#taking this silly little wii game way too seriously

[notsocharmingmagician]

AU #35 Part 2

(Read Part 1 first here!)

This has turned into way more than a brief summary.... oopsies!

TWs for kidnapping, drugging, partial nudity(non-sexual). This AU is inspired by Mimi enslaving people in game, so, it’s safe to say it gets rather dark. Mimi’s treatment of Dimentio, while mostly undetailed and left out of this summary, is heavily implied to be Not Good (though, not sexual) and potentially disturbing. Be forewarned.

Mimi’s kidnapping of Dimentio isn’t the end nor the only side of the story. Dimentio’s disappearance was unnoticed at first. While the magician did spend a fair amount of time around his fellow minions, the sudden shift in focus to fighting the hero(es) had disrupted the usual daily life at the castle even more than Dimentio had when he joined the team. O’Chunks was still getting used to having this annoying floaty clown around when he and said clown went to Yold Desert. After his defeat he would have avoided Dimentio in shame, but Dimentio was surprisingly nice about it and promised to get some revenge for him before teleporting O’Chunks back to the castle alone.

As we know, he sicced Fracktail on Mario, but all O’Chunks knew was that Dimentio returned to the castle later the next day looking pleased with himself. When O’Chunks asked what he we smirking about, Dimentio simply replied that he just did a little magic, and although the hero still got the Pure Heart, he did manage to deal them some more bruises in O’Chunks’ honor.

Mimi, having been present for the entire conversation, then insisted that Dimentio come with her on the mission she’d just been assigned and that was the last O’Chunks saw of the magician.

It was assumed that while Mimi was gone, Dimentio was still with her. And when she returned to the castle alone, it was assumed he was out getting revenge on his teammate’s behalf once again. But a week passed and he never came back.

Things continued as normal. O’Chunks was sent to fight the heroes again in the Bitlands, and he was defeated again, but this time alone in his defeat. Mimi spent more and more time out of the castle, presumably bored now that her little crush was gone. Nastasia was quick to write off the disappearance, saying that he obviously just deserted them. Count Bleck accepted this as well, without much thought. But O’Chunks. He didn’t buy it. As much as he was put off by Dimentio, he couldn’t imagine him just taking off. Something had to have happened, and the mystery started at Dimentio’s last known whereabouts.

Enter Detective O’Chunks. (My boy is very smart and I will die on this hill) First he talks to Mimi, the last known person to have seen Dimentio. She recounts that “he didn’t help her at all to fight the heroes (not that she needed it) but even once she was beaten, he never reappeared, so she just left without him, assuming that he’d already gone back to the castle.”

O’Chunks finds her story a bit odd, but has no reason not to trust Mimi’s word, so he decides to search the mansion. Mimi even offers to take him there, which he accepts. They split up to search for Dimentio, O’Chunks taking the above-ground portion of the mansion and Mimi taking the basement (Mimi doesn’t actually do any searching, the little shit).

O’Chunks thought that (aside from Mimi) he was alone in the huge mansion, but once he got deeper into the building around the generator rooms, he was met by a guy wearing a ragged striped uniform. The guy tells him all about the horrors of Merlee’s Mansion. O’Chunks is rightfully disturbed. He really thought he knew Mimi in the few months they’d been on the same team. Apparently not.

As all of this sinks in, O’Chunks gets a very bad feeling. Suddenly, Mimi’s seemingly innocent childish crush on Dimentio does not seem so innocent anymore. If this is what she would do to total strangers, what would she do to someone she had real feelings for? What lengths would she go to to get what she wants?

O’Chunks asks the guy if he’s seen anyone matching Dimentio’s description. Nothing rings a bell until he mentions the two different colored eyes. The guy explains that Mimi toted somebody like that around the mansion like a favorite pet for the entire week and a half she was back at the mansion before the curse was broken. O’Chunks asks further questions, but the guy admits that no one looked for him before Mimi regenerated, they were all preoccupied with escaping. And those that stayed behind had poked around a bit but hadn’t seen anything, though, they had been avoiding Mimi and the parts of the mansion she frequents, so if she still had him, they wouldn’t know. O’Chunks thanks the guy for his help and promises not to tell Mimi that anyone is still living in the mansion.

He does a bit more looking around but when he and Mimi meet back up they are both empty-handed. O’Chunks hides his fury well, keeping his cool until he and Mimi are back at the castle and he leaves her to go report back to the count by himself.

Count Bleck is not prepared for the pure rage that O’Chunks brings into his office, but he hears him out nonetheless. He’s skeptical at first, but he sees how much O’Chunks believes this story and is determined to find Dimentio, so he decides to assist O’Chunks in searching the last place either of them can think of that Mimi would hide something: her room.

Bleck has Nastasia go fetch Mimi for an urgent meeting, but she is nowhere in the castle, which has become the norm since she returned from her mission. Nastasia then sends her a memo on the little devices the two share (neither O’Chunks or Count Bleck can work a phone so they don’t get one). Mimi quickly turns up at Bleck’s office and Bleck dismisses O’Chunks with a knowing look.

O’Chunks searches Mimi’s room (with care of course, he doesn’t trash the place despite his anger) but finds nothing. Or really, an absence of something. He hasn’t been in Mimi’s room too many times, but he’s been in there enough to wake her from sleep-mode in the mornings to know that the trunk she had brought back from Merlee’s Mansion is missing from its usual place beside her nest.

A horrible, terrible suspicion fills O’Chunks and he knows he has to find that trunk. He returns to the bullshit meeting that both Nastasia and Count Bleck are still having to keep Mimi distracted and says that he needs some help with his “assignment.” The count eyes him before telling Nastasia to cover the rest of the meeting.

O’Chunks quickly tells Count Bleck about the missing trunk and honestly, Bleck thinks that O’Chunks might be losing it, but with a sigh he concedes to searching the mansion for the trunk. O’Chunks leads the way to Mimi’s bedroom at the mansion and, sure enough, there it is, right next to a nest that looks recently lived-in, with clothes and accessories strewn across it.

Immediately O’Chunks is on the trunk, tearing apart the flimsy lock with furious strength and pushing open the lid. And when he opens the trunk he freezes. As determined as he was to find Dimentio, O’Chunks wasn’t ready to actually see him in the trunk.

But he’s in there, curled up to fit in the small space, wrists shackled behind his back and his ankles similarly locked together. His mask is missing (and so is everything else he left the castle with, aside from his underwear), and his face is messy with amateur makeup everywhere not covered by the gag knotted around his head. He blinks at the sudden light, but quickly adjusts and turns his gaze out of the open trunk. Realization hits him the moment he sees O’Chunks looking back at him, eyes filling with tears at the relief of finally being found.

Count Bleck finally approaches as O’Chunks gently lifts Dimentio from the trunk, and is reasonably taken aback the sight. O’Chunks props Dimentio up against the wall as it becomes apparent that he isn’t able to hold himself upright. O’Chunks quickly unties the gag as the count wordlessly searches the room for the keys to the shackles, which he finds alongside Dimentio’s clothes and mask.

He passes the items to O’Chunks, who sets to work unshackling Dimentio as the magician silently tries to stop his tears, a look of shame coming over him. He struggles to form words, but finally forces out a slurred sentence, “...Thank you.... and... my apo...logies...”

O’Chunks looks at him, an eyebrow raised in confusion. “What’re yeh talkin’ about? Are yeh sure yer all there, lad? ‘Tis understandable if yer a bit outta sorts.”

“I’m... here.... My body... just... won’t work....”

“Eh? Why not? Did that little shitbag not feed yeh or somethin?” O’Chunks’ anger at Mimi spikes again at the thought.

“No... I... I think.... The water.... Some... thing’s... in it....”

O’Chunks’ prior anger is nothing compared to the fury that floods him at this statement. A growl escapes him as he clenches his fists, muttering threats under his breath and looking like he’s about to tear something to shreds. His rage is interrupted by a gloved hand on his shoulder and he snaps out of it, looking back at the count, who’s red eye gleams dangerously.

“Count Bleck will handle Mimi. You are not to confront her, understood?” O’Chunks heaves a sigh and nods before the count continues, now looking at Dimentio. “We will be returning to the castle. Dimentio, you will rest in your room until these... effects... wear off. Count Bleck will come to speak with you in a few hours. O’Chunks, please assist Dimentio with his clothes. Back at the castle, you are to keep an eye on him while he rests. Count Bleck will be in the hall, come out when you are ready to leave.”

And with that the count leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. When O’Chunks looks back at Dimentio, the magician’s eyes are watery once again as he averts his gaze. The warrior feels a pang of emotion on Dimentio’s behalf at Count Bleck’s lack of delicacy with the situation.

Sensing O’Chunks’ hesitance, Dimentio speaks up, “Just.... get it... over... with....” Nodding, O’Chunks sets about his task as quickly but carefully as possible, politely not mentioning it when he sees Dimentio’s chest stutter with every hitched breath or when he feels drops of water spash against the backs of his hands, or when Dimentio just can’t hold it in anymore and he is overtaken by quiet whimpering sobs.

O’Chunks simply does what he needs to do, addressing Dimentio only to ask if he wants to wear the cape, hat, and/or mask of his costume. The shakes his head and O’Chunks puts the items aside before, more quietly, asking another question, “Can I give yeh a hug?”

Surprise crosses Dimentio’s tear-streaked face as he finally looks O’Chunks in the eyes. Apparently trusting what he sees, he glances away with a small nod. In less than a moment his limp body is lifted and held close to the much larger warrior’s chest, strong arms wrapping around him despite Dimentio’s own arms not being able to do the same in return. He hides his face in O’Chunks’ shoulder as more tears squeeze from his eyes and his briefly held composure is lost. O’Chunks gives him a minute, gently encouraging Dimentio to let it out as he rubs circles across the magician’s back with a large hand. Dimentio, however, quiets himself as quickly as he can before murmuring to O’Chunks that he’s fine and they can go now.

O’Chunks shifts Dimentio a bit in his arms to scoop up the rest of the magician’s costume before carrying it and Dimentio out into the hall, where Count Bleck is waiting. The count takes them back to the castle and wordlessly leaves them outside Dimentio’s bedroom.

#au 35 #super paper mario au #o'chunks #count bleck #dimentio #whump #i did it. i hurt the little magic man. just like i always do #taking this silly little wii game way too seriously #spm au #super paper mario #dimentio spm #my writing

[honeytae]

Want me to kiss it better, baby?

i promise this was just meant to be a little thing about being competitive and playing games with jungkook, but i got carried away again. teasing competitive jungkook turns into soft jungkook taking care of the reader content :)

tags: @ahgasearmyfan

genre: fluff, suggestive

warnings: reader gets an injury, slight descriptions of a cut but nothing graphic

word count: 1.5k

You and your boyfriend were both extremely competitive. It happened to be one of the things that first bonded you two upon meeting. You were the couple that turned every game into a lighthearted fight, having his members retreat from whatever game you were playing to get out of the upcoming crossfire.

Just because he was the love of your life and you were his, that didn’t hinder your or his need to win. Not at all.

Every competition between Jungkook and yourself, no matter how dumb or insignificant it was, always got extremely heated. And when someone inevitably lost, the other would tease the loser relentlessly. You showed no mercy.

So when Jungkook had smugly mentioned playing a few games on the wii console on one of your shared days off from work responsibilities, you couldn’t resist the urge to wipe that smirk right off his face.

“You’re going down, Kook.” You sassily said to the man, Jungkook scoffing with a roll of his eyes as he handed you a remote. 

