#&&. I just realized he looks as if he could belong in wii fit as an avatar and i am la u g h i n g

[storybounded]

Someone STOLE Scotty Boy's SUNGLASSES. Give them back :C.

[bearpillowmonster]

Xenoblade Definitive Nonspoiler Review (Main)

I've heard high opinions of this game, in fact, I don't think I've heard a bad review for this one specifically, maybe Xenoblade X or 2 but not this one. Chuggaconroy even said that it was his favorite game. I decided I wasn't going to buy it on Wii, it was rare anyway, but I started watching a playthrough of it but didn't make it much past the beginning. Shulk got in smash and now there's a definitive edition on Switch so hey, let's give it a go.

Characters first, as I expected, the Nopons are kind of annoying, I barely ever used Riki though. Who is best girl? Well for the main female characters, we have Fiora, Sharla, and Melia. I'm a bit torn between the three because they all offer something different. 

I was team Fiora from the start, I just assumed that's how it went, I had previsions to like her but when it came down to it, there wasn't a whole lot to her at first. Then things happened and I have to say, her background with Shulk makes her a strong contender. She is a lot like him in more ways than one.

So then came Melia, who I instantly really liked, and tried to keep pampered throughout my playthrough. There isn't a whole lot I can say about her without spoiling though.

Sharla is the one that I know I don't ship with Shulk. She's a few years older anyway and she'd fit with Reyn more, they push that pretty hard. But she has the best character development and is probably the most interesting, 9 times out of 10, I had her in my party because for one, she's a sniper and I love snipers and she can reach birds that a sword or even the Monado can't normally reach. And two, she's a healer.

So we have best relationship, best character, and best story. I'm leaning towards Melia as best girl overall, even if I don't know who belongs with Shulk.

As for other characters, I was afraid Dunban would get sidelined and he kind of did, he’s only there because (spoiler) is there, then he gets told certain things by the ending and it’s like it barely even fazes him, sure he had that one moment where he was kind of broken up but other than that...Now Reyn is kind of the best, he’s ironically hilarious and the one that brings the team together, even if he does make mistakes sometimes and he’s easy to make fun of, he was a decent addition. And I expected Shulk to be my favorite yet I couldn’t help but feel he wasn’t, his quirk is that he’s kind of milquetoast but he’s learning not to be, I like that aspect but I just like everybody else’s character more.

Story

I’m making this review because I’m challenging the game. I started feeling like it was all too familiar but then I realized Sword Art Online definitely took a few notes for Alicization. The dialogue is pretty campy too. It’s not clear whether Shulk SEES these visions the same as what we’re seeing as well as hearing them but if he does then he’s really oblivious. “What could this mean?” Gee uh, maybe someone crying for help?! If he was just hearing it though, I could totally understand except he talks about "seeing" things so I assume he knows. 

It's ironic, I started this because I thought the story was supposed to be good and I thought the gameplay was just something you had to accept. I ended up staying for the gameplay and thinking the story is kind of outlandish, I'm not sure where the whole Zanza thing came from and when I looked it up when I was thinking about buying this game, it didn't show that side of the story, because it's a spoiler. Yeah it’s hinted at throughout but I don’t care, it’s not my thing at all. I won't talk about it but just know that it's questionable, I thought I got rid of it with Persona 5. I wasn't going to complain about the cutscenes because Kingdom Hearts has long cutscenes but these are especially sluggish, and over nothing, Shulk sometimes just stands there and "mmph"s and "urgh"s looking at the Monado and then you enter a new area and you walk down a ramp and immediately comes another cutscene. I would start doing something else while some of the cutscenes were playing because they were so slow. Don't tell me that I shouldn't judge the story that way because first off, if it doesn't engage me enough to stay there then it's not my kind of thing and second, I only started doing that towards the end and still understood everything. It should have just ended when (to put it in non-spoiler terms) Shulk sat on the Golden Mechon. I think this game is more for people who were already fans anyway though.

As for the graphics, I’m a fan of these designs, it reminds me of a Kingdom Hearts style, kind of cartoonish and vibrant and they aren’t too realistic. Why is that? Because apparently Tetsuya Nomura himself put a little bit of influence in there. Looking up a few things here and there, I can tell that it’s definitely a glow-up over the original especially the character models, I can actually tell their faces apart. The original actually reminds me of the FF12 era. I see some people saying that it’s still not great because of the resolution but as long as it has style then it’s fine with me, I couldn't see myself playing any other version after even glancing at the improvement of these designs. 

