#(blood player blood player blood pla

[volo-omnia]

Pokemon Legends Arceus is about Home and what it means to create a Home, change my mind (a mini essay)

Main series titles in the Pokemon series tend to follow themes and explorations of them. With mythology and tradition from Gold/Silver, our relationship to nature in Ruby/Sapphire, truth vs ideals in Black and White, and even the reoccurring themes of treasure and past vs future in Scarlet and Violet.

While PLA is a new departure from most series titles, it still explores a bunch of themes that are central to its story. While the land of ancient Hisui is partial to old traditions, divine gods, and the endless wild, several characters in the game have a recurring theme surrounding on the idea of "Home". This could be how "home" is defined, how one creates a home, and what it means to lose one.

One of the foremost examples of this is you, the player. While we know nothing of the player character outside of what is shown in the intro sequence and possible dialogue choices, the prompt of PLA is obvious. You were taken from your home by Arceus to be dropped into Hisui. Whatever life you had before, you will never come back to. And upon waking up on the beach that Laventon finds you, you have little to no memory, no money, no pokemon, and no where to go.

You have no home.

Now for the player character while it can be interpreted or headcanon a variety of possibilities, (such as the player character being the same player character from D/P/Pt) because it's a player character and meant to be a blank slate, we essentially don't know anything about the hero canonically outside of this. For all intents and purposes the hero has no home to begin with. But there is one thing we know. By the end of the game when you finally meet and defeat Arceus, he doesn't send us back home. We remain in Hisui. Once again, we cannot return to the home we came to. Hisui is our forever home now, but the choice is ours whether we accept or reject it.

This theme occurs a lot with the other characters of the game, to which we will be going through them.

One of the first characters in this game that also hits with this theme is Commander Kamado. Throughout the game it is specifically described as to how his character game to be. His home in Kanto was destroyed by wild pokemon, to which he and the other villagers had to immigrate to Hisui. Upon landing at Prelude Beach, they build Jubilife Village, a haven with large protective gates and guards always on patrol, ensuring security. It's their home, and Kamado repeatedly tells you throughout the game how he's determined to build a home for the village and himself. Even when the skies turn blood red and he banishes you into the wilds, he's determined to fight tooth and nail to protect his home.

This is one of the more obvious examples. Kamado has no home to return to. But in doing so with perseverance, he creates a new one. Even though Hisui is quite different from his old home in Kanto, he does settle with creating a new home, one that is safe, prospering, and peaceful. But when his home is threatened, he does not go back down to protect it.

A home is something you build.

Another similar example of this is the dynamic of Adaman and Irida. Their clans too migrated from other lands to Hisui, eventually settling on the land and living with the local pokemon. From their eyes, a home is something you must share and work together with. Even though they both warred over their patron gods, both the young clan leaders are determined to create a home that is peaceful and without bloodshed between them. However since this is the age of religious folks, insulting one's household deity is also akin to insulting one's home.

To some, a god is a home.

Later in the game we also encounter Lady Cogita. She like most, has no home. While Hisui is the land she has lived in for many years, her original home is long lost to time. As one of the Celestica, all of her people and culture have long disappeared, her god gone, and her old home now reduced to ruins scattered across the land. While she does reside in the Ancient Retreat, was it ever truly her home? That given her long life, does she ever miss the home she once had, and still vividly remembers? Is a home a home if you have no one to share it with? Does she ever feel homesick for her god that no longer answers her? She is a character with many mysteries to her, but you can't help but wonder what burdens could be going through her mind. The deities of time and space may have created the land, but is it the same as creating a home?

And most of all we cannot forget Volo. Your rival, nemesis, and literary foil. Unlike the others, he has no home, but has no home to return to either. Like Cogita, he too has lost all of his Celestica roots. However unlike Cogita, it's unknown whether he actually knows what their home was like before. Since we don't know canonically if Volo was alive at the same time as Cogita, we can assume he came long after the ruin of the Celestica, as he regularly questions her on the myths and traditions of a culture he isn't familiar with. He is a character that was born without a home, and tries desperately to pick up its pieces by ancient stories and writings on ruin walls. He also desperately yearns for his household god, as Arceus has long disappeared in the eyes of the world along with the Celestica.

Volo, as a character, is defined by his homesickness.

However unlike the hero, Volo refuses to accept Hisui as his home. As we all know at the end of the game when Volo reveals his true colors, he mentions that he wishes to subjugate Arceus to create a new world. In a desperate attempt to create a home he can finally accept, his wish is to create one with the powers of his god, and have pain and suffering be long-forgotten concepts. What makes Volo the villain in this scenario however, is that in order to complete this goal, it will destroy the homes of everyone else. In a grand act of selfishness, Volo is willing to destroy the homes of others in order to create his own. A home is something he is willing to destroy.

