle to me. He seemed sincere. Idk how to explain it. He looked like he was trying to figure out how to operate the body for the first time. He was impressed with it. He wanted to stay in the garage.

So I toyed with him on the light switch. Little bursts of light and periods of darkness while telling him to follow my voice to safety. He was laughing enjoying the light show. He listened to me finally. He Put the incense out and followed me back to the fireplace room. I had him sit close to me. I pulled back out the tower and went back into the shield gaze. It's notable that The shield went up so powerfully this time I could actually see it clear as day. Refracting the candle light . prism the light into colors. Immediately I was relieved, and he snapped out of it.

I didn't tell him what happened in the garage.

I held the shield until mornings light. When the beautiful sunshine came at last it felt like I could rest..

I've kept a close eye on my friend. He seems fine. He said he's felt the best since our interesting night.

Interesting night indeed.

#witchcraft #wicca #wiccan #witch #pagan wicca #pagan #vampires #pagan beliefs #paganism #pagan witch #celtic wiccan #dreams

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mikemightwritesometimes · 4 years

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DAUGHTERS - HELL SONGS

"Love is a disgusting thing."

As of more recently, I've been re-connecting with the side of me that once was heavily enamored with thrashing and pulverising - at least in musical form. Last year I re-discovered and realized my absolute infatuation with The Blood Brothers, and I'm sure I'll end up writing about them at some point. The Blood Brothers opened my eyes to a forgotten pre-conceived notion that I once shed, gained back, and shed again - not everything labeled "screamo" or with a "-core" at the end of the genre descriptor is inherently inferior to other forms of heavy music. Quite the contrary, actually. Digging deeper into similar bands since then, I fell in love with everything Orchid has ever done and more recently came around to having some real pleasant body spasms while listening to Jeromes Dream. These three bands made me identify what I love so much about this early brand of """"screamo,"""" namely the menacingly gruesome demeanor and the visceral speed bands can take the style - leading to absolutely euphoric highs.

Bands such as Orchid, Jeromes Dream, and Swing Kids planted the seed for future bands to further twist and mangle the way hyper-speed, ear-shredding goodness is made - and bands like The Blood Brothers, The Locust, (and unknowingly to me for a while) Daughters, carried that torch into the new millennium. All three of the progenitors listed focused on raw power but with an easily perceivable subtext of wit, humor, and unique musical ideas. The successors took that pass from the top of the key and fucking slammed it NBA Jam-style into the future. An alley-oop of strange musical wonders.

When it comes to Daughters, I had never really heard anything by them outside of their incredibly acclaimed 2018 comeback "You Won't Get What You Want," a sublime record - albeit one that I've never really sat down and experienced as a whole. The single "Satan in the Wait" piqued my interest while the closer "Guest House" is really what widened my eyes to the band's sound. It's a fantastic track which beats the shit out of you from the starting gun only to slowly morph into a heart-wrenching (or maybe organ-removing) picture of madness. I bring this track up in particular not only because I love the song (seriously, that melodic, synth brass-sounding addition at the middle of the track is simply awesome and warranted many a replay from me), but because I think out of all the songs I've heard from "YWGWYW," it's the one that closest resembles the ecstasy I feel when listening to their second record, "Hell Songs."

Immediately after digging their comeback record, I did what I usually do - jump back to the debut. Their debut, "Canada Songs," is some pretty good stuff. Not my favorite mathcore (or even grindcore) project I've ever heard (thanks, Locust), but it shows the starting point for the logical progression to their current dense, yet hard-hitting sound. It sounds like shredding your ear with a cheese grater (in a good way, mind you) but even at ~12 minutes for the whole project it's not one I've been inclined to come back and listen to a lot. Where the magic for me truly has lied is listening to them develop into their current form on "Hell Songs," an album that brilliantly blends the incredibly unique character of their recent work with the aggression of their debut.

Right off the bat, "Hell" is a completely different animal than their debut. If "Canada" is a ravenous, rabid dog, than "Hell" is a grizzled, experienced fighting dog who only won't kill you if it feels like you deserve mercy. Immediately noticable in the opener, "Daughters Spelled Wrong," is the shift in the vocal stylings of Alexis Marshall. He's traded in the shrieking grindcore growl of the debut for this bafflingly unique and immediately impressionable southern drawl. One thing I love about bands like The Blood Brothers and The Locust are the flat rejection of traditional hardcore vocal stylings in favor of weirdness - which ends up not only resulting in catchier, more memorable music, but also emphasizes and helps to accentuate the technical virtuosity going on underneath it instead of just drowning it out. "Daughters Spelled Wrong" is a sludgey, slow behemoth that less threatens you at knifepoint than it stares at you with crazy fucking eyes from across the street. Marshall lists off every single negative thing he's ever been called, from a sinner, to a fallen angel, thief, black sheep, and finally: a good-for-nothing, ass fuckin' son of a bitch. If that doesn't hook you in, (especially with the thunderous low end backing him up the length of the track), I don't know what will. It certainly hooked me in.