You could call this a gameplay thing but it fits here since it's design. I really really love this one. So, with a lot of RPGs, there are equipable items, weapons, and gear but most of the time, it’s just for stats, they don’t actually show up. With this game, they do! You can customize your character essentially and it keeps it even during cutscenes. As if that wasn't good enough right? So if you just want to have the cutscenes look good but also have a style going on, there is a section to put on the gear that you want visible while also have the same attributes of the other gear you have “equipped” so no worries. The only gripe with it is that I really liked the short sleeved outfit in the trailers "The Monado style" but you know what? You have to play the epilogue to get it, "Future Connected" which means after the main story. I’m not doing that because I ended up being disappointed with the main game, why bother? I looked up some FC stuff and it seems just as messy, like they wanted to add to the ending of the game but it doesn’t add all that much from what I see. Not in terms of length but actual lore and story.

Now do I recommend this game? Ho ho, people are gonna be mad but no. Maybe I don’t understand it, but I played the game, you tell me why it’s supposedly good.

[booksandeverything-in-between]

My journalism journey

... has only just begun! 

This is my post for the “Life Narrative” assignment for JTC 326. I’ve added a “keep reading” tab because I hate putting extremely long posts on my dashboard! Keep in mind too, I’ve formatted this to fit the platform, so it’s not strictly professional. 

Also  — this is the first time I’ve shared my Tumblr with anyone who is not my sister, but it’s the perfect platform for this. 

** All pictures were taken by me unless otherwise specified, some taken from my old blog posts on here. 

A note before I start: When I first thought about this assignment, I had so many things I thought I could share, a lot of them deeply personal, somewhat dark and just not the right fit. I had a bit of a crisis; I cried a little. There is so much in my past that makes me, me, that I’ve only ever really shared with my therapist, but have generally wanted to write about. But it’s hard, and I don’t know how. And a whole lot of other stuff. BUT THEN

I realized I could share a story that I have always wanted to share! It perfectly relates to our class too and basically everything anyone would ever need to know about me! It’s amazing! I’m so excited! I hope you like it! 

(line break) 

It’s the summer before sixth grade. That’s how I define, or sort, my life, in my memories. It’s the year of school, or it’s the summer before/after. It’s not my age, or the calendar year; it’s school. For a long time my whole identity revolved around school, so it fits. 

Anyway, I’m bored. My older sister and I can only do so much Netflix-watching (because we didn’t have cable) on the Wii (because this was 2011), and I need something to stimulate my active mind. Here comes books! 

I’ve always, always been an avid reader. I was the first person in my first grade class to start reading chapter books  — something I liked to brag about a lot back then. But I’m about to be a middle schooler, so I need to find something a little more mature. My parents decide that I’m at an appropriate age to start reading some of my sister’s old books, which were originally marked for garage sale. 

One of these books has a long, juicy title, with a teen girl posed on the cover in a preppy school uniform, hand on her hip. I don’t have to look this up to remember; it is forever in my mind. The book is I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter. Juicy, right? AND I LOVE IT. Seriously. Love. It. 

Photo: I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter. 

... And I guess I move on. That part is a little fuzzy. Enter: Back to School Night, sixth grade. I always would go with my mom, because I loved school, and nights like those I thought were super cool. So, I’m hanging out with my best friend Sydney by the stairs, and she has this book from the school library with her. 

Do you believe in fate? Was it kismet? I do not know; I will not guess. But I do know, I freaked the f*ck out. Because it was the book, by Ally Carter!! I loved that book! When I asked Sydney where she got it, she said in the library, and there were a bunch of other books like it. 

That made me pause. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. Because, what do you know, it was a series!! There were three other books to be read! How, oh how, did I not know this? It had to be fate. 

I can still picture exactly where the books are, in the Preston library. The smaller shelf, up against the wall, right by the opening into the conference/meeting room space (I don’t know what we called that room???). Bottom shelf. 

Who knew a series about teenage girls going to a spy school would set me on this path? 

Suddenly it’s the summer after sixth grade, and once again, I’m bored. But, I have access to a netbook, that my grandpa gave us. Something entices me to start Googling these books. I find Ally Carter’s website. I found out that there are going to be two more books in the series. And I stumble upon this Google search suggestion, with the word fanfiction. 

And wow. 

Stories, countless stories, about my favorite books. Eventually, I make my own account on fanfiction.net, I try my hand at some of my own stories, I get a smartphone and make this very tumblr account when I turn 13, I find a place where I can express all my nerdiness in peace and all-caps, without any sort of ridicule fear. 

But that’s not the end, nor the point, of this story.��

Photo: The first four books in the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. 

(line break) 

So here I am, spending all my free time secretly reading fanfic and trying to write it, and hating my life sometimes and thinking about what I want to study in college because that’s my best chance at escape from this life that I feel I’m stuck in. 