Overall throughout the game, the theme of what makes a "home" is repeated. Whether it be characters losing their home, characters trying to build a home, or characters trying to simply find a home. And as you play the game, the world around the hero changes. As humans and pokemon start to work together, their lives and homes start to become intertwined, creating a new life for everyone around them.

All lives touch other lives to create something anew and alive. That is a home.

[cookiealchemieart]

ITS DONE!!!! BY GOD ITS DONEEEEE!!!! I've been wanting to finish this comic with my PLA OC for-fucking-EVER!!!! AND ITS DONE!!! AAAA!!! TLDR: Shiki (the player insert oc) gets kicked out of jubilife village bc kamado is sus of them, and after going to the clans and getting turned down, decides to make a blood pact with some zoroark and burn that village to the ground to feel its warmth or something. Also volo follows them to the cave bc "hey thats my main character". Fun fact! This is why Shiki is a werewolf and immortal! Fun times all around id say

Maybe this time I'll post it to the right blog

[jadeazora]

Genuinely can't wait to see what the Masters team is cooking with this guy, and what his Sync Pair Story will be like, since he's likely gonna be Master Fair-worthy.

I would probably say, that of the Pokémon villains, he has the highest threat level. Like Lysandre and Cyrus, he aspires to essentially wipe everyone and everything out, but they fall a bit short due to kinda mellowing out (Lysandre is still extremely dangerous, but at least is willing to give Sycamore and the Kalos kids a chance to bring about a better future, and they've been making Cyrus more of a sympathetic character for years now, establishing that he comes from a background of implied emotional abuse, his ambiguous regret shown in Ultra, and his portrayal in Masters has just been building on having him start to change, with him shifting his goals towards completing spirit and even Cynthia realizing he's motivated by a sense of deep despair.)

And like Ghetsis, he's a very dangerous manipulator who tried to murder the player in cold blood, but Ghetsis still falls short since he's more out for world domination than anything else. (Of note, even he doesn't have a Sync Pair Story yet.) He also refuses redemption like Ghetsis does, he seemed to have an epiphany about why Arceus chose us at the end of PLA, before the Azure Flute appeared to us and he doubled down on his jealousy.

I kinda wonder if, like Ghetsis, he will remain unredeemed (maybe just pretending to turn over a new leaf a bit like Giovanni did in his introductory event) or if he'll kinda be talked down somehow, a bit like how Lysandre was?

[zozo720]

Today on "lukewarm takes nobody cares about" All my problems with Legends Arceus, specifcally the story-related ones, come down to how unbelievably rushed the "true" ending feels The main ending with Origin Form Dialga/Palkia? It's good, it's fine, it's a climax that the game does a good job building up to. Kamado is an ass but that's clearly intentional, and at least he has a clear motive and all that.

The postgame ending feels like they came up with the Volo fight first, and then had to scramble to create literally any justification for it to happen. They basically just gave him Cyrus's motivation, made him look vaguely "crazy and evul XD" and hand-waved it as "Oh, the Celestica tribe is involved".

And I must ask... who even ARE the Celestica people at this point? They're VERY vaguely talked about in the Old Verses, it's implied Cogita wrote them, which implies that she's the last Celestican, which implies that Volo MIIIIGHT be a descendant of them, which is why he says "the blood of the ancient Sinnoh people flows through my veins". Please note how much I said "Implies". There's having hidden lore and leaving it up for interpretation, and then there's vaguely shrugging and dumping incoherent, very-easy-to-miss text. All this is to say, Volo's motives are indecipherable, not because he's a multi-dimensional character, but because they don't bother elaborating on them, he's just a helpful friendly guy the whole game and then BAM, he was actually evil and crazy all along! It's no wonder fan interpretations of him range from "tragic sexy sad-boy who's upset because his indigenous people were wiped out for unknown reasons" and "insane murder-man who's immortal and for some reason, really likes screwing with NYC subway conductors from the future. Also he's sexy." And then there's the Arceus ending. Simply put, WHY is there nothing to say that the player character would be able to go home? I've seen several responses genuinely upset at the prospect of the MC being stuck in Hisui forever, possibly ripped away from their life and family. And even if you assume the MC has no problem staying in Hisui forever, that doesn't address the Copperajah in the room that is Ingo.

Now, Ingo being in PLA was cool back when the game first came out, but over time, it's become apparent that this was a pretty lame move. Most PLA discussion and fics are centered solely around either him or Volo (usually with ableist stereotypes in abundance) all at the expense of the other genuinely interesting cast of PLA.