“Right. Come on, baby, let’s see who’s the better boxer.” He challenged you, clicking a few times around the remote to bring you to the boxing screen.

Jungkook was obviously more in tune with his body movements than you were, having boxed already for years, not to mention that he was actively being professionally trained. You however, had never boxed a day in your life and were struggling to ignore the ache in your arms from trying to knock out Jungkook’s character on the screen. Nonetheless, you tried the hardest you could, punching the air in front of you to get a few jabs at your boyfriend dodging your hits on the screen.

Jungkook was talking shit the entirety of the first round, laughing when your character got knocked down after only a few strong punches were thrown, pumping his fists up in victory when your avatar on the screen couldn’t get the strength to get back up.

At the loss, you muttered a, “Fuck off” and huffed while he started another round, scrolling through the menu as he smirked pridefully at your reaction to losing.

Unlike the other round, you seemed to gain some strength. Jungkook’s smugness must’ve ignited something in you, because your punches were taking his bobbing character down in a matter of seconds.

You began laughing as when his character didn’t get back up, Jungkook shouting desperately at the screen to “Get up! Get up, come on!” while you did a happy dance beside him.

You were thoroughly enjoying the moment until suddenly your toe somehow caught the edge of the rug, sending you flying onto the ground in the midst of celebrating your victory.

Jungkook’s eyes flew open, a worried expression taking over his previously bratty one.

“Shit, baby, are you okay?” He pressed his knees down on the carpet beside you, stroking your hair back as he searched your face for any signs of pain.

All he discovered was a hint of a smile, dissolving into a fit of laughter from your lips that couldn’t be stopped. Your reaction washed away his worries, calming his nerves and making his eyes crinkle as he giggled. He laughed with you, realizing you were fine and indeed just laughing at your clumsy action.

The silly moment was all you both needed to cool down from your competitive ways and avoid anyone sleeping on the couch tonight.

“God, I love you, you dork.” He smiled, laying down on his side to face you as both your giggles subsided. His hand remained on your face, stroking your hair back and swiping his thumb across the skin of your cheek soothingly.

“Hey, you’re the dork in this relationship. Plus, I totally kicked your ass in that round.” You argued, bringing your finger to the tip of his nose in a slight nudge, making his features scrunch adorably. 

You cooed at the action, making Jungkook blush and roll his eyes as he pulled you forward into his chest. He rolled over onto his back with you clinging to his front, gripping the backs of your thighs to settle you on top of him and opening his mouth to argue about how he had won the first time before you winced, cutting him off with a soft “ow” at the sudden pain you felt on your knee as it brushed the ground.

He retracted his hands immediately, frowning at your reaction before sitting up with you suddenly. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his bottom lip pouted out in concern at your obvious discomfort. 

“Nothing, it’s just my knee-”

“Baby, let me see.” He cut you off, his tone gentle as he kindly asked to see your injury. 

His eyebrows scrunched in concern as he craned his neck down to see the wound on your leg. He pouted as he observed the significant scrape you’d received from your fall, a dark red cut that flushed against the skin on your kneecap.

“How did that even happen?” You asked in confusion, looking around you on the carpet to search for anything sharp laying around. 

“This needs to be cleaned.” He said definitively, dark brown eyes observing the injury before he nodded to himself in agreement.

Without another word, he stood up, lifting you onto his hips making you wrap your arms around his neck to steady yourself as he began walking you down the hall to the bathroom. 

“Baby, I can walk. It’s just a little cut.” You whined, giggling slightly when Jungkook shushed you.

“Shush, I’m taking care of you.” He silenced your sassy remark with his lips on yours, leaving a sweet kiss that left you too flustered to reply.

He lightly kicked the bathroom door open with his foot, walking over to the closed toilet and sitting you on top of the lid. 

You watched as he made his way back to the cabinet over the sink, scanning the shelves until he found what he was looking for. You smiled at the kind hearted man taking care of you, not necessarily needed but definitely appreciated.

He returned to the spot on the floor in front of you clutching a box of bandages and a cotton ball in one hand and a bottle of antiseptic in the other. He sat back on his calves, his knees pressing into the tile below him as he uncapped the solution.

“This might hurt, baby.” He said softly, wanting to prepare you for the sting of the liquid about to be applied to your skin. 

He looked up at your smirking face when he heard you chuckle, scrunching his brows in confusion as his lips also lifted up in amusement at your smile. 

“That’s what she said.” You deadpanned, making Jungkook stifle a laugh through his nose before letting little giggles escape from his lips. He leaned forward to place his head on your uninjured knee, trying to regain his composure so he could take care of your unattended injury. 

“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?” He giggled, his wide bunny smile on display as he withdrew his head from your leg. 

“Positive.” You nodded cutely, Jungkook’s heart swelling with love at the action. 

“Mhm. Now stop making me laugh. I have serious work to do here.” He smirked as he heard you giggle, pouring the liquid from the bottle onto the cotton ball.

“Sorry, Dr. Jeon.” You joked, making his nose scrunch in another chuckle.

Jungkook’s dangling earrings clinked against each other as he directed his gaze from the wet cotton ball to your knee.

He placed the soaked cotton ball onto the scrape, muttering sweet apologies as you sucked a breath through your teeth in pain and discomfort. 

He swiped the cotton ball against your cut a few times before chucking it into the garbage, reassuring you with an “All done, I promise.”

You watched as he took a bandage out of the box he’d gotten from the cabinet, peeling the paper away and holding it on your wound to place it over the skin.

He pressed the band-aid on with his fingers, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss onto the scratchy fabric making your heart swell as he looked up at you adoringly.

“You’re so cute.” You cooed, feeling yourself tear up slightly at your sweet boyfriend kneeling on the ground in front of you. Yes, he was a brat sometimes, but he was also the sweetest and most kind hearted man you’ve ever met.

Jungkook blushed, sitting up to reach his hands up to cup your chin, meeting you halfway in a chaste kiss. 

“Are you really alright? Nothing else hurts?” He asked seriously, searching your eyes for any signs of discomfort or pain. 

“I’m good. I may or may not have a bruise on my ass, though.” You giggled, making the man in front of you chuckle breathily before a slight smirk lifted his lips.

“Oh yeah?” He asked, raising his eyebrows in question as he stood up off the ground, offering a hand out for you to grip as he pulled your body off the lid of the toilet. 

You hummed a confirmation as you wrapped your arms around his neck, his wrapping around your waist reflexively. 

“Well that sucks. Want me to kiss it better, baby?” He teased, hand trailing down your waist to cup your backside. 

“Hm,” You hummed again, smiling as he buried his face in your neck and began trailing soft open mouthed kisses over the skin. 

“That wouldn’t be so bad.”

#bts #bts writing #bts fanfiction #bts imagines #bts imagine #bts x reader #bts fluff #jungkook #jungkook writing #jungkook fanfiction #jungkook imagines #jungkook imagine #jungkook x reader #jungkook fluff #writing #fanfiction #x reader #fluff #imagines

[radramblog]

Ninty Direct Feb 2021 Thoughts

That was uh. Kind of disappointing, actually.

I suppose it was inevitable that we weren’t seeing Pokemon since they’re gonna do their own announcement. But like. Coulda done better here.

(oh no you’re now introduced to my awful awful handwriting, is this better or worse than my cursed interests? you decide)

Anyway I wrote down everything they announced so here we go

Pyra/Mythra in Smash: I don’t give a single shit about the Xenoblade series, but it’s one of like 2 IPs Nintendo has had in the last decade so sure whatever they can have second a character as a treat. I’m mostly just annoyed this wasn’t a third-party character.

Fall Guys Switch: This feels inevitable. It also feels about 5 months too late.

Outer Wilds Switch: I’ve heard some absolutely excellent things about this game, so fair enough. I’m not sure I’d buy it on the Switch, but I haven’t bought it at all yet, so.

Famicom Detective Club: This looks like a Ren’py game if it had an actual budget, but still used Ren’py for some reason. Prooobably not biting on this one chief.

Samurai Warriors 5: The only Warriors game I’ve played is the first hyrule warriors, and the only Nobunaga game I’ve played was Pokemon Conquest (it’s a trip), so. I don’t understand the obsession they have over there for this bloke, like imagine if Australia made like a tv series a year and a large handful of video games about Ned Kelly or something.

Legend of Mana: Shit I should go play Octopath Traveler huh

Monster Hunter Rise: Those monster designs looked pretty kickass, and those human designs made me crack up laughing. I’ve never played Monster Hunter, and I don’t think this is gonna change that.

Mario Golf: Hey look they confirmed Waluigi as playable ahead of time so people wouldn’t complain, good job guys. The multiplayer of this looked silly as hell, but I’m not spending 80 bucks on wii sports tennis for a multiplayer mode ill drag my mates to play all of once before we go back to playing Beetle Adventure Racing.

Tales from the Borderlands: Wait telltale is still around? Ok…? I haven’t played Borderlands and don’t really care for the Telltale style so nah

Capcom Arcade Stadium: They could have made a peripheral like the NES/SNES mini, but they didn’t, and it’s for the best. The fact that one of the games is free implies to me that the rest are going to be overcosted, though.

Stubbs the Zombie: What the fuck am I looking at. Apparently this is a remaster of an old Xbox game, but I’ve never heard of it. Weird as fuck, but sure.

No More Heroes III: No more Heroes is a franchise that I’ve never played, but always wanted to. It seems right up my alley aesthetic-wise, and the gameplay looks pretty solid too- probably gonna try one of the older ones first, though.

Neon White: Speaking of aesthetic. This looks anime as fuck and edgy in a good way, and the gameplay looks real fun. I actually really want to check this out, and no, it’s not just because of the skull masked goth gf on the cover. (Doesn’t hurt, though.)

DC Super Hero Girls Teen Power: Jesus, this looks like a bad tie-in game from the mid 2000s. Not like Battle for Bikini Bottom, more like a Jimmy Neutron. And while I really liked the Jimmy Neutron game as a kid (shame about the show), this doesn’t look like it’ll stand up to that…high bar. Listening to this trailer made me want to die a little bit inside.

Plants Vs Zombies: Battle for Neighbourville: I miss PopCap. Peggle 3, never.

Miitopia: This looks cute, and will probably lead to the same sort of 3am DMs that happened with Tomodachi Life. If it’s a full priced game, it probably won’t sell at all.

Animal Crossing New Horizons Mario items: uhhh sure. Don’t have that game, so.

Triangle Strategy: Aww fuck it’s a final fantasy tactics that looks like octopath and it might have an actually good story, shiiiiiiiiit. I’m gonna give the demo a try before I land on this, but I’m optimistic.

Star Wars Hunters: When was the last time we had an actually good Star Wars game? And don’t say Fallen Order. Yeah, didn’t think so.

KO City: Ah, the bottom of the barrel. Didn’t think it would take this long. At this point, the pseudo-cartoony style everything has because they’re trying to ape Fortnite is extremely grating on me. (I definitely thought this ad was for Fortnite stuff at first)

World’s End Club: OK this one has me actually hyped. I knew that Kodaka (director/writer of the Danganronpa series) and Uchikoshi (director/writer of the Zero Escape series) were working on a joint project, and we’re finally seeing the results. Both of them have multiple excellent games under their respective belts, and this new game looks like a fun spin on what I’m sure a lot of people were expecting from the pair. Literally both of them have made a game where (spoilers I guess, Keara stop reading here you haven’t played VLR yet) there’s a death game going on while the characters are unaware the world fucking ended, so to see the idea of the death game getting interrupted and the characters actually having to live in the dead world is really cool. I’m paying cloooose attention to this one.