But I can’t think of anything to write! I love to read; I enjoy writing; I am learning more about grammar because my dad has me grading his grammar quizzes he gave his JTC 300 students; but still, something isn’t right. I viscerally hate English class. 

But! There’s a way I CAN write, without it being creative! My dad is going to school for photojournalism, my sister took a high school journalism class, and now it’s my turn to register for classes in high school. I sign up for Journalism 1, the precursor to Journalism 2, which is the class that houses the student newspaper. It’s a great plan. It was a good class.

I was looking through my old journal the other day, and I came across this line dated from September 23, 2014, just into the beginning of my freshman year of high school. “I want to be a journalist.” 

Photo: A journal entry that reads, “I want to be a journalist.” 

My sophomore year of high school, I take Journalism 2 and join the paper. I’m kind of terrified because there are a bunch of people I don’t know and now I’ll actually have to go out and report and talk to people ... but we do some really fun team-building, and people seem to like me, and I relax. I feel, just a little, like a really belong. 

And I had felt that way before, during band, and with some of my friends, but this thing, this journalism thing, I’m actually good at it. And there’s this one moment that sticks out to me still. 

It’s probably 7:20 a.m. I’m trudging up the steps to Spanish class, and I do not want to be there. It’s not that I don’t like school, or I don’t like my classes, because I do. But I’m tired, and it’s not what I want to be doing. I think, if I could spend the entirety of my day in my journalism class, I would be happy. 

To this day, as a college student, I am jealous of the people who get to spend their whole days doing journalism. 

I’ve found more than a home. I’ve found a place where, for what feels like the first time, I can speak my mind. I can be sarcastic, I can make a pun and I can also point out when there’s a bad typo somewhere and have that be appreciated. 

Halfway through my first year writing for the paper, I’m given extra responsibilities and get to start copy editing articles from the students in the J1 class, and I start to learn how to redesign/maintain our Wordpress site. I go on a class trip to Los Angeles, an amazing feat of independence for me, and I feel valued. And then, I’m award the position of Copy Editor for the next school year! It’s amazing. 

I learn my junior year that the freshmen whose articles I edited were afraid of me. Afraid, of me! (For reference, I am five feet tall). But once they met me, they were like ‘Woah, Serena’s not scary!” and now we’re good friends. I’ve since learned to be less harsh/blunt in my editing. 

My senior year, I was Editor-in-Chief. That was something I dreamed about as a freshman, but wouldn’t let myself actually fathom. And even though I felt like I could have done a much better job, and I had a lot of personal sh*t to do with too, by the end of the year, I knew that I was leaving behind a strong legacy. 

It’s really something special when people you love give you a speech, crying, telling you how much you welcomed them, how much you made them feel like they had a place to grow, to be, and how much you’ve inspired them. 

Because journalism, especially student journalism, is about so much more than the news. It’s about a community. It’s community with your fellow reporters and editors, it’s comradery while kicking ass, it’s creating a community with your readers and your peers, it’s learning about the community you live in and sharing the ups and downs of life. 

Photo: A screenshot from my Instagram account of my high school journalism family, taken at our end of the year picture my junior year of high school. We had this running joke that I was going to be a world-dominator type person (because I’m so tiny and quiet) and my teacher said, “Okay, Serena now push Katie over” because I was taking over as EIC. Photo credit goes to my teacher (not going to post his name here). 

(line break)  

I have a lot of setbacks, too. I have anxiety. Like, a lot. Of anxiety. I haven’t been formally diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, but I think I should be. 

I used to think I was just shy. And that was partially the case. But I grew from it, in large part because of journalism. I went from not sitting in my designated seat at the beginning of class because there were older kids in the way my freshman year, to leading the entire class three days a week my senior year. I liked high school journalism because I could get away with asking my friends for quotes, or just not really quoting anyone at all. 

I spent one quarter at the University of Denver last year, and it was somewhat the same thing. They didn’t have any strict standards on a number of sources, and I wrote articles that didn’t require speaking to a lot of people. But then, I took over nine months off from school in what should have been my freshman year of college, and thus took nine months off from journalism and reporting. So starting at The Collegian was a challenge. 

I am still damn proud of myself for getting up the courage, on the second day of classes at CSU, to go down to the newsroom and ask about reporting. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t, and I love where I am today. 

To think that wasn’t even a year ago ... 

Photo: Here I am, remote copy editing for The Collegian, the week after Spring Break. Photo cred to my dad. 

When I started at CSU, I felt good. I was nervous, but transferring was a really good decision, and I’m from Fort Collins, so I felt more comfortable. And at first, my reporting felt really good.