And of course, of COURSE, they don't bother resolving his arc at all. The most he gets is an implication that his memories might return, but then what? He'll still be stuck in Hisui, except now he can remember what he's lost? Is this Arceus's "grand plan" or something? Now sure, for gameplay reasons, the player would wanna stay so they can keep playing the game, but there are so many ways to write around that, as demonstrated by the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. That series always ends with the MC having to return home or disappear, but they always come back somehow. There's always some justification for it. In Legends Arceus, nothing gets truly resolved aside from the conflict with Kamado and Dialga/Palkia. Volo? His goals with Giratina are stopped and he just gets to walk away scot-free. No punishment, and no elaboration on his motives. Cogita and the Celestica tribe? All we get are allusions and vagueries in the Incarnate Forces sidequest. Arceus's mission to "seek out all Pokemon"? Your reward is that he invites you to his space apartment and beats the stuffing out of you. The Player/Ingo? Stranded in Hisui with, as of now, no canon return home.

[rpgsandbox]

Ryoko’s Guide is a 350+ page book bursting with incredible kaiju, inspirational player options, and game-enhancing mechanics that revolutionise Gargantuan scale combat in D&D 5e. Stories and folktales of yokai paint a vibrant, dangerous world, giving GM’s the power to breathe life into any setting. Inspired by ancient mythology through to contemporary popular culture, enhance your game and expand the 5e system with Ryoko's Guide!

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Conjure stratospheric levels of excitement and panic as players scale, leap, and desperately battle rampaging kaiju. Totally transform combat with a rules expansion to 5e, as adventurers exploit unique vulnerabilities, adapt to chaotic, changing behaviours, and utilise ingenious ninja prosthetics to overcome unbelievable odds.

New Class: Element Bender

Harness elemental forces! Wield pillars of flame, redirect torrents of icy water, and surf on a storm of rising winds. 

The bender class allows you to mix and match elements as you progress in levels. You can specialise in one element or dip into them all to become a master of earth, water, fire, and air!

New Spells! Master over 40 new spells! Enhance your abilities with the full versatility and power of raw, primordial magic.

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Invoke your yokai ancestry, combining blade with spell as a hanataka-tengu. Skip across lakes and oceans as a blossoming fuyo-ren,  or channel the colossal strength and frigid resilience of mountains as a hulking, ape enkoh. Become one with the yokai realms as any one of 10+ races (14 subraces total!).

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Surprise your players with unfamiliar creatures, where every stat block tells a story, and danger lurks behind every corner... 

Populate your landscape with the magic of tricksy and dangerous yokai, with incredible twists and original mechanics in every stat block. With more than 50 creatures, this book is a bestiary unto itself!

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What’s better than defeating a kaiju? Biomancing its blood into an adorable yokai companion that follows you around! Even better, each of the 10 new bespoke familiars comes with a unique tech tree compatible with the Tamer class (first introduced in Heliana’s Guide). Choose your upgrades and craft your ultimate companion to become the very best that no-one ever was.

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[alpaca-clouds]

For those of us who've not touched bg3 but are a fan of sexy vampires...Could you give a quick rundown on Astarion? Or is his lore too extensive?

Sure enough.

I will put this under a cut, though, for those who do not want to be spoiled. (Now I? I totally spoiled myself for the part of the plot I have not reached because with work my plaing has gotten slow.)

So, Astarion is one of your main companions in the game. The very, very short of the game set up (in terms non-DnD-players can understand): You got kidnapped by tentacle monsters who put a tadpole into your brain that is gonna turn you into a tentacle monster as well. Through circumstances you escape the tentacle monsters though before you can be turned and now try to get the tadpole out of your brain before you can grow said tentacles.

Now, your main companions all have the same issue. So does Astarion. You meet him soon after escaping the tentacle monsters. He appears to be an elf, some of your companions note he is a bit pale, but at least my very stupid bard was like: "He looks perfectly fine to me."

But of course you are gonna find him nibbling on your neck sooner or later. And from there on you find out a bit about him.

Now, this sad, sad vampire has been stabbed 200 years ago on the streets of Baldur's Gate, upon which he was found by a vampire. Cazador. Cazador was like: "You can die or you can allow me to turn you into a vampire." And Astarion wanted to live. So he allowed himself to be turned.

But Cazador only turned him into a vampire spawn. (Explanation: In DnD it is a weird mix. Vampires can turn you by just biting you, but until you drink their blood you are only vampire spawn, giving your vampire sire a lot of control over you.)

Cazador is the most horrible, shittiest asshole to ever have walked under this sky. He proceeded to take this poor vampire man who was now under his control and tortured him, raped him, prostituted him, abused him, and at times even used mind control to make Astarion torture himself. According to Astarion Cazador liked his screams so much.

Boy, I am looking forward to killing Cazador. (Or rather letting Astarion do the deed.)

Now, Astarion's character quest mostly involves the fact that Cazador carved something into his back. You will find out, that it is basically a spell that is meant to sacrifice Astarion and his vampire spawn siblings in a ritual so that Cazador can through that gain powers no other vampire has ever had before.

And boy, Astarion is so sad and traumatized and I just wanna hug him and tell him everything is gonna be alright, okay?

The game really managed to gut punch me, before I got spoiled.

See, if you do the romances, it is very dependend on the character how quick you get to a sexy time scene. In the case of Astarion the romance quest starts with him offering you sex. So me, horny as I am, was like: "Yay, let's fuck the sexy vampire." Only to then later learn of his tragic backstory and figure out that the reason he offers you sex that early is, that he never had anyone look out for him before and had thought it was conditional on him offering sex. And I was like: "Oh. Oh baby. Oh baby. I am sorry. Q-Q"

But he is really well written.

Not to spoil too much here, but for the first two acts he is like a very abrasive asshole. Because he is in full survival mode and he does not understand what is going on and all that. And all he ever knew was cruelty and violence. So he thinks that it is the only way to act. But if you are playing a good, heroic character he is slowly gonna come around to you. And he slowly is gonna start to believe that indeed you are being good because you are good and not because you have some greater goal. And then in Act 3 the sweetest thing happens, when you are nice and he suddenly... is also acting nice. It is just so sweet.

But yeah, I wanna hug him and hold him and kiss him and make everything alright. And I will probably spend a good while writing healing fics for him.

[niragisimp]

The Pain Before (Niragi X Reader) (Part Seven)

Part Six, Part Eight, Series Masterlist

TW: Blood, some stabby-stabs

Note: One day I swear I’ll learn how to dialogue. One day.

Game night was upon the members of the Beach as they stood, crowded in what was once a lobby for the resort. (Y/N) was standing in between Kuina and Chishiya, eyes on the Hatter as he spoke the same speech he gave every game day. Everyone let out cheers, most still drunk from the afternoon rave. 

Slips of paper were handed out to the crowd by a few executives, holding your slip you looked down at the number printed, "5," it read. You turned to Kuina and Chishiya, both holding up the number "2." You sighed, pursing your lips and nodded, wishing them both well in their games mentally. They reciprocated the gesture, Kuina adding a smile. 

You headed outside and to the car with a bright "5" written on the side. You stood by the door, waiting for your group to gather. Two others had approached you, getting into the front seats. You didn't recognize either of them by name yet, but they were rather new to the beach. You let out a heavy sigh, crossing your arms as you got into the car's backseat, your patience wearing thin. You were waiting on one more person, who definitely liked to take their time, apparently.

Niragi began to squeeze the trigger as the man suddenly burst out crying, "Take it! P-please, just take it!" He held out his slip of paper, hands trembling. Niragi smiled coyly, ripping the paper out of his hands. "See, was that so hard?" He laughed, slamming the butt of his rifle into the man's face. He looked down at the slip proudly, gleaming at the number written on it. He slung his rifle over his shoulder, proudly walking to the cars waiting outside. He looked down the line of vehicles, eyes darting from one to another. A smile spread across his face as he found it, a blue car with a bright number five written across the doors. 

You were too busy making small talk with your two group members you hadn't noticed him approach the car. The door swung open, making you jump in your seat. You swallowed a breath, knowing already by shirt and rifle who your group was waiting on. You pushed yourself into the corner of your seat as much as you could, trying not to be too obvious. By the look on Niragi's face when he slammed the door behind him, you were failing.

The silence in the car was nearly deafening. The two men in front, the ones that were laughing with you at some lame attempt of introducing yourselves just minutes ago, both as silent as could be. You could feel the tension radiating off Niragi, seemingly glaring daggers into the two up front. 

It wasn't long before the car rolled up to the stadium, lights beaming into the sky. You hurriedly got out, welcoming the fresh air that greeted you. You took a deep breath, closing the car door behind you, and walking into the lit entrance. Niragi trailed behind you, the two others in front of you. The four of you each grabbed a phone next to the "One per Player" sign, letting it scan your features. There were already a few people in the arena waiting for the game to begin, your group splitting up amongst them.

Niragi stuck to you like glue, never letting you get more than a few steps ahead of himself. You waited patiently, trying not to look nervous. Arenas typically meant only one kind of game; Spades, your weakness. It wasn't long thankfully before the announcement rang out, "Registration has now closed. Twelve players entered. The game will be: Obstacle Course. Game difficulty: Seven of Spades."

You tried not to let your disappointment show as your heart began to beat faster, a small bead of sweat dripping down the back of your neck. Everyone made their way to the start line, audible gasps heard from some. The arena had seemingly been carved out, squares of cement being held in place by small steel rods throughout. The walls were covered in spikes; spears hung from the ceiling by a literal thread. The entire place, in a serious sense, was a death trap. 

The start bell rang out loudly, much to your displeasure. You stood back, observing those who chose to maneuver through the cement blocks first, and much to their surprise they were not, in fact, held up by the steel rods underneath them, but rather merely placed on top of them. You held firm in your blank expression as two fell to their deaths into the pit beneath them, the blocks giving away almost immediately. The third stood gingerly atop the block, his arms shaking. It wasn't hard to read people in these situations, he was most certainly going to die. 