Hades (Physical Release): Dang now if I buy hades I can choose to have some of my money go to EB games or JB hifi or something. Cooooooooooooool.

Ninja Gaiden Collection: This just made me wonder why Ryu Hayabusa isn’t in Smash yet. Is it because there’s already a Ryu?

Age of Calamity DLC: I don’t think I mentioned this in my post yesterday, but I would have put money on DLC for this game coming out. I still haven’t played it, but the first Hyrule Warriors had so much fucking DLC so this was inevitable in my eyes.

Bravely Default 2: Uhhh its another JRPG man idk what you want me to say. Didn’t play the first one, apparently its good.

Ghosts n Goblins Resurrection: Kinda funny having this next to the free original in the Capcom Arcade Stadium. Capcom is reviving old franchises, I guess? Where’s Mega Man Battle Network, cowards?

SaGa Frontier: I’ve heard good things about the SaGa series, but this looks awful. Not like gameplay wise, the style for the models and shit in game just disinterests me.

Apex Legends: Is anyone still playing this game?

BOTW 2 (no news): I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed. Next Direct, I guess.

Skyward Sword HD: I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.

Seriously though, I was expecting 3 of the best Zeldas ever made to get ports, and we got the one that I wasn’t interested in. Fuck you too, I guess.

Splatoon 3: I actually was super interested in this, seeing as the trailer looked like it was gonna be for some like… side game, 3D RPG or something, exploring the origins of the Splatoon world? But then it’s just Splatoon 3. And like, I know people really like that series, but it never appealed to me. The world is neat! But I’m not interested in the series as it is.

And that’s the tea.

ADDENDUM:

shit that’s this weekend? huh ok -New Hearthstone expansions revealed, kinda like WOTC does with magic every so often, just like “here’s the next couple sets btw”. Since they do nothing but plagiarise off each other and MTG is having a set based on another WOTC property this year (D&D), there’s going to be a Starcraft set. -Diablo 4 release date that will not be stuck to since COVID is still a thing -people are hoping for starcraft 3. Blizzard to announce Starcraft 2 Episode 1. -New WoW expansion announced, determined objectively to be “worst ever” before trailer is even finished

#ramble #video games

[standfortheangels]

What song makes you feel better?what’s your favorite candle scent?what flower would you like to be given?say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).what calms you down?what’s your ideal date?how are you?what’s your comfort food?do you still love stuffed animals?what’s something you do to de-stress?hugs or hand-holding?morning, afternoon or night?what reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)? [for mun

What song makes you feel better?

Ooo, this really depends on a lot of stuff. But weirdly, one song I go to a lot is Tubthumping by Chumbawumba. The names really tell you the vibe of the song >w>' it's silly- too silly to really take much seriously when you're listening to it, so it gradually cheers me up that way. But it's mostly the chorus bit that does it.

"I get knocked down, but I get up again! You are never gonna keep me down!"

Repeated over and over again with pride and happiness like a football chant.

It's the kind of mood that's just infectious, it's a crowd celebrating something, enjoying where and who they are. Pair that with the message in those lines, and, I dunno. It just really helps me~

_

what’s your favorite candle scent?

Oh this one is tough. My sense of smell isn't that great, usually I can smell a candle if I pick it up and sniff it, but when it's lit I don't tend to smell anything. There are very few candles I can light and smell in the room. So I tend to just pick candles based on colour tbh x'D

One thing I do love though is oil diffusers. A few drops of violet essential oil in the water, it comes out as steam, makes the place smell really nice.

_

What flower would you like to be given?

Aww, that's a cute one~ I'd love to be given any flower really, but if I have to pick... I'd say a sunflower. I think it'd be really funny to have someone pull this giant flower from behind their back and hand it over. X')

_

Say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).

That's six! You can't fool me there >w> buuuuut fine.

Physical: I like my eye colour, I've got a general hourglass shape that I like, and I'm told I have very comfortable shoulders to lean on? Haha

Non-physical: I'm fairly intelligent, have a lot of patience when I need it, and I'm pretty weird, which is often funny for other people x')

_

What calms you down?

If I'm anxious, I have a few apps on my phone I can use that usually help. 'What's Up' is a great one, it has different tools you can use like grounding exercises and retargeting your thoughts and stuff. I also have games on there like Zen Koi and Alto's Odyssey, which I find relaxing. They're not too complicated to manage but they do grab my attention and have chill music on them.

If I'm calming down from being angry.... Dogs. I find if a dog comes up to me for a hug or something, I have to relax my muscles more, I have to be gentle with them and reassure them that it's all okay, it's like a conscious effort I make for their sake. So it puts a stop to my stressing out long enough for me to just start enjoying the fact that I have a dog. ^^

_

What’s your ideal date?

Ooo good question...

At the minute I can't really date at all with my health being this bad, so I'd probably go for a casual date where we play a low-pressure game together at home. I'm talking battleship, tetris, any Super Mario game that has a multiplayer feature, Snipperclips, Jenga, Wii tennis, anything. Just us chilling, having a little bit of playful rivalry maybe, a few healthy snacks~ that would be awesome. Some of these games we could even play from two separate places with a video call going, which would mean I wouldn't have to push myself to host or leave the house or even force myself to shower in advance; I could even stay in bed and just prop myself up with some pillows if I really needed to, take a laptop and we could go play something online maybe.

In the future though (because I really hope I'll improve eventually and get some of my life back) I'd still love the more casual fun dates, but not stuck inside. I'd love to go minigolfing and be terrible at it so we can both laugh at my awful shots, and I'll do some hopeless ironic trash talk and then lose by a mile~

I'd like to have a dog we can walk together. We could go to a quiet beach, which will probably be cold and muddy because it's England but we'll let the dog loose and smile at how much fun they're having, maybe play fetch or something, and then at the end be so so grateful that we thought to put old towels over the back seats of the car for our very very happy, very very very wet dog~

It'd be fun to go to a theme park together, or walk around a garden centre and plan out a garden we'll probably never get around to. Or a zoo! That'd be a great date place, a zoo, or SeaWorld, both are good.

I'd like to go for ice cream and sit on some random grassy bank to eat it together. To go to an art gallery with a camera and most of my photos would just be of my date seeing something she likes~ maybe I could even take a sketchbook too, and I could draw her in the styles and/or poses of whichever pieces she wants me to, while she poses in ridiculous funny ways and makes me laugh so much that I have to stop and then we move to the next room.

I've been too ill for too long and had so much emotional crap in my life, I wouldn't choose the rigid restaurant dates with all the same rules and the pressure, or strive to try and be the most romantic couple or whatever else.

For me, what I'd value most is being able to get out of the house and enjoy the world, and having a date with a light-hearted atmosphere.

_

How are you?

Tired as always! X') but for real, today has actually been okay. The last few days have been really rough pain-wise, but it hasn't been quite as bad today, so hopefully it'll ease off back to normal from here~ I've also been pretty productive in the last two days so I'm very happy with myself rn ^^

_

What’s your comfort food?

I have a couple! Chocolate, of course, is a classic one (chocolate peanuts in particular are something I reach for for comfort). And also, a hot pasta-based meal like lasagna or, heck just pasta in a nice sauce will do. Those meals are more like the comfort of being warm and homely, the kind of thing I might love if I were really tired and feeling sorry for myself, while chocolate peanuts are the "I'm upset so I'm eating my feelings" food. X')

_

Do you still love stuffed animals?

Of course! I don't have tons all over my bed purely because it's inconvenient, but I do keep two huge ones- a dog and a shark- on top of my wardrobe, and my littlest childhood friend is always in my room somewhere~

His name is Scruffy, and right now he's sleeping in my crystal box (open) on top of all the empty velvet bags. ^^ I used to take him everywhere, cuddle him every night as a slept.. he usually smelled pretty gross because I never wanted to give him up to be washed, haha X) thankfully he doesn't have that problem now~

_

What’s something you do to de-stress?

This might sound lame but, jigsaw puzzles. It has to be real ones, at the table with some music in my headphones. If I can't do that for whatever reason, I go to the bathroom and run cold water over my wrists for a minute or two, over the veiny side. It's kind of a mini cleansing ritual. I sometimes combine that with some deep breaths and imagine the water is literally washing the stress out of me, and it really does help. It's something I can do quickly and easily, I can just do it while or after washing my hands or something and that's that~

_

Hugs or hand-holding?

Hmm... prolonged, I'm not a huge fan of either? Eventually if you're holding hands it's like, when do you let go? What if your hand gets warm and clammy, or sweaty? Same with like a cuddle. Once you're in it, how do you say "hey I'm kind of uncomfortable now, this physical contact has gone on too long"? You don't want to be rude, and it might be hard to explain, so you've probably got to blame on being too warm even if you're not, and then that's a lie, and.. it's just awkward.

A regular hug though, that's okay. It can last longer than usual and still not be a problem, because at least, you know, you won't be hugging for half an hour, at some point soon you'll let go. And it feels nice, you know? From someone I care about and trust anyway~ it's like a physical way of saying "I love you" and it's nice to have someone's arms holding you, to wrap yours around them and just hold them tight.. you both feel warm inside and secure and wanted. I wouldn't be keen on a hug from a stranger or an acquaintance, even a new-ish friend. But someone who's close to me? All the hugs. Give me the hugs, let me hug you back, many many hugs. X)

_

Morning, afternoon or night?

Night! Actually I love those really early mornings, you know when the air still has that kind of... Crispness to it. That is amazing. But I'm never awake for that anymore.

(^▽ ^;)ゞ

_

What reminds you of home?

Thunderstorms, loud planes overhead, chinook noises, soft hugs when I'm upset, mum's cooking, pictures of our old dog Harvey, little fluffy dogs running about.

Most of this is easy to figure out I'm sure, but I do want to talk about the first couple.

Until the age of 11 my family lived on a military air base, so there were always big planes taking off and landing, and I really do mean always. We learned the difference between some of them by sound. I could be sat at home and we'd hear one and know, that had to be a Herc landing (landing always sounded different to taking off), or a teacher would have to stop talking at school to let one go by, and everyone knew that one was a VC10. (VC10s are the LOUDEST thing I have ever heard to this day. I'd probably still recognise one now~)

We also saw and heard Chinooks a lot. Now for anyone who doesn't know, those are the weird helicopters that have two... Fan parts? I don't actually know what they're called. X') (I looked it up, they're called rotors!) They kinda look like the bit of a retro telephone that you'd pick up and hold to your face.

Now having two rotors means that they can carry a Lot of weight, but it also means they don't sound like normal helicopters do. The two rotors are timed out so that the blades from each side can go through the same middle space without hitting each other, Left blade then right blade then left then right then left, and you can kind of hear it happening. Instead of the kind of 'Wubbubbubbubbubbub' of normal helicopters, a chinook sounds more like 'Wokka wokka wokka wokka'.

Where I am now, we only hear some small jets once a week at most when they take practice flights, and sometimes a normal police or ambulance helicopter. It took me a long time to get used to the quiet of most places, and sometimes I miss all the overhead noise we had back then.

And we got so many thunderstorms! Every single summer, usually at night. Now that I think about it the pollution from all the aircraft might have been involved in this too. >w>" But I loved it. We'd all gather in mum's room and open the curtains wide to watch. My little sister was scared of thunder back then so it was better for her to have people around and to make it fun. I was always just excited! And I still get that way if I hear thunder now~

#wow this is a long post #i actually fell asleep a couple questions from the end #ive just finished it off this morning #haha #ooc #mun stuff #asimplerper

[zerolympiustrife]

Favorite video games of all time?

Get ready for a LONG post, folks! However…allow me to break this down to my three favorite video game genres: Fighting games, RPGs/JRPGs, and Platformers/Action Platformers (both 2D and 3D). However! Since I feel like these posts are gonna take MUCH longer than I thought it would, I’m just gonna divide the genres into separate posts. But for now, let’s stick with the…

FIGHTING GAMES!:

Dragon Ball FighterZ: My number one favorite (traditional) fighting game of all time. My favorite ArcSys game of all time. My favorite Dragon Ball game of all time. This game is the reason how I got into the Dragon Ball franchise back when I’ve had to little to NO interest in the franchise, even when I’ve watched the ENTIRE Namek saga from the original anime back in 2009. The game’s GORGEOUS art style, every character animation’s (such as specials, supers, intros, victory poses, and ESPECIALLY the Dramatic Finishes) faithfulness to the original manga AND anime of Dragon Ball Z and other DB properties (such as GT and Super), the AWESOME soundtrack (courtesy of ArcSys theirselves, who’re known for awesome music in their games), the 3v3 gameplay, the character roster (though I’ll admit that having five Gokus and Three Vegetas is rather silly), having a new character design by DB creator Akira Toriyama himself, and lastly, being a breath of fresh air to those new to the fighting game genre (since the genre itself is notorious for its high learning curves) AND to Dragon Ball fans who were sick and tired of having the story of DBZ recapped over and over and over AND OVER AGAIN is a fucking sight to behold. This game FUCKING RULES (and a million times better than MvC:I). However, I wouldn’t call it perfect. I’ll admit that the Story Mode is rather lackluster, Arcade Mode is rather lacking, the Shop is completely randomized, and the Online Mode, much like every other fighting game, suffers from lag, spammable players, or just outright ragequitters. That, and the fact that, unlike MvC3 and BB:CTB, every character assist only sticks to ONE attack (meaning that more than one character is gonna have a Kamehameha assist), and that MOST PLAYERS you’re gonna run into is gonna main the likes of Cell (who ENJOYS dragging out combos for as long as possible), Adult Gohan (like Cell, also drags out long combos), and Vegeta (Super Saiyan, because of his assist. Need I say more?). But aside from those flaws, it is hands down the BEST fighting game I’ve ever played, next to…well, below.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: My number one favorite (unique) fighting game of all time. My favorite Nintendo game of all time. Series creator Masahiro Sakurai is a man that I’d like to describe as…well, not only doing the impossible and HIGHLY respected, but also putting those filthy naysayers about certain characters in their place. The fact that the whole point of Smash Ultimate was to include EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER FROM SMASH 64 TO SMASH 4 (Wii U and 3DS), INCLUDING EVERY THIRD-PARTY CHARACTERS DESPITE THE LICENSING AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES THIS WOULD CAUSE is another sight to behold. FUCK Melee, THIS is hands-down the best Smash game of all time! The inclusion of Spirits, the Adventure Mode, the Boss battles, the gameplay, the kind of chicanery you can pull, the game’s main theme “Lifelight”, the roster, the soundtrack…there’s just ALOT about this game that I just fucking adore. What can you make folks more hyped about this game? Oh, I don’t know…why not shock everybody with JOKER (from Persona 5) AND BANJO & KAZOOIE (who’s still owned by Microsoft) being in the game. What I love about Smash Bros is how Sakurai is just outright defies those say certain characters can’t appear in the series for silliest (or justifiable) reasons. Cloud can’t be in Smash because his game was never released on a Nintendo console until 2019? No problem! Ridley’s too big therefore he can’t be playable? Fuck that! Banjo & Kazooie can’t be in Smash because they’re owned by Microsoft of the Xbox brand? It’s fine! Why? “Because I AM HERE!” -Banjo (JK, but seriously, the fact that Banjo’s in was quite a surprise.) Smash 4 is the reason how I got into Final Fantasy VII, and I hold the entire Smash series in high regard for doing so. Goddamn, do I love this franchise! But! Again, it’s not perfect. The Online Mode is MUCH worse than DBFighterZ (to the point where you’re more than likely to end up in a battle with Items TURNED ON or stages with distracting hazards, OR end up fighting the SAME fucking characters I hate fighting against, such as Little Mac, Falco, Inkling, Incineroar, etc.), and that fighting against EVERY single spirit in the Adventure Mode to get 100% can get rather tiring (not to mention that you gotta get BOTH bad endings from fighting Galeem solo AND Dharkon solo), lack of additional content upon release (Stage Builder and Home-Run Content weren’t even implemented into the game at first), and lastly (although these two complaints are one of more personal matter and one towards Square Enix), the fact Zero from Mega Man X, my favorite video game character is ASSIST character instead of a playable was really heartbreaking to see (but hey, I’m not complaining TOO much since I enjoy interacting with him in my free time in Training), and lastly, the fact that Cloud, and to high extent, Final Fantasy VII AND the FF franchise as a whole has LITTLE TO NO representation in this game whatsoever (again, I feel like this was more of SE’s fault than Sakurai’s). No spirits, no “Fighter Spirit” artwork from the original FFVII, no Assist characters, not being dubbed in English AGAIN (though this was more of a contract issue with SE), no additional music on Midgar, NOTHING. But, nonetheless…this game is fucking awesome.

Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle: Ahahahahaha! Ah…Oh, Blazblue…I love this franchise oh-so much, but the fact that it hasn’t received the same treatment as Guilty Gear lately (not to mention the mainstream Blazblue games, aka the C-series, has pretty much came to an end) is a rather sad sight to see…depression aside, I love Blazblue. I REALLY do! I love the characters, I love the stages, I love the music, the story is confusing as FUCK, but it’s a fighting game franchise I’ve discovered WAY back 2012 and I still love to this day, even more so than Guilty Gear (don’t @ me). So…what to do now? Could there perhaps be another Blazblue game? A game that just so happens to be a crossover? One just as awesome as Smash Bros? Ooh! How about…PERSONA 4?!? UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH?!? A FRANCHISE THAT, LIKE DRAGON BALL AND FFVII, I’VE HAD NO INTEREST IN UP UNTIL 2018 (aka RWBY)?!? AAAAAAAAAAAAAA- Fangasm aside, the fact that this game even EXISTS is an achievement in its own right. As stated before, this game is the reason how I got into RWBY. What I really love and adore about the game are the interactions among the characters. That, and I was SO HAPPY to hear that the game would be dubbed in English, after GG:Xrd Revelator and BB: Central Fiction lacked a dub. I was not only excited to hear the likes of Ragna, Noel, and Hazama voiced in English again, but I was also happy to hear that any characters who’ve never been dubbed in English in the past (characters from UNIB, newcomers in BB:CF, etc.) would be dubbed in English as well. Hell, the fact that the characters from both Blazblue AND Persona 4 (two franchises/games I really love) being in the EXACT same game together was enough to make me be all like “Shut up, and take my money!”, considering how crazy excited I was in the past to see them interacting with one another via fanart and fanfiction (thanks to the Persona 4 Arena games being developed by ArcSys). And if you thought having only THOSE four franchises in the game was enough, you’d be wrong! Here’s Arcana Heart! Here’s Senran Kagura! Here’s a FIFTH character from RWBY: Neo Politan! This game, much like DBFZ and Smash Ultimate, is awesome. However, complaints I do have towards the game are the Online Mode (although the chibi interactions are cute and adorable and I will praise the Online Mode for that, and ONLY THAT), Gordeau from UNIB is still a problem, the rest of the half of the roster is entirely DLC, lack of additional content upon release, the control scheme is WAY too simplistic (even moreso than DBFZ), and lastly, while I love the sprites ArcSys did for RWBY, the reused sprites from Blazblue, Persona 4 Arena, and UNIB is also a complaint I have (but a minor one, mind you. They could’ve just easily redone the sprites specifically for this game, but…no). And while this game isn’t exactly in my top two favorite fighting games, it’s definitely in my top THREE. Also, I have yet to actually to play the Story Mode of this game, but I haven’t yet, therefore, I hold no opinion on the story as of currently. Marvel vs Capcom-styled traditional fighting games are hands-down, my go-to preference for traditional fighters.

Dissidia (and Dissidia 012): Final Fantasy: Forget Dissidia NT, THIS game (mostly Dissidia 012) is what an awesome 3D Action Fighting game is about! Much like how Smash Ultimate’s a unique fighting game (a Platform Fighter), this game is also a unique type of fighting game, possessing RPG elements and just having a blast with its awesome combat system. Cloud and Sephiroth were just so much fun to play as, with Terra, Squall, and WoL being my other favorite characters in this awesome game. This game is also essentially a HUGE homage to Final Fantasy as whole. From the ongoing conflicts between Cosmos and Chaos, to MULTIPLE references to the character’s original games, to additional modes that involve unlocking the likes of Gilgamesh from FFV, or fighting against the most frustrating secret final boss I’ve ever had the displeasure of fighting against (Feral Chaos), these games are awesome! Also, the reason why I’m addressing both games as a single installment here is because technically, while Dissidia 012 IS a prequel, it pretty has the same content (no, scratch that, MORE content) from the first Dissidia game and it’s pretty much an updated…well, not a “port”, per say, more like an enhanced re-release, much like Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 or any of the Blazblue EXTEND re-releases. However, complaints I have for Dissidia is that certain characters are annoying to fight against (such as Jecht, FUCK that character), the RPG system takes a while to build up until your favorite characters are FINALLY at Level 100, trying to get the rarest Equipment is rather difficult, and lastly, the action commands for certain character’s EX Bursts can be retooled for the sake of a proper fighting game, but then again, Dissidia ain’t a “traditional” fighting game. But aside from that, not only is this my favorite Action RPG/Fighting game of all time, but this is also my favorite Final Fantasy Spin-Off of all time.

Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars: What’s that? You were expecting a Marvel vs Capcom game to be on this list, let alone my top 5? Too bad! It’s Tatsunoko, baby! This one definitely holds a spot in my heart as this game stands as my number one favorite “Capcom vs Whatever” game of all time (yes, even moreso than Marvel vs Capcom itself OR any of the SNK vs Capcom games, don’t @ me). I love this game. I love its soundtrack (ESPECIALLY its main theme, “Across the Border”), I love the roster (despite being small), I love the final boss of the Arcade Mode (Yami, from Capcom’s Okami), and I love the gameplay. My complaints goes towards the lack of additional content outside of Arcade and the Gallery (although the top-down shooter minigame is rather fun), and, as stated before, small roster. But other than that, this game was really fun to play.

OTHER FAVORITE FIGHTING GAMES:

Sonic Battle, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, SvC: Chaos, and Blazblue: Chrono Phantasma.

Coming up next: My favorite RPGs/JPRGs!

#fighting games #dragon ball fighterz #super smash bros ultimate #blazblue cross tag battle #dissidia final fantasy #tatsunoko vs capcom

[platypus-quacks-too]

Hi!! It's me again asking for another prompt, I just love your stories so much.. I just gonna ask if you can make a story base from the latest episode where Sheldon is jealous upon seeing the picture that Will W. sent them, thank you 😊

(continues) Sorry my request is not that clear, what I really meant was Sheldon is jealous upon seeing the picture where Amy is basically hogging Joe, thank you very much!!!

@notchincorporated asked: Prompt: Sheldon confronts Amy after dnd game and her body all over Joe. 

Note: I am fashionably late on this, but I still hope you guys will enjoy the little silly piece following.

With a large grin still all over her face, Amy is finally returning home from what definitely has been one of the oddest yet one of the funniest nights of her life. Only when she puts her key in the door she realizes she is most likely about to confront her husband about what happened - and what he saw of it.

On the couch, Sheldon quickly closes his laptop and stares briefly at her before his reprimand begins. “You’re home,” he says dryly, “I suppose you had enough fun for today.”

Amy is such in a good mood she is not bothered by his remark. “I had fun,” she admits, “I also missed you, so now I am glad to be back home,” she adds to soften the blow.

Sheldon polemically raises his eyebrows as the picture of his wife clinging to Joe Manganiello pops back in front of him. “Is it really so? Because you wouldn’t tell from the photo you sent us.”

Here we go. “Look, I was only messing around a bit,” Amy justifies, “You don’t honestly believe you have any reason to be jealous of that?”

“Of course I am! I expected better from you.” The way Sheldon says this surprises and somehow makes Amy angry at the same time. Sure, she hoped her husband showed a little jealousy… but suddenly it looks like he took it way too seriously.

“Well, I am sorry for you,” Amy defends her reasons, “Joe is a very awesome and nice guy, what we did was just to take a funny photo together.”

“What?” Sheldon puts down his laptop and stands up, staring at her with a very puzzled look.

“I won’t feel guilty for that,” Amy continues, “I didn’t do anything wrong. I love you, and I would never be unfaithful-”

“What are you talking about?” For what concerns Sheldon, anything of what she is saying makes sense.

“You said you didn’t like the photo we sent you. Isn’t it because I was being silly with Joe?” Her explanation only makes Sheldon frown more. “The hug? The leg-” She keeps talking until the most obvious realization struck her. If she knows Sheldon enough, there’s a not negligible possibility he did not even notice her pose.

“What? I am mad because you, Penny and Bernadette got to play Dungeon and Dragons with them behind our backs. With Captain Kirk, can you believe it?”

Case in point… “Oh,” Amy answers. Obviously he is upset because of this. “So, this is the only reason you are scolding me? You didn’t mind for the photo itself?” She checks just in case.

He dismisses it once and for all. “I know I can trust you. Sure, I rather not to see you clinging to someone else… but I know there is no malice in that. Did Penny have you drinking any alcohol? It would explain it.”

Amy dares a smile. “I am sorry you guys felt excluded,” she apologizes, “I am sure you’ll have other chances. I mean, Wil won’t say no to a Nobel prize-winner..!” She tries to cheer him up.

The mention of the huge promise of glory in their future releases any tension in Sheldon. What is Dungeon and Dragons compared to a lifelong dream like the Nobel? He smiles back, even if there is one thing left to clarify…

“Can I only ask you something?”

Amy nods. “What is so special about Joe Manganiello? I mean, I have never played with him, but I am sure I am a way better D&D player than he is…”

“Well, he has nice muscles…”

“I have them too!” Sheldon protests, “I played lots of Wii Sports lately.”

She comes closer with a grin and gently strokes his arm. Sheldon is not wrong, she guesses. “He shows them off though.

You never stripped for me.”

“And I most definitely won’t anytime soon.”

“Not even out of your Spock uniform?” Amy suggests. A heartbeat later Sheldon has taken her hand and is leading her to their bedroom.

“You will wear your Nurse Chapel uniform. Oh, would you agree to undergo a fair punishment first?”

“Are you going to spank me?”

“I have to…” He admits as she closes the door behind them.

#the big bang theory #shamy #shamy fanfic #fanfictions #lu writes

[pixiealtaira]

Frozen

Drabbles and Drawbles 2016 Advent prompt 6: Frozen Lake

Hummel home- no pairing

Kurt Hummel was about as thrilled with his Dad’s and Carole’s Christmas Plans as he had been way back when with his first dumpster toss…which is to say, not at all.

Who goes to a cabin in the woods next to a lake for their WINTER vacation?

(Kurt didn’t approve of cabins in the woods by the lake in summer either.  He hated lake beaches and lake swimming and fishing.  He wasn’t fond of boats or tubing or water skiing. He didn’t really like hiking without a purpose.)

He went, though. His Dad had asked that he be there for the first Christmas without Finn…and this was their choice of where to spend it.

It was cold and stark. Not just the landscape and weather.

There was no Christmas tree. No garlands. No Wreath. The presents he brought for them were not allowed out or to be opened.  His Dad told him to send them in the mail when he got back to New York and he’d make sure Carole ended up with her gift, even if she didn’t open it herself.

The power was fine but there was no satellite or cable, so TV was movies or what could be somewhat seen by just the TV and antenna. The cellphone service was spotty and the internet service even worse.

School work was banned. However, so were singing and dancing and anything too ‘cheerful’.  He got yelled at for baking.

His dad and Carole spent time out hiking and out to the little town for dates to ‘regroup’ before heading back home.  Kurt didn’t have an extra vehicle and wasn’t invited to join them on their dates.  Carole refused to even let him ride into the town with them and then make himself scarce.

He spent a lot of time reading and sneaking in school work when his dad and Carole were out.  He wandered the cabin with his laptop chasing the best wifi spot.  He watched movies…no Christmas ones, no favorites (those had singing and dancing and made Carole sad).  And he bundled up and sat on the porch and stared at the frozen lake.

On day four of their week long stay, Burt was there at the cabin with Kurt and not out with Carole and Kurt finally had a chance to sit down with his dad and talk.

His dad found him sitting looking out the front window towards the frozen lake and joined him on the window seat.

They talked about the garage and Kurt’s classes and school.  They talked about Kurt’s frustration with Blaine and Sam in the loft and the lack of help with rent and food, with Rachel and Santana and everyone.  They talked about Burt’s frustration with trying to travel back and forth to Washington and still be there for Carole, who was refusing to go with him.

“Why am I here, Dad?” Kurt finally asked. “Why ask me to come and spend no time with me?  I came because it was supposed to be a family time and to celebrate Christmas as a family, but you and Carole have not been here for more than sleeping and breakfast since the day we arrived and she won’t let me come with you.”

“Because we all needed to spend the Christmas together, at least that was what I was told. I am sorry, Kurt. I don’t know what is up. I thought we were going to do things together when Carole suggested this.  I packed cards and board games and even the old Wii with your Just Dance games and those silly party type games.  Carole doesn’t want to do them.  She doesn’t want to see them. She doesn’t want to participate since Finn is gone. And it wouldn’t be fair for me to do any of them with you since her baby isn’t there to do them with her. And we can’t bring you with us to town because Finn isn’t there to go as well.  I packed your Christmas gifts, but every time I suggest getting them out so we can open them, Carole starts to tear up and then rants about how heartless I am since Finn isn’t here to open things I ought not to suggest you get to. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get past this.”

“Don’t hate me, but she needs help Dad.  She needs to talk to someone about going forward without Finn.  Someone professional, I mean seriously professional. Not just a pastor or a friend who has been through something similar. I haven’t seen you since October and you had to sneak away from Washington to come see me.  I haven’t been ‘allowed’ home since the memorial. I had to stay at a hotel when I came to see you right before the school started in fall…and I had to see you at the garage because it wasn’t fair for me to be there. I miss you. It might not be fair to her for you to see me, but it is NOT FAIR TO ME for her to stop me from seeing you.  You are my dad.  You were my dad before you met them.  Heck you were my dad before she was ever Finn’s mom.  I’ve come too close to losing you too many times to put up with this for long.  Would you do this to Finn?”

Burt shook his head. “I wouldn’t.  I’ll make the appointment when we get back and I’ll take her to it myself and make sure she goes.”

“It’s just…I love you…and her behavior hurts you too.  She just refuses to see it.” Kurt said.

Burt pulled his boy into a hug. “You know…Carole will be at the spa for another several hours.  Why don’t we go to the kitchen and we can listen to Christmas music the radio and we can play a game and bake cookies…and open our Christmas Gifts.”

Kurt smiled. “It’s after Christmas, I think most channels have stopped playing Christmas Music.”

“Nope…I found at least three while driving home last night.  I ended up turning the radio off to avoid more of a rant.” Burt said.

Kurt looked out at the frozen lake once more before joining his dad in the kitchen. Maybe spring would bring a thaw to more than just the land.

#glee fanfic #advent #Kurt Hummel #burt hummel

[imagine--drv3]

Boys playing Splatoon with S/O?

The Discord can confirm the rage I had to go through whilst playing Splatoon for inspiration.

Korekiyo Shinguuji

he’s completely stoic as he plays, and you can’t help but watch because this is just fascinating.

his fists are clenched on the remote, you can tell he’s absolutely infuriated every time he’s splatted but he just refuses to let you see how angry he is.

his team loses the match.

you watch the subtle square in his shoulders, he takes a deep breath, and then-

and then he slamdunks the wii u remote straight through your glass coffee table.

SPLATOON IS STUPID.

THEY AREN’T EVEN PEOPLE. THEY’RE SQUIDS. STUPID DISGUSTING SQUIDS.

GAMES ARE STUPID.

EVERYTHING IS STUPID.

he locks himself in his room and you do not see him for the rest of the day.

Amami Rantarou

he’d actually like to try, it looks like a pretty fun game!

you let him play on your account, and he’s actually a little surprised and a little proud by how high of a level you have.

you let him try all sorts of weapons out, and finally he settles on liking the brush best.

he’s not bad! it’s a simple game and he seems to be getting the concept pretty easily.

he’s actually won every match so far, but usually at the bottom of his team.

and then, one round, he actually loses.

you can see the look of absolute disbelief on his face when the loser music starts playing.

but he had been doing so well! what had gone wrong?!

the other team had seriously inked almost everything in the playing field compared to amami’s two or three blotches-

you can tell he’s disappointed, but now he’s determined.

this won’t happen again.

you can’t get him off the wii u after that-

Ouma Kokichi

he seems pretty nonchalant when you propose the idea, simply shrugging and taking his seat in front of the television.

he lets you talk him through everything, telling him which clothes are better, which weapons are best, what he might like-

and though he nods and follows along, you can see he’s picking an entirely different set of items than the ones you recommended.

which is?? weird???

and then you actually get onto the playing field.

the second he’s in he’s moving with such skill that you’re amazed a beginner could EVER pull this off.

he doesn’t get splatted a single time, covering an insane amount of land as his score just skyrockets.

needless to say, he wins the match at the top of his team.

how did he do that?!

“Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you, I play this game literally all the time. Anyway, bye!”

and then he just

leaves

heck

Shuuichi Saihara

he’s willing to play, but...he’s not exactly the best.

it takes him a while to get the hang of angling the controller, and eventually decides that using the joysticks is probably the best choice.

he likes the roller, it makes the game a little calmer for him.

every time he dies you can see his entire body tense up like it’s an absolute disaster-

he actually spends more time running around the lobby than he does playing...

he’s not very good.

he always finishes at the bottom of his team with 100-300 points and never splats anybody.

maybe this just isn’t his kind of game...

you’ll put on something a little less abrasive next time, maybe.

Kaito Momota

he gets WAY too into it.

he’s totally on board when you say he should give the game a try.

he’s using the splattershot at first, but when he finds out the luna blaster exists, he won’t use anything else. it just looks so cool!

he gets pretty mad when he gets splatted, but the look on his face when he actually manages to splat somebody is priceless.

like a kid in a candy store!

every match he loses in followed by a series of swears and kicking the table, he gets pretty passionate about the game.

but every match he wins is celebrated like hell! fists in the air, the whole deal. he even picks you up and spins you! look S/O! look what he did!

but you can’t help but note that he’s always at the bottom of his team and his score is never very high, win or lose.

oh well. at least he’s having fun.

Kiibo

he doesn’t really get the concept.

so you’re a kid-

but then you’re a squid?

you’re an unholy human squid hybrid?

and when you become a squid you defy the laws of mass and descend into your own inky remnants?

....basically yeah

he can’t ever focus on the game because he’s too busy asking questions about how your character functions as a creature

he runs into a lot of walls and doesn’t manage to accomplish a whole lot, and doesn’t even seem to be enjoying it.

you thought a robot would be better at video games honestly.

you decide maybe he should just explore the lobby instead.

he thinks the squid sisters are very charming honestly! look at them go! lovely! wonderful! he is a fan of them.

everything else? terrible. not a fan.

that’s not how squids work.

silly S/O.

Gonta Gokuhara

he’s so enthusiastic! this game is so colourful and pretty!

he runs off of platforms into the abyss or the water constantly, but he’s having so much fun that you can’t bear to correct him-

he’s switching between kid and squid constantly, not even TRYING to win the matches.

he honestly doesn’t shoot a single thing the entire time he’s playing. he’s having too much fun exploring.

you know his teammates probably hate him, because not only is he doing nothing, but he’s hitting the “Booyah!” and “Come on!” buttons every two seconds.

“It’s encouragement!”

this is honestly painful to watch but he’s so adorable when he’s having fun like this-

maybe you’ll make him his own account, but you probably won’t be letting him soil your username again any time soon.

Ryouma Hoshi

he’s honestly scarily good at this game.

he’s a sniper, and once he finds the best spot on the map, he doesn’t leave it.

he’s completely straight-faced the entire time, and he doesn’t miss a single shot.

you’re seriously worried for anybody who has to play against him right now.

not a single member of his team gets splatted, not while he’s on guard duty.

so while he doesn’t win a whole lot of points himself, his team ALWAYS wins and they have him to thank for it.

despite the fact that he says winning doesn’t really matter and it’s just a dumb video game, you can see that smug smirk every time he makes another shot.

he probably won’t play again though.

you honestly don’t want him to.

#mod ouma #ndrv3 #drv3 #drv3 imagine #ndrv3 imagine #imagine #self insert #danganronpa #New Danganronpa V3 #danganronpa v3 #danganronpa imagine #korekiyo shinguuji #rantarou amami #ouma kokichi #saihara shuuichi #kiibo #gonta gokuhara #ryouma hoshi

[pywackett-barchetta]

E3 2017 Impressions (6/12/17)

Miscellanous

Forming a chatroom with a few friends across social circles expressly for the purpose of E3 commentary was nice

EA

Story modes in sports games seem to be a thing they think people want. I appreciate yearly entries in a franchise getting to be distinct games with their own unique reasons to pick each up, at least

I should’ve known to tune out as soon as it opened with a drumline of people in Patriots jerseys

I felt so confused during the FIFA segment, even allowing for the fact that I’m not in the target audience there

I refuse to acknowledge anything in Star Wars canon from VII onwards so Battlefront 2 is gonna be a pass. I’m sticking with Battlefront II

Hearing people complain about Boba Fett, clones, and Darth Maul co-existing tells me they never played the original Battlefront games

Need for Speed: Payback looks like they’re quintupling down on literally everything the fanbase has ever unanimously asked them never to do again

The car customization’s still sweet, though, and it’s got a 350Z

I don’t know why NFS has decided it needs plot and grittiness, but it clearly did not work for Undercover or The Run or Rivals or the 2015 game or rival franchise The Crew

I didn’t give a flying frick about Battlefield before, but them testing out the new map was really fun to watch and a genuinely enjoyable experience

Even my mother was pissed off that the post-show interview about Madden was just the actors “bro-ing” out and talking about nothing in particular for twenty entire minutes on camera

Every presentation of NFS: Payback used the exact same scene played the exact same way, which is how a vertical slice works but not usually this blatantly, and not usually the exact entire scene from the trailer you released before the show even began

Nobody will agree who won E3, but we all know EA absolutely lost.

Xbox

Even with the acronym, Xbox One X makes the Wii U sound like a good name for a console

Was thrilled for the annual reveal of a car on-stage but was underwhelmed by it being Porsche

Whole thing about Porsche being a lot harder to take seriously if you’re keenly aware that they just got out of an exclusivity contract with EA and now every racing dev’s trying to court them to their side

I was excited by Forza 7, but moreso massively disheartened by people really being jerks and scoffing at racing games for some reason

EXCLUSIVE

DBZ basically won the damn show out of completely nowhere with a slick, beautiful fighter that hearkens to nostalgia but doesn’t rely on it. Also it has Majin Buu and he’s cute and terrifyingly powerful and I ask little else

No but seriously, I understand the decline of motor vehicles as a ‘cool factor’ in modern culture but why are people so actively disdainful of racing games

EXCLUSIVE, WORLD PREMIERE

Crackdown 3 massively underwhelms by trying to be an Old Spice ad to distract from the fact that all the promised monumental destruction was cut at some point in development and replaced with stuff I can already do in Saints Row 2. If Terry Crews cannot save you, there is a problem

Wasn’t particularly floored by The Last Night, but that might just be too much time on Tumblr talking

Like, racing-wise, I’m just talking silly arcade/simcade stuff and not the cesspits of the sim-racing community that actually would be contemptible, but just “oh, cool, cars!” is worthy of scorn somehow nowadays, come on

Anyways, I just want all this stuff on my PC anyhow so this was probably the most relevant conference in hindsight

EXCLUSIVE

Would’ve been nice if they ever actually stopped to explain what Mixer was; I’m still hopeful that those Mixpot things go through for me

Forza 7 having character customization and being on PC in full makes it a strong contender, so now it just needs stock car racing and I’m probably happy.

Bethesda

I went to bed before this went on

Skyrim re-release announced

Oh my god, Wolfenstein II looks absolutely captivating and nicely topical, and as much as I love The New Order, it’s genuinely impressive they got me to care at all after how awful The Old Blood was in comparison

Creation Club does not bode well and I will leave it at that

Devolver Digital

I fell asleep and had to check this one in the morning

Early contender to win E3

“I bet you want that game. I bet you wanna buy that game. You will buy that game. I believe in you. Buy that motherfucking game”

It didn’t have to go as far as it did but it was great anyways in my book, but granted, I probably would’ve shut it off partway through if I was watching it alone

Please watch their press conference if you hadn’t already and are willing

PC Gaming Show

“Cool, am I right?” *complete silence* “...Jesus, thanks, audience!”

XCOM 2 gets that expansion released on my dad’s birthday. He doesn’t play anything besides Smash Bros, but I might get him XCOM anyways, might be up his alley.

The announcer panicking in the Killing Floor 2 trailer instead of playing things viciously straight seemed actively unfunny and forced. Background music was hella rad, though

Ubisoft

I just read the bullet points on my phone while at my doctor’s office, and looked up individual trailers later

And by that I mean someone forwarded me The Crew 2 which was all I was really gonna watch anyways

The Crew 2 actually looks bright and happy and fun and about enjoying motorsports and extreme sports and anything with an engine, and it absolutely should be this because the grimdark crap sucked the fun out of the first game

Every motorsports title featured (besides NFS: Payback) was genuinely enthusiastic and vibrant, which is how it should be

That Olympics expansion for Steep looks rad. I love when real-world sporting events end up in extreme sports games; tends to work a lot better than when they’re contract jobs for standalone licensed titles

Playstation

Undertale coming to PS4 and Vita makes me somewhat less of a screaming frothing madman over the Touhou fangame ports, but I’m still going to be absolutely outrageously unhealthily unnecessarily bitter over Udonge’s ULiL console exclusivity until either she’s ported back to PC or I literally die

They started at a disadvantage here, because usually Xbox does a dumb consumer-unfriendly thing and Sony capitalizes on it, but here, Xbox was touting more backwards compatibility while Sony execs were telling fans “ha, no, that’s stupid, old games look bad, buy new games”, which basically tore asunder any last shreds of illusion I had about the gaming industry being benevolent

Concert opening went over well with my family, who are Niyaz fans

Uncharted being inaudible

Skyrim re-release announced

“Oh, is this Last of Us?”, I say, during the Days Gone trailer

I spent the whole Detroit announcement going “is that the guy from Grey’s Anatomy” which is not descriptive but I meant Jesse Williams, and considering other people understood who I meant, I think it is

“I’ll choose my own adventure! What if I choose, uh... none of this? What if I don’t play this game? How about that!” - My mother, on Detroit

“This better be Spider-Man” - Me

“YES” - Also me, several seconds later

“WOAH” - Also me, every couple of seconds in the trailer

The quick-time events concern me and if there weren’t so many of them conspicuously strewn about, Spider-Man would be the winning presentation hands-down

Distinct feeling of “that was it?” after it ended

Nintendo

I don’t have any of their hardware since the Wii, so.

#e3 2017 #rambling #profanity #long post #text

[lets-get-fictional]

Character Creator!

Hey guys!  I’m sure this recommendation has been made before, but I just discovered something, so I had to share:

Black Desert Online is an MMORPG set in what appears to be a medieval/fantasy universe.  It’s still in beta form, so the interface is a bit slower than a polished and released rp game -- the download takes forever and a half, too.  And to be honest, I haven’t even entered the game yet, so I don’t know what the gameplay is like or even what the purpose is.

BUT.

IT HAS A FANTASTIC CHARACTER CREATOR.

Seriously -- it’s not just good, okay?  This is coming from someone who has zero artistic ability, which means I have tried every possible character creating game/machine I’ve been able to find.  I make my characters on everything, and I always have, way back from Free Realms, Animal Crossing, and even Miis on the Wii.  But this one takes the cake, and here’s why:

You can shape individual parts of the hair.  This is a bit more complex for female characters than male characters, unfortunately, but still -- you can lengthen or shorten a section of hair, curve it in or out, push it forward or backward on the head, and even increase or decrease its curl.  It’s hard to see in this picture because I made the background black, but my character has a pixie cut -- which isn’t one of the preset cuts, so I shortened and shaped it into one!

Lots of skin tones!  There are many options for your characters of color, going from very dark to very light, with plenty of golden/reddish/pinkish undertones as well.  And they all look very natural and human -- not like your character stepped into a bucket of paint.

Facial details!  Get this: you don’t have to settle for one of five preset face types anymore!  You can adjust the shape of every part of the face, from eyes, upper and lower lids, cheekbones, cheeks (give em a little chub <3), jaw, chin, upper and lower nose, upper and lower lips, forehead, brow... you get it.  Also, there are realistic (and non-hideous) wrinkles for the forehead, under-eyes, and cheeks -- not to mention adjustable freckles that you can move and make darker or lighter!

Body shaping!  You can adjust every individual part of your character’s body, curves and muscles, as well as lengthening/shortening individual body parts (some of us have stubby legs!).  As for the women, you’ll be happy to know that all breast shapes and sizes, which you can shape in three different aspects, look pretty natural -- no boob jobs!  Same goes for the booty, too.  I’ll include a picture of the default body start:

Do their eyes and lips!  There are vast makeup options for people of all styles and skin tones!  Different eyelash styles and lengths, mascara colors, eyeliner with shapes, color, and intensity -- different styles of blush application, eyeshadow shades and amounts.  The lip styling, though, had me floored.  After you shape your lips, you can go over to makeup and pick from different styles of lipstick.  (I didn’t know there were more than two ways to apply lipstick...)

My favorite: different lighting and positioning.  One of my biggest problems with imagining characters is being able to see how they move, what they look like at day vs. at night, and what their facial expressions look like.  This creator allows you to try out a variety of poses and emotions, as well as create a pose by moving the character’s individual body parts.  And the different lighting.  I wish I had pictures, but I’d have to go into another character creation just to show you -- seeing what your character’s face looks like at day, night, sunset, or in cloudy weather really changes the way you think of them.  I know it sounds small, but I’m still going crazy over it!

My one complaint?  No clothing options.  The only bad thing about this creator is that you only have a few outfit options, and they’re all a little... silly-looking.  So if that’s important to you, you may be disappointed there. But for the physical aspects of your character, this is by far the best thing I’ve ever used.

A final note, though: this game regularly costs money to play, and I’m not about that.  So I just started a 7-day free trial (and they didn’t ask for a credit card or anything, which makes me more comfortable) and planned out which characters I would design during this week.  So far, I’ve created two -- a male and a female -- and I’m very happy with the results!  So that’s my suggestion.  Don’t spend money on it unless you actually wanna play it.

... Will I ever play the game?  Not on your life.

#writing #writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #writing ref #characters #character creation #character development #planning #OCs #my post

[iwantasecretgarden]

Taggetytagtag

DoBrought up by the freaking awesome and strong @nachodiablo

Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions.

1. Coke or Pepsi: Diet Coke in a glass of ice or a can or a bottle or a fountain or anywhere, always. “Is Pepsi okay?” is probably the worst sentence in all of human history.

2. Disney or Dreamworks: Disney Renaissance (90s kid)

3. Coffee or tea: Coffee. I want to like tea, but it’s leaf water. And drinking it tastes like hot leaves. I try and I try and yet still...clogged pool filter in a cup.

4. Books or movies: Books. Books, I’ve never seen so many books in all my life. Best weapons in the world. But seriously in 2016 I read 42 books - didn’t quite get to my 52 I had hoped for as my upper goal, but far surpassed the 25 I had planned.

5. Windows or mac: Mac since birth. Born with my dad getting me a tiny apple jumper as he used the old timey rainbows apple with the startup OS face.

6. DC or Marvel: Marvel characters are deeper and more interesting, especially because I WANT to like Wonder Woman but every single writer just changes her backstory and nothing is consistent and I hate that. X-Men are my favorite because it’s embracing difference in an exclusive, bigoted world.

7. X-box or Playstation: I wasn’t allowed to play video games because my parents thought they would make me violent so now I’m WOEFULLY AWFUL at them. But does Wii Lego games count? Because I really like Wii Lego Harry Potter. I know. I know. But it’s actually adorable. I also play Wii Lego LOTR and Batman and Star Wars (but SW one sucks).

8. Dragon age or Mass effect: Er...what. 

9. Night owl or early riser: I do better working at night because I like to have an hour or so to wake up. So if I leave at 9 I get up at 6:30 so I can drink coffee and blink awake and watch a tv show before doing chores and getting ready.

10. Cards or chess: Cards - more for the memories that accompany them and because I’m hellishly impatient for Chess.

11. Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla not because I’m vanilla but because chocolate can either be overwhelming or when in ice cream doesn’t taste like chocolate? Like why? It tastes like mystery brown flavor and I’m not into that.

12. Vans or converse: Converse for life. Black. With doodles on the white parts. Quotes and drawings. Being a cool kid way past the age I could pull it off (since I never could). I also have a blue pair that I drew the TARDIS on during the DW fanvolution but now don’t wear because they don’t match.

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: I feel dumb. I don’t know what these are. 

14. Fluff or angst: Angsty fluff. Like when the angst drenches your soul and in the darkest moment someone says the right thing that no one in real life has ever said to you and it’s like a sweet sweet salve. 

15. Beach or forest: Forest. I hate sand. I’m stupid annakin. And deep in my heart of hearts I’m still the wolf girl I was at 13 where I wore braces and boys jeans and tie dyed wolf t-shirts and braids in my hair with a bunch of friendship bracelets and wanted to be a psychic dragon rider or be raised by sentient wolves. So in the end...it’d be untrue to my nature (and to my secret shame wolf patronus) to not say forest where I used to dream of running away and finding my true pack.

16. Dogs or cats: I have two greyhounds (Fred & George), and a cat - Gandalf. That way I can introduce the bunch as Gandalf (and) the Greyhounds. Yeah. I’m serious. PM me for picture proof or check out insta @greyhoundgeorge

17. Clear skies or rain: Rain when I have nowhere to BE. If I can stay home and eat hot popcorn and drink cold water and snuggle on a couch under the blankets and put on an old movie or quiet film scores and pick up a book I want to read all in one go. That’s a little corner of heaven right there. But clear skies if I am going out to do something - if I’m doing something stressful and knowing I can go outside after to let the sun drench into the skin of my face and smile and take a breath and get a cold diet coke and congratulate myself on being brave and finishing out.

18. Cooking or eating out: Depends. Depends on how lazy I am and how broke I am and how hungry I am. I like cooking when I’m really hungry because then I can personalize everything to my own tastes and having leftovers I know will be yummy later. When I eat out/order take out I’m eating it all. Don’t be foolish.

19. Spicy food or mild food: Spicy food. Make my nose rain. I once drank a bowl of salsa in a Mexican restaurant. Like in Beauty & the Beast. Bowl to my mouth. Drank it down. My sisters hissed at me to stop. It was so good. So I drank theirs too.

20. Halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: Solstice, Yule, ***Christmas*** I am so into Christmas. I’m the dumbass that starts listening to carols too early in November. I’m wearing sweaters and sweating. I’m getting my peppermint hot chocolate. I’m the one viciously stalking that Christmas feeling that seems to get farther and farther away the older you get. Because I want it to last forever. I want to make sure my little sisters never lose it.

21. Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: Too cold. I’m already hot all the time. It’s hell. And I sweat through my clothes and that’s embarrassing and uncomfortable. At least when I’m cold people feel pity for you. When you’re hot all the time everyone looks at you like a freak.

22. If you could have a superpower, what would it be: Hallucination/Projection. I’d be called “Storyteller” or “Story” and if I wanted you to think you were on a beach in Aruba, you would really see and feel it. I would be able to travel for free, protect myself through a veneer, and never have to harm anyone. And I could taste all food however I wanted even if it was just celery. I could look how I want to look, dress how I want to dress, make my world the reality I want.

23. Animation or live action: Live action. I think the nuances of character actors and their expressions bring something to a film that evokes a sympathetic response in the brain that cannot (currently) be copied in animation.

24. Paragon or renegade: Again. I’m a silly person who has no idea what this is.

25. Baths or showers: SHOWERS. Hot showers. Baths - like tea - are just stewing in dirt. In your own dirt. In a tub where you get to look at your knees and rest your wet head against the hard tile. Ew.

26. Team cap or team ironman: Captain America forever. Stucky and Steggy forever.

27. Fantasy or sci-fi: Fantasy at my heart of hearts. It appeals to my wolfgirl nature. But I’m an equal opportunist and love Sci Fi. Just watch out for those weird 1950s fantasy/sci fi crossovers about colonizing planets cuz those get WEIRD.

28. Do you have three or four favourite quotes, if so what are they:

"Do small things with great love.” - Mother Teresa

“Courage, dearheart.” - C.S. Lewis

“Don’t worry. Don’t worry.  Look up at the ceiling and breathe with those curiously fragile lungs and remind yourself don’t worry. All as it was meant to be. It was meant to be lonely, and terrifying, and unfair, and fleeting. Don’t worry.” - Welcome to Nightvale

29. Youtube or netflix: Netflix or Amazon Video yo

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: Yeahhhh see I was too old when PJ came out. My youngest sister was reading it and even she thought it was under her age level. So HARRY POTTER FOREVER FOOLS. I mean, I cannot stress how much our family loves HP. We had a year when my youngest sister turned 11 she had a welcome to Hogwarts party in March, my family surprised me with a Horcrux Hunt 17th birthday Coming of Age in April, and my other sister turned 14 and got a Triwizard Cup party in May. My Mom listens to HP on Audible every night before bed. She can literally quote the first book word for word. We went to HP Wizarding World in FL before it opened on special passes when I was 19. If my mother wouldn’t murder us, our entire family would have matching HP tattoos. I write Marauders book fanfiction for my entire family to read and critique. We have sorted ourselves and own everything in our respective houses (a split R/G family). It’s our dream to go to Leaky Con together. We all have complete uniforms. Not just the robes. All of it. We know all the spells, have played all the dumb computer 2001 games and Wii games and Pottermore before it was lame and basically omg. HP FOR LIFE. (or LOTR). 

31. When you feel accomplished: When someone acknowledges I saw the problem and solution immediately but everyone else tried a bunch of things first and eventually realized I was right. #INTJ

32. Star Wars or Star Trek: I am very into both, and both my sisters have hard core taken a position on each camp. But if I had to choose, I would say Star Trek because of the massive cultural shift it caused, especially in featuring multi-racial characters and women in positions of science and power.

33. Paperback books or hardback books: Paperback if I’m reading it the first time and Idk if i’ll like it but then I want hardback (leatherbound tbh) of everything I’ve ever loved and read for my library I want to own like in B&B. 

34. Horror or rom-com: Ughhhhhhhh both suck. But I only like cerebral horror (like Sixth Sense) or intellectual horror (like Hannibal) because physical horror (torture), gross horror (teeth losing and pus), jump horror (basic) really aren’t interesting to me so I GUESS I’ll say rom-com.

35. TV shows or movies: TV shows streaming so I can binge them. Yep.

36. Favorite animal: Tigers! I’m so into tigers and know so much about them. The ONLY tiger fact I’ll bore you with right now is that lion roars are much shallower due to being lighter weight with less lung capacity so for the Lion King whenever the lions roar, it’s actually tiger roars to sound more macho.

37. Favorite genre of music: Alt rock or indie - coldplay, mumford, snow patrol, frank turner, damien rice, the wonder years, etc. 

38. Least favorite book: I know people are really into it now, but when I read it A Separate Peace sucked balls and everyone agreed. Also I once read this terribly written horror book Neverwhere. Actually I’ve read several such poorly written books that it honestly gives me hope that I can be an author if these dingbats can.

39. Favourite season: Winter before Christmas

40. Song that’s currently stuck in your head:  Help by the Beatles

41. What kind of pyjama’s do you wear: Old t shirt (usually huge) and pj pants or shorts

42. How many existential crisis do you have on an average day: Lol so many. Depends on the day. More like “my life is confusing and I have no idea what’s happening and everything is a chain reaction that hasn’t begun and I’m holding my breath praying for a fallout that’s marginally okay.”

43. If you can only choose one song to be played at your funeral, what would it be: “Penny Lane,” by the Beatles

44. Favourite theme song to a TV show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer or (honestly) Magic School Bus or Jimmy Neutron

45. Harry Potter movies or books: Books, where the inaccuracies aren’t too many to count

46. Favorite traditional food from your family: Tamales

47. Favorite decade from 1900-now: 1990s. But only 90s kids remember the 90s.

48. Worst habit? Thinking I can do it all.

49. Teach an old person to use the internet or stay for a week with a kid stuck in the “why” phase?: Kids. I love kids. Why phases are great. Sometimes I never outgrew mine, and adults always brush them off without actually taking time to explain why satisfactorily.  50. Who’s your favorite painter?: Claude Monet. 

51. Favourite flower?: Roses (trite) or bluebonnets. 

52. Boots or sneakers?: Sneakers now - boots in fall.

53. Abroad or at home?: Home if I could magically go back in time when “home” was everything I wanted and not a place to visit my mom in my old room with no clothes or friends.

54. Planning or spontaneity? Planning! But occasional spontaneity. 

55. Boxers or briefs? Boxers so that I can wear them as pajama shorts.

56. Hogwarts house? Better be...Gryffindor! 

I’m not tagging 56 people, so if you’d like to do this, tag me so I can read them! If you don’t want to, then just enjoy learning more about me. If it’s more than you wanted to know (and it probably is) feel free to ignore.

#about me

[bikwin5]

PAPER MARIO COLOR SPLASH REVIEW (NO SPOILERS)

I LIED WHEN I SAID MY NEXT REVIEW WOULD BE OF ZELDA

Paper Mario Color Splash is the next entry of the semi-critically acclaimed Paper Mario series, which is the series where Mario is Paper and he does some wacky things. This game has gained somewhat of a notorious reputation for being kind of a lot like its predecessor, Sticker Star, which gained some rather mixed reception. Considering both that and the fact that Color Splash is launching at the end of the Wii U’s life with the Switch on the horizon, it’s very easy to take potshots at this game. But does it really hold up to its name???

Color Splash’s storyline is not particularly deep, as one would expect from a Mario game. After receiving a letter made out of a toad’s corpse, Mario, Peach and Toad travel to Europe Prism Island to find out everything is ruined and much of the color has been drained from the world. A paint bucket named Huey emerges from the fountain in the center of Port Prisma to help Mario and his friends make the world a more colorful place by collecting the six big paint stars that have been stolen from the fountain. Also Bowser is there, that’s not a spoiler he was in a pre-release trailer anyway.

Like its namesake, Color Splash is all about painting things and restoring colour to Prisma Island. Mario has a new feature to his hammer that lets him paint stuff in the overworld, which is used for puzzles and repainting spots which will drop items like coins and battle cards. Huey also gives him the ability to cut out parts of the world, which is similar to Sticker Star’s power that let you stick and unstick pieces to solve puzzles. Paint is also used in battle, which is where the real meta of the game starts to unfold. lmao get it

The battle system in this game has many similarities to Sticker Star, this game’s predecessor. The general gist of it is that you choose one or more cards from your deck, paint them, and play them. Unpainted cards don’t do a whole lot of damage, so you’re almost always using up paint. Fortunately paint is acquired almost everywhere in the overworld and is dropped by enemies in battle. Mario’s turn is always first, so if you literally play your cards right most normal battles can be cleared in a single turn or two. Unlike Sticker Star, the number of cards Mario can play in one turn is increased by upgrades obtained by progressing through the story. This alone fixes a huge issue I had with the aforementioned game, where extra turns had to be acquired through a silly roulette. Another gripe most people had with Sticker Star is that battles are “pointless”, as enemies dropped nothing of value apart from coins and stickers. In Color Splash, enemies will now drop a number of hammer scraps, which are used to upgrade your paint capacity. As you progress you’ll get more card slots and stronger cards, which makes more paint capacity necessary in the long run. This time around, Mario’s health is upgraded solely from getting big paint stars. Big paint stars also upgrade your preemptive attacks, which can skip battles against weaker enemies.

This game’s battle system has recieved some critcism, and even I have a few gripes with it. One such new addition to the system are enemy cards, which summons an enemy to deal damage and acts as a shield. However, enemy cards can’t be used in boss fights or other important battles, which makes them worthless when a lot of the time you could be dealing more damage with something like a big jump instead. If anything it feels like they exist to make the museum sidequest harder, yes that is a thing in this game too. Things are also back, which are real world objects which mostly serve as visual humor and are kind of too cumbersome to be used in regular fights. New to this game are Thing replicas which can’t be used in puzzles to progress but can be used in battle, which at least gives some justification for using them.

Another big ass complaint I have is to do with visual feedback. Enemies in this game do not have a health bar but rather their health is shown by how much color is drained from them, which fits fairly well with the theme of the game. The problem I have with this is that Mario himself doesn’t show any numbers when doing damage, only enemies do. This isn’t a big issue in the earlier parts of the game when a single jump or hammer will take care of most enemies, but later on it gets harder to approximate by cards alone. Given that there are multiple tiers of cards (worn out, big, etc) and that cards can be painted or unpainted you can’t really figure out the numbers purely from looking at the “health” of enemies. Also the list of cards is a pain to scroll through, why even give me the option to sort them if you’re just going to start on the right side of the list every time!!!!

Now that I’m done whining we can get on to other stuff. The world of Prisma Island is connected via a world map, similar to Sticker Star’s. Unlike SS, the world map is not made of connected “worlds” but rather sections that are similar in color. Paths to new levels are opened by collecting mini paint stars, which denote the “end” of a level. This map is more akin to say, Super Mario World’s. A big downside to this is that levels may have “secret exits” that aren’t hidden at all and simply exist to make you replay a level again. The game honestly could have been done without the need for mini paint stars, but at least the map provides an easy way for fast travel.

The environments on Prisma Island range from sky blue beaches to sunny mountains and violet islands. The environments are nicely detailed and are full of little things along the way, whether it’s an unpainted spot that holds a secret or a toad who has some witty remark to say. Along the way you’ll need to solve many puzzles, some which include cutting out parts of the world and pasting in the notorious Thing cards. A lot of the puzzles in this game are honestly some of the most clever things I have seen in a Paper Mario game, some of them are even reminiscent of more traditional adventure games. They occasionally require some backtracking, but the game is kind enough to give you hints if you need them. Not all of the puzzles are great but it’s a very big step up from Sticker Star, whose puzzles were honestly a load of complete ass. Also I must say the graphics are super duper nice, they’re pretty much exactly what I would have wanted out of a HD Paper Mario game. Everything is so crispy and papery.

A big complaint that I hear a LOT is the lack of diverse characters in this game and I have to agree it’s a strange choice when the rest of the game definitely isn’t lacking in creativity. Huey, the only real new character, isn’t exactly great and his personality feels like a copied and pasted Kersti from Sticker Star. Many other toads, apart from the rescue squads, have no real distinct features apart from the occasional hat or glasses. I don’t know what caused so much segregation in the mushroom kingdom between the events of Super Paper Mario and Sticker Star but the game could stand to give some more significant characters a fresh coat of paint. get it???? get it??????

The game’s soundtrack is much more varied than I expected. Haters of Sticker Star’s jazzy tracks will be only somewhat disappointed, as there are plenty of areas that take on different genres of music, some which even sound like they could be from older Paper Mario games. The unique themes for each boss are especially cool, which is a shame considering how you won’t hear them for long.

Speaking of which, the boss fights in this game are not especially special. Despite some of them having a really cool premise they’re more like Thing puzzles than actual battles, requiring you to figure out the exact strategy to use by using the right Thing at the right time. Boss fights become impossible without the right Things, and otherwise they’re usually too straightforward and easy, making for an uninteresting fight. Fortunately, a friendly toad in Port Prisma can give you a hint on what Thing you need for an upcoming fight or puzzle.

Overall I feel like I can safely say Color Splash felt like a wild ride from beginning to end. Almost every level introduces something new and exciting whether it be a new gameplay mechanic or just something nice and funny. The humour in this game is top notch at some points although those who dislike “silly” dialogue may not be as pleased. There is not a huge amount of side content, the only big things are filling the museum and beating a rock paper scissors minigame a bunch of times. However the levels are full of little secrets here and there and there’s a lot of attention to detail.

Back when Color Splash was announced I seriously had my doubts because of how little of the game they showed. I went into this fearing that it would be just an “ok” game that was kind of boring with only a few good moments, but instead it surpassed my expectations and instead made for an experience that was really enjoyable throughout. I am sorry to the 3 Sticker Star fans out there for frequently bashing that game throughout this review but Color Splash really is a great improvement over its predecessor. There are still a few things holding it back from becoming a truly great game but I would recommend it if you like fun and you are one of the 6 Wii U owners left on earth.

#paper mario color splash

[immedtech]

How 'Puyo Puyo Tetris' tricked me into liking puzzle games

When Larry Kasanoff said he was turning the world's most iconic puzzle game into a trilogy of science fiction movies, I was speechless. After a disaster like Pixels, how could anybody look at Tetris and think there was a narrative to tell? The game may be a classic, but the narrative potential of organizing falling bricks into horizontal lines seemed weak to me. Then I played Puyo Puyo Tetris. Kasanoff's sci-fi epic still sounds terrible, but somehow it pulls off the impossible: It builds an entertaining narrative from an abstract puzzle game.

The idea of a comedy-driven story supporting a puzzle game might be novel to me, but for Puyo fans, it's par for the course. The series was originally spun off from a Japanese RPG, and the narrative aspect of the adventure series carried over to the match-four Puyo games. When the franchise merged with the classic tetromino game to create Puyo Puyo Tetris, that storytelling carried over once again. Thankfully, it doesn't take itself too seriously, offering an "adventure mode" that's little more than a collection of anime tropes performing over-the-top slapstick gags. Even so, this is more than enough to do something no other puzzle game has before: keep me engaged.

Chalk it up to personal preference or a simple ineptitude for the genre, but puzzle games have never been able to hold my interest for long. I enjoy the challenge of Dr. Mario, and indeed, Tetris is an essential piece of gaming history -- but I inevitably abandon the games when the difficulty curve outstretches my patience. With Puyo Puyo Tetris, it's oddly different. The game's silly vignettes are the perfect way to break up the endless rounds of gameplay, rewarding each victory with a few minutes of light comedy, cute characters and just enough story to make one wonder what comes next. It's the carrot that pushes me to learn how to play the game better.

It's worth the effort too. Puyo Puyo Tetris' story may be by-the-numbers anime nonsense, but it's funny nonsense, enough to make me laugh out loud repeatedly. Maybe I'm easy to please, but it drove me to learn the game -- which is surprisingly refreshing. Both the Puyo and Tetris elements of the game are competent in their own right, but as the game progresses the two play styles merge, introducing competitive game modes that pit the puzzle games against each other: One mode swaps between the two on the fly, and another forces you to play both at the same time.

These game modes are all fun on their own, but on the Nintendo Switch, they're a special joy. Pulling out Puyo Puyo Tetris at a friend's house, handing her a Joy-Con and watching her react when the game suddenly switches from Tetris to Puyo Puyo is a unique, sadistic pleasure. It's also a great case for the console's tabletop mode, and next to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it has become my go-to game for showing the multiplayer capabilities of the Switch to friends.

Every new Nintendo console needs a Tetris game, and although Puyo Puyo Tetris isn't exclusive to the Switch, it fills the role well. My hard-core puzzle-fan friends tell me there are better versions of each game available, and that's probably true -- but if you're looking for a lighthearted, genuinely funny and challenging puzzle game with a lot of variety, you can't go wrong here. Puyo Puyo Tetris is available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Wii U, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch.

- Repost from: engadget Post

#ITlive #engadget #How 'Puyo Puyo Tetris' tricked me into liking puzzle games