But then I got too stressed with school and work, and that stress led over to increases social anxiety when I was reporting. I went to this community meeting and tried to talk to people there, but I felt helpless and quiet and I left and cried to myself. I then conducted my interviews over the phone. 

I even had to take a break for a few months last semester, because I had a panic attack with the mere thought of approaching people I didn’t know. 

But I worked through it. Aided by Xanax and peer support, I interviewed a bunch of people at the Eva Schloss event and felt really good about it. I also saw my high school journalism advisor, because his wife works at CSU Hillel, and talking to someone who knew my struggle felt good. 

For a long time I’ve doubted if journalism, if news reporting, is something I’ll actually be able to do. It’s the only real thing that makes me feel like I have a purpose, the only thing that makes me not feel depressed about life, but I am still so worried I’ll hold myself back in some way. 

That hasn’t happened yet. 

(line break) 

It’s the summer before my junior year of high school, and I am about to go meet up with the other members of the new leadership team, Katie and Kathleen, at Starbucks. I’ve recently got my license and it feels really good to be driving myself around. 

I go to Target and buy a fancy looking notebook with the last $15 I have to my name, because I don’t have a job yet. I go to Starbucks and discover I like drinking tea. I talk with Katie and Kathleen and we brainstorm what we want the journalism class to look like next year. What we want to change, how we’re going to get students to know that we exist. 

It’s the summer before my senior year, and I bring this same notebook to a meeting at Dazbog that I have with our leadership team to get ready for the school year. I’m in charge. It’s weird, but in a good way. There are a lot more people there, and I fill pages upon pages of ideas, and agendas I want to start the first weeks with. 

So much had changed in a year. My parents got divorced, I started working a lot, I was looking more seriously into college. But so much was the same. The same people, the same work, the same purpose. It was good. 

It’s the second semester of my first year at CSU, my sophomore year of college. I’m at home, cleaning my room, procrastinating because I don’t want to write my final essay. I get a text from Laura, asking if I’ve heard back about the editorial board yet. I had shut my phone off because I was checking my email so obsessively. 

And there it is. I am going to be the 2020-2021 News Editor for The Rocky Mountain Collegian. I still don’t fully feel like I know what I’m doing, even though I have all this experience. News is happening, but it’s summer. Do I write about it? Do I ask other people to write about it? Can I express the authority and knowledge I know I have, to people who have more experience at the paper than I do? It’s still early. 

The day I get the news, I pull out an old, blue notebook that’s barely filled. It’s the perfect place to start brainstorming the things I want to change on the desk and the things I think are super important for Laura and me to talk about. 

I forgot that I had notes from my Editor-in-Chief days in there. 

Photo: The notebook!

It feels like I’ve completed a circle. Like all the highs and lows of my last few years have led me to here, right back to where I’m supposed to be. Where I’ve always known I would be. 

I know who I am; I know where I belong; I know my place and my purpose in this world. 

Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series brought me to writing, and writing brought me to journalism. In my obsession with those books, the unofficial motto of the CIA really resonated with me. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” 

Community and truth, that’s journalism. 

I want to be a journalist.

I am a student journalist.

I am a journalist. 

[popkas]

So for this I looked up yoga poses because I figured I could find a fun, dynamic, challenging position to practice anatomy with.  Turns out most yoga just looks like you’re leaning over or laying down.  I found a neat idea for couples yoga and thought, oh hey, I could do both trainers in one image like that.  But I thought about it a little and realized it would look like they were having sex.  The pose I went with didn’t look that challenging at first, but it turned out to be satisfyingly difficult.  It still didn’t look right, though...until I changed the lines of her face from black to grey.  Now she’s correct.

I’m so baffled by the choice to put Wii Fit Trainer in the game.  She really does represent an interesting part of Nintendo’s history.  The Wii was basically the catalyst for the casual gaming market and people made a huge deal out of Wii Fit.  But are they ever going to make another one?  The Switch’s joycons would probably integrate well into some kind of balance board peripheral.  They could release it with some kind of Nintendo-branded fitbit type device.  People would eat it up.  But I don’t think that idea’s really on the table.  The Trainer was added to Smash 4 long after Wii Fit stopped being relevant, and I just find that so WEIRD.  I guess I’m just being silly, it’s not like we expect Nintendo to release another R.O.B. game but he belongs in Smash.  Wii Fit Trainer is the same way.

[meganlpie]

Cold

Anonymous asked: Hi there! Could I get a Thor x Fem Reader imagine please! Maybe where the Reader is a really badass fighter and comes off as cold to almost everyone but her and Thor are so sweet together? Thank you so much love!

Here you go, lovely! I do not own ANY of the Avengers. They belong to Marvel. 

Warnings: Fluff, I think that’s it.

Pairings: Thor x fem!reader, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, mentions of the rest of the Avengers, but not by name. 

All your life, you kept to yourself unless necessary. It was how you grew up. Watch and learn, no need to talk. So, when you moved into the Avengers Tower with the team, you kept to that. You did your job and you did it well, bringing down some of your toughest opponents.  You weren’t  intentionally standoffish. You liked everyone, you just weren’t sure how to express it. So, you ended up coming off as cold and unfeeling. Until you met Thor anyway.

               Thor was your social opposite. He was boisterous and never afraid to let his opinions be heard. When he liked someone, he let them know. While the others were content to let you be until you opened up to the them, Thor wasn’t. From the moment he met you, he was curious about you. When Thor got curious, the questions started and they didn’t stop until he had answers. That was apparently just what you needed.

               You were sitting on your own one day, as usual, while everyone else was talking amongst themselves. The words on the page in front of you were suddenly blocked by something being shoved into your face. Surprised, you glance up and saw Thor was holding out a poptart for you to take. “Lady Y/N, I have noticed that you do not converse with us. You seem unhappy and I wish to help,” Thor boomed, shoving the pastry back into your face. “No one can be unhappy when they taste this delicious delicacy!”

               He was so passionate about the subject that you couldn’t help but to smile. The smile soon turned to giggles and then, you were full on guffawing at his innocent passion for the unhealthy breakfast food. The others were now watching you with looks of pure and utter shock.

               "Wait…she’s laughing? At Point Break? I’ve been trying to get her to laugh for months and nothing! All of a sudden, she’s laughing at something Thor did?!“ Tony cried, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. You stopped laughing, wiped your eyes and returned to your usual deadpan expression before saying, "You’re not that funny, Stark.”

               Thor was still standing and waiting for you to take his offering. Smiling again, you carefully took it and patted the seat next to you, inviting Thor to sit down. Thor’s grin was bright as he sat down. Slowly taking a bite of the poptart, you sighed. Thor was right. It was nearly impossible to not be happy while eating a poptart.

               You glanced over at Thor and found his eyes already on you and twinkling merrily. He reached over and brushed away some crumbs from your cheek. “Lady Y/N,” Thor began, his voice softer than you’d ever heard it, “Why do you not socialize with the rest of us? We are not unkind.” You frowned a little, but nodded. “I know, Thor. I just…I’ve never fit in anywhere. I was raised to keep to myself. I worry that the others won’t like me.”

               Thor’s smiled softly. “We do not know you enough to not like you.” You giggled softly. “I guess.” You looked away shyly, but Thor gently took your chin in his hand and turned your face back to him. “Perhaps you are overwhelmed? So many people trying to know you at once.” You pondered his words for moment. They actually made a lot of sense. Thor was smarter than people gave him credit. “I think you’re probably right.” Thor looked pleased as punch to hear that someone agreed with him. “Then perhaps we should try to get to know you one at a time. Starting with me?” You agreed with little hesitation.

               Weeks passed quickly and you soon realized that you liked Thor. A lot. He was always able to make you laugh and, even though it could be annoying, Thor didn’t let you spend too much time in your own head. He made sure to try and talk to you at least once a day. You spent a lot of time playing games or just talking. You would teach Thor about Midgardian customs and he told you all about Asgard. You two spent so much time together and were so adorable together, the others were beginning to wonder why you weren’t dating.

               "It’s almost sickening, isn’t it?“ Tony asked, making everyone else roll their eyes. "You’re just upset because she opened up to Thor first.” They were currently watching you try to teach Thor how to play Mario Kart…gently. After the Wii bowling incident, Tony ruled out any games that required too much movement at least for Thor. It was actually really sweet.

               Suddenly, you glanced up at the rest of the team and gave them an unsure smile. “You guys want to play?” you asked, taking them all by surprise. Thor glanced down at you and grinned. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulled you close and kissed your temple. In an instant, the rest of the Avengers were in the living room, all “fighting” about who would play first.

               You and Thor sat back on the couch, enjoying the scene in front of you. “How about Nat, Sam, Y/N and Tony first?” Steve suggested. You glanced at Thor who nodded in encouragement. You took the remote back from Thor and sat up fully, ready to play.  In moments, you were enjoying yourself and laughing along with the rest of the team. Thor watched with a wide smile on his face. He was proud that you were finally letting the others see the person you really were.

(a/n: I hope you like it, lovely!)

Tagging: @fairytalesexistxx @brewsthespirit-blog @jotink78 @hopelessgarbage @gameofwinters