You don't know what happened to the rest of your group. Somewhere along the line, you had gotten separated from them. You were gingerly making your way across the ledge, your chest hugging the wall the best you could. You could hear the man grunt angrily on your side, spitting into the void that was a certain death pit behind you. "Would you hurry the hell up?!" He shouted at you, grabbing your wrist and pulling you backward. Your footing had failed you as you fell, barely catching yourself on the ledge.

"What the fuck?!" You screamed as the man above you laughed, placing his foot heavily on your fingers gripping the ledge. "Women are so useless, every one of ya, why don't you just die already?!" He brought his foot down on your left hand, crushing it beneath him. You let out a scream, feeling at least one of your fingers breaking under the pressure. You closed your eyes and gritted your teeth, all you had to do was wait for him to move on, then you would hopefully be able to pull yourself up again.

You let out the breath you hadn't realized you were holding when you felt a sudden relief in your hand. You looked up, eyes going wide with horror. Above you stood Niragi, his knife shoved into the man's throat. Blood was dripping down his arm as he pulled his knife out, using the same arm to push him down into the pit. You wanted to scream, but nothing could come out as your breath hitched in your throat. Niragi looked down at you, his eyes scanning yours for a moment. 

You let out a surprised yelp as he grabbed you by your arm, hoisting you up. His arm wrapped around your waist as your feet hit the ledge, gaining their footing once more. "Wh-what are you--" You could feel his calm heartbeat as his eyes locked onto yours, a small "shh," escaping from his lips. You silently nodded after a moment of silence, his arm tightening around you.

His grip was warm, not harsh like you thought it would be. But then again, you would've never thought Niragi would be helping you either, so maybe anything is possible. He held you close to him as he guided the both of you to the other side safely. You thought he would let you go after that, but you were proven wrong. He held you by his side until you both made it passed the finish line, clearing the game.

The announcement didn't take long as the time limit was passed. "Congratulations! You have successfully cleared the game. You have earned seven days on your Visa." You let out a sigh as relief washed through you. You hadn't noticed until you felt the breeze on your face that you were being led out of the arena with Niragi's hand in yours, gently pulling you along toward the car. Your eyes were beginning to hang heavy as he ushered you into the car, opening the door for you. You looked towards the arena as he started the car from the driver's side, hoping to see the other two members of your group walk out after you.

Niragi stepped on the gas, leaning over towards you for only a moment, "They didn't make it. Spikes." You put your head down, nodding in understanding. The ride back was as silent as it was beforehand, even as you said a silent prayer for the other two, the only noise of comfort was the sound of tires running over the few potholes that riddled the street.

The Beach filled the sky with lights. From afar, one might even think it was a game arena, but the triumphant noise coming from inside would prove one wrong. Niragi drove up to the entrance, and looking over you could see his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Your legs ached, and warm water was calling your name. He pulled the car up to the front doors, turning to you and breaking the silence. "Stay away from that snake." He spat out his words, tension echoing throughout the car. You opened the door and stepped out before turning back and looking him in his eyes, "He said the same thing about you." You shut the door, swearing you heard him catch his breath. 

Niragi watched in disbelief as you walked past the open doors and up the stairs to your floor. He clenched his jaw and slammed on the steering wheel, frustration boiling inside him. "Did she just ignore me?," his thoughts echoed. His eyes burned with anger as he caught that smirk out of the side of his vision, there stood Chishiya, hands in pockets as always, a sly smile crept across his face. "Trouble in paradise?" He sneered as he watched the blonde walk leisurely into the building, only quickening his pace to catch up with (Y/N). Niragi felt the pressure on his jaw as he saw Chishiya stop you, tapping your shoulder and swinging his arm around you. He saw you laugh as if anything that cat could say would ever be funny.

Niragi snapped back to the present as rain started to pour from the sky. He looked up into the dark sky, sighing at the sudden change of weather. He remembered once again the girl in the alleyway all those years ago, recalling it was raining that day as well. He looked back into the building, watching (Y/N) and Chishiya talk in the hallway. His heart shot adrenaline through him as he recalled her face, your face. It was you. The girl running from Haru, from your own brother, mascara stained and top partially ripped open--.

His breath caught in his throat as he began to piece together information from his memories. He grabbed his rifle, hopped out, and slammed the car door shut, leaving the keys. He walked into the building, eyes roaming the halls for you. He caught the back of your swimsuit from the corner of his eyes, walking towards Chishiya's room. He gripped his gun, running up the stairs. He approached you fast, grabbing your hand and swinging you around to face him,

"We need to talk."

[dittydipity]

just finished my pla replay and volo makes me giggle and kick my feet. he is so unwell <3

Ever since I became convinced that Arceus really does exist, there has been one question that consumed my thoughts... How can I meet such a being myself? It was in an attempt to answer this question that I originally sought out Giratina and had it tear open that rift in space and time... After all, Giratina wished to stand against Arceus.

you summoned the devil to your side so you could strike god down together. you know within yourself despite all your self-righteousness and haughtiness that you could never hope to rise to divinity and so you plan and you scheme all this to bring it down to your level.

Why? How?! I've devoted myself to Arceus beyond any other! I worshiped it as the creator of our entire world! I bent all of my passion and interest to its study! All the time I've spent poring over the legends… Everything that I've done—! You outsider! It's almost as if you were spat out of the space-time rift just to get in my way!

and your efforts go unheard. how does it feel to have the only acknowledgement you receive from the deity you so worship be to obstruct your wishes. and by proxy.

How? How could this happen?! Almighty Arceus, if you have any heart within you, then tell me… The blood of the ancient Sinnoh people flows in my veins, does it not?! What is it, then, that you find so lacking in me?!

so now you turn to implore the higher beings once again? your prayers from before may have been answered by the wrong god and that was their mistake. but now even if they are listening, they will not hear you from your place in hell. and that is your mistake.

... and then the azure flute appears in the player's hands right in front of volo gahieojlfaksldg arceus hates his ass SO much volo convinced himself that he was abandoned by arceus and in doing so created the self-fulfilling prophecy

he is simultaneously god's favorite and least favorite plaything frrrr

[extremesalsaing]

Two for the year: Games 2022

Last year on Twitter, I tweeted two favorites of 2021, across games, movies and albums. I liked that way of doing things, and decided to do it again! When I did it before, I was able to capture a pair of very different new games - one broad and expansive (Monster Hunter Rise) and one smaller and tighter (Metroid Dread). This year, I played fewer new games, and put a lot more hours into them. I promise the day will come again when I lift up something other than Switch games, but not today.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Talking about Pokemon in 2022 is a sticky, disgusting thing to do. We've spent years now talking about how the series has a million roadblocks keeping it from evolving - all of them coming from within. Not only is Game Freak trapped under an unfair and unlivable work pace at the hands of The Pokemon Company, but its own leadership has internally been firmly resistant to change. Sword and Shield truly got the conversation going around the ways in which the franchise refuses to move forward, from the top down. The Wild Area idea pushed at the walls of the dusty box that every game in the franchise has sat inside for over two decades.

That all changed at the start of this year. Pokemon Legends: Arceus breaks the box down, wall by wall, and reimagines what it means to be in the Pokemon world. From capturing to collecting, Pokemon feels like something new than it did, and I hope beyond hope that the series is able to really start moving forward. From moment 1, I couldn't deny the feeling that this franchise was trying something new. At god-damn last.

Completing the Pokedex no longer just means capturing every Pokemon, but completing lists of tasks unique to each one of them. They turned that task into a project that I actually enjoyed enough to finish it - the PLA Pokedex being the first I have ever finished. Finding the rare Pokemon you're looking for isn't just about running around in the grass for a rare spawn rate, but waiting for the right time of day or night, and being careful not to spook a timid Turtwig back into the forest.

Players have been playing Pokemon functionally the same way for over 25 years, and this is the first "core entry" to change that in ways that go beyond adding a new gimmick or mechanic. It changes what the player's relationship to the world is. It's the first time in Pokemon that you can scale a mountain, get to the top, see a Togekiss flying around in circles, and spend half an hour figuring out how to skillfully and tactically bonk it with custom-crafted balls until maybe, just maybe, you chance your way into catching it. It's an easy shot to say that it's adopting Breath of the Wild design sensibilities, but it's pretty undeniable that this game wants you to feel small in a big, wild world. Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the first time I have been felt really challenged to learn something new by this franchise in at least a decade, and god, I hope it's not the last.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 3 are both about a group of central characters learning that "the way things are" is a fake idea. The world is constructed based on rules, and those rules are written by people with names and addresses - even if the name is "Zanza the Great" and the place is called "Prison Island." In XC1, this revelation comes gradually, over the course of a journey that starts out as a simple revenge mission and ends as a fight to save a world that was engineered as one living being's life source. It's the blood cells rebelling against the body. Late into the game, protagonist Shulk learns that he - and by association, all of his friends - has been a pawn in a system whose nature was too big for him to understand.

XC3 is also about this, but much faster. What I have described as happening over the whole of the first game happens to two opposing groups of soldiers in the first two hours of this one. Xenoblade Chronicles 3's six main characters are child soldiers, who don't know that there's anything else to be. They're born at some ambiguous age around 10 or so, are given decade-long natural lifespans, and then dissolve into light when their time is up. Every soldier in every colony across the world is fighting for their lives - literally. Groups of soldiers harvest the life force of their foes, absorbing them into enormous machines that power the lives of their soldiers. It's a tightly-locked system, an endless cycle of soldiers killing each other to stay alive, all for a purpose none of them are given the leeway to even ask. Every one of them is born too deep into the system to understand that there is a system at all.

So, what happens when a group of people is removed from that system? The opening of XC3 culminates with two opposing trios of soldiers coming together to investigate the presence of an unknown force on a battlefield, which leads to all of them becoming untethered from the Flame Clock - the instruments of control that keep the soldiers of both armies locked in a fight to drink each others' life away. Suddenly untethered, and given new abilities defined by their newfound unity, the six protagonists are given a direction and told to go there in search of answers for the question that those oppressed aren't often given the chance to really act on: What made the world this way?

From there, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a story about liberating your fellows from the systems that hold you down, as the party frees colony after colony from both sides. It's also about coming to terms with mortality and tells a series of very intimate and tender stories about loss, old and new alike. Third, it's about young people learning and expressing what love is without...knowing what love is. Its plot is about teenagers and young adults learning how to be people, which is something I am an unabashed and wholehearted sucker for.

The story eventually culminates in a simpler fashion than I was hoping for, but the journey is something I will not manage to get out of my head for a long time. On top of that, it builds arguably the best version of the Xenoblade combat system, marrying ideas from the first two games with a job class system that initially felt overwhelming, but later transformed into a series of gifts, each new one opening up what I could do further and further. The gameplay is great, even if it's not the main thing I'm talking about when I write about it. I'm not sure if it's topped the original for me, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has a heart, soul and mind that will likely stay close to mine forever. What a beautiful and special game.

Okay, thanks! I will probably write one of these about movies and maybe music as well! I also put this on my Cohost, out of curiosity to see where more people are reading them, as we all navigate this terrible post-Elon world. Cheers!

[tf2workbench]

Serious charges

In 2017, the Jungle Inferno update introduced a new kind of charge meter with the Gas Passer, which will regenerate over time or with the damage you deal. When I went over that weapon, I briefly alluded to the different charge meters on different items, but I wanted to take some time to discuss them more deeply.

There are currently four (main) kinds of charge meters in TF2: 1. Charge over time (e.g. Jarate, Bonk! Atomic Punch, shields) 2. Charge with damage done (e.g. Buff Banner, Phlogistinator) 3. Charge over time and with damage done (Gas Passer) 4. Charge with kills (Hitman’s Heatmaker)

Which one is the best from a design perspective?

Of course, the question is a little more complex than I can give a straightforward answer to. Different kinds of charge meters have different strengths and weaknesses. So I’m gonna break them down like that.

Type 1: Charge over time (+) Easy for all players to understand (+) Easy to predict and plan for, both for the user and opponent (-) Can incentivize passive, boring play

It’s worked for many items, from the Heavy’s lunchboxes to the Scout’s drinks to... however we classify Jarate and Mad Milk. With recharge timers somewhere in the 20-second range, these items are all nice and predictable. I think that, instead of a cuckoo, clocks should have a silly-looking Sniper that pops out every hour and throws a jar of yellow liquid.

Sometimes simple is better, and that’s one area where I commend the Type 1 recharge bar. Its capabilities and weaknesses are clearly understandable for everyone involved: if you can approach the user just after they’ve used it, you don’t have to worry about it. That’s a clear, predictable pattern of gameplay that really serves as the ideal model.

The one downside with this method is that, because there’s no way to speed up the charge other than by hitting a resupply locker, it can cause some players to hang back and play slowly. You might know a Heavy who always needs their lunchbox full like it’s a comfort blanket of sorts; this can be troublesome to their team and, what’s more, means they aren’t getting to enjoy the ups and downs of real combat. But this compulsion can certainly be overcome, especially if the player is forced to fight without their consumable. Overall, this is a solid way to build a charge meter.

Type 2: Charge with damage (+) Rewards the user for good, active gameplay (+) Gives the user a distinct high moment that they earn (-) More difficult for opponents and teammates to predict

Best known on the Soldier’s battle banners, this type of charge meter rewards players for really interacting with enemy players. And by “interacting” I mean “shooting at and surviving encounters with.” This is, of course, the blood-soaked heart of TF2, and the excitement of combat is something we want players to experience while they play. This is a great way to give the user a huge high point where they feel like they’ve earned the carnage they’re wreaking, which is something you don’t quite get with the automatic charge over time.

At the same time, there are sometimes games where you say “How do they always have a Phlog charge?” Because your team might find it hard to keep track of all damage they’ve taken from a particular enemy, it’s sometimes difficult to guess when the opponent has a charge ready.

But this can often be mitigated with relatively simple cues. The sound of the Soldier’s bugles carries a long distance and is different depending on which banner is being used, for instance. The Phlog, by contrast, doesn’t make a loud noise, meaning it’s more often an unpleasant surprise. Should it have some changes? Maybe, maybe not, but that doesn’t mean this charge meter is bad.

Type 3: Charge over time and with damage (+) Gives the user more than one option depending on battlefield conditions (-) Requires a long timer (-) More difficult to understand and to predict

One thing that can be said for this charge meter is that it’s flexible. You don’t have to play too aggressively, and you don’t have to just hang back and wait. But in giving this freedom to the user, it can sometimes amplify the worst problems of the other two charge meters.

Like with the first one, some users will just hang back and wait for their meter to build. This is compounded because the charge times are longer on this type of meter - they have to be in order to encourage you to fill the bar with damage instead. Again, players who hang back and wait may find the battle coming to them anyway, but ideally, we want our weapons to push players toward the fun parts of the game.

And like the second type of meter, this one is difficult to predict, with its charge time being a complex function of damage plus time. Most people can’t mentally math that out in the heat of battle, and even the user may find that the charge isn’t exactly intuitive.

I like the feeling that this charge type gives: no matter what you’re doing, you’re always moving forward, but you still have control over how fast you progress. That’s good. It’s just that sometimes the complexity can make it awkward.

Type 4: Charge on kill (+) More predictable for everyone involved (+) Rewards the user for active gameplay

This is really only present on one weapon: the Hitman’s Heatmaker, which charges its meter as the user scores kills with the weapon. I personally find it one of the most useful meters, simply because it’s both easy to understand and rewarding to use. While the enemy team may not keep track of exactly how much damage that Soldier over there has dealt, they can keep a tally of how many people the enemy Sniper has killed.

Of course, it’s not perfect. Sometimes it feels like the opposing Sniper always has a Heatmaker charge ready. And it can be a little tricky to put it on other classes, since every class can kill people faster or slower than other classes. But overall, this is a charge meter that I’d like to see more of.

Conclusion So I never did really answer which charge meter is the best. I guess I did sort of say that Type 3 is the worst, but even it still has strong points. And maybe Type 4 is the “best,” but Type 1 and 2 aren’t bad either.

In terms of concrete solutions, I don’t have many. One thing that might be nice would be giving users a better idea of how much damage is required to build their charge meter, such as by putting a little number by the bar or spelling it out in the item description. But that’s a minor thing.

Do you have preferences, either as a user or as an opponent, about which charge meters you like best? I’d be interested to hear if I’m on the money or completely out to lunch.

[waywardstation]

In the wake of all of these posts of people discussing their favorite Wardens... Poor Lian not really getting any asks dedicated to him being their favorite alone. ;^; (I guess that the same would have gone for Iscan too tho if I hadn't sent like... A 500 word essay on him.) I would love to defend the child, my son, whom I love and adore, but I can only have one absolute favorite in my heart, and I will always like characters who are middle aged over children.

Also to the person who said that they love Ress... Just know that you aren't alone there! This man and his... What? Level 63 Bidoof? How can you not love this man and his dedication to these first stage evolution starting area Pokemon!? Zisu said that he's the Security Corps' secret weapon and I believe her! Do you know how hard he is to beat when your Pokemon are some 20 levels under his!? I think that his fight was more difficult than Akari's post-game team! (Before she gets her improved team.) I think his team is probably on par with Beni in terms of difficulty to beat. Sure, that's solely because he gets to gang up on you, but still! What is it that Karen said? That strength is a delusion by the weak and that the best trainers win with their favorites or something like that? Ress is the definition of that!

Also for me the biggest plot twist as you were scaling Mt. Coronet to stop Kammando was not the fact that Beni is a ninja, but rather that he doesn't really like you, the player character! ;^; I got to that point already knowing he's a ninja, but when he said that he didn't like us nor consider us friends? Now that broke my tiny little heart! Beni! I thought that we were already friends! We visit your restaurant like every day! I love talking to you! And... And you don't like me...? This is a true betrayal right here. My heart is broken. ;^;

It did make me a little sad too, poor Lian! I think everyone got one dedicated post except him, he shared one with Sabi ^^;

But after the fact, I got one for Lian! I’ll share it when I reach it!

And hey! Another Ress enjoyed too!! You’re right about him, he is pretty tough! It wasn’t difficult, but he shaved through a few members of my team that was in the 80’s-90’s level range. I’ll say in PLA, level durability and move power really seems to have fluctuated a bit; higher levels don’t cushion the blows so much anymore compared to older games! But regardless, Ress is a great dude and a very strong trainer, who obviously plays with his favorites as you said! Very good man!! :)

Ha, yeah! Beni’s words made me a bit sad! When he told us it made his blood boil hearing about what we were doing every time we ate at the wallflower, I was like ouch man! But he seemed to change that once we defeated him and moved on, telling us he’d give us a ton of mochi haha. Quite the character!

[succubusphan]

The Problem With Travelling During The Holidays

Summary: Dan is in a tricky situation, running to catch his connecting flight with no other than his annoying enemy right on his heels. If he could just get on the plane and be away from Lester that would save Christmas.

Luckily for Dan, things don't tend to go his way.

Rating: E

Tags/warnings: Enemies to Lovers, Alternate Universe, They are sports commentators particularly football because I have a one track mind, a smidge of angst, Arguing, Mild Illness, domestic accident but nothing too gory, blood mention, hurt