Throughout the record's ~25 minutes or so, there are a few tracks that instrumentally harken back to the grindcore sounds of their debut - namely "Fiery", "Crotch Buffet", and the fantastic "X-Ray" (I CALL AT FUCKIN ONEEEE, I CALL AT FUCKIN TWOOOOO). The difference here is both the aforementioned shift in vocal style - which lends the songs far more staying power - and the band's ability to elevate their game when it comes to breaking up the madness for a good slice of weirdness. Not only are Daughters a more technical, clean, and more evil beast on this record - they're a stranger one.

However, the crown jewels here are the "longer" tracks. "Feisty Snakewoman" has an opening death wail on guitar that persists throughout the track, winding up to be perfectly symmetrical with the half-time stomps of the drummer - just further proof that the craziest, nastiest music doesn't have to rely on the tired tropes of the genre. "Hyperventilationsystem" is another personal favorite - opening with some mind-melting double bass and high-pitched grinding guitars before suddenly throwing the steering wheel as far as it can go. Punctuated by a spy-thriller bassline and two guitar tracks - one punching, one gushing - Marshall echoes one phrase to himself over and over again, expressing his absolute disgust with love with the phrase, uh, well, "Love is a disgusting thing." As the song builds steam, the southern drawl of the vocal inflection burrows itself into your mind in perfect step with the bass drum - and have fun not singing it to yourself for a week. At the climax of the track, the band sets the car on fire while Marshall yelps, only for the band to drop out behind him for just long enough that your brain gets tenderized as soon as they pick up again.

That's a good time to talk about the lyrics, as well. "Hell Songs" beautifully blurs the line between the wordily poetic and outright debauchery. Within the same record, Marshall paints hauntingly dark imagery such as "When I awoke, a vicious dark hung in the sky / My surroundings foreign and discomforting", and lacerating himself and the listener with his tongue via lines like "I wear my sickness like a wedding band / I've been touching myself all day with a hammer and nail / I'm the flat-footed-mule-faced-fucker, the shit-bird-derelict-king."

Those last lines come from what I feel is the shining achievement of the record - and the song that quickly became one of my favorite extreme music-related songs of all time: "Recorded in a Pyramid." It's almost off-putting how traditional the main rift lining the song is, however as the song takes shape - what with its spastic snare drum fills and such - the underlying strangeness blends with the catchiness to become completely homogenous. By the time the chorus hits, the riff has suddenly jolted into an immediately wonderous major-key riff with a slab of heavy double bass underneath. This is all beautifully topped off with two of my favorite vocal lines I have ever heard in any genre relating to this one, with Marshall expelling all the breath from his lungs on top of this impeccably weird, pretty, and boisterous group of instruments until he sounds physically unable to do so anymore. The band, of course, catches him right at that picture-perfect final word both times to create one of the most memorable moments in hardcore I've ever heard. Again, never does the vocalist achieve this amazing tenacity by outright growling or shrieking - not that growling doesn't have its place - but somehow I picture grindcore grit not coming out anywhere nearly as magical as it does on this track.

The record ties itself up with two similarly great tracks - the much-acclaimed "Cheers, Pricks" which is a six minute (!) excursion into multi-part songwriting, mathcore brutality, Mach 10 funky strumming, and guitar ambience alike. The closer, "The Fuck Whisperer," is a short yet ungodly vast summary of just how much the band has shown on the record. Opening with stop-start fireworks, Marshall drops one line near the beginning of the track and the band follows suit mid-line. Suddenly, all there is is band members in the back murmuring to themselves as if they've just seen the immediate aftermath of the apocalypse: "It's already too late." But just when you think the record may be allowing itself to be completely engulfed in brooding torment for too long, Marshall (from seemingly across the room), reveals the ace up the band's sleeve (that mixture of crazy, evil chaos and unique character) with one line that intersects with the band: "There will be no leap into hyperspace and, it's already too late." The record's death yelp summarizes the lyrical themes throughout, with Marshall simultaneously unleashing one monstrous scream whilst making exaggerated sex moans. The band may have just told you that there will be no leap into hyperspace, but for the last half hour or so, you were just traveling at fucking warp speed. What a great record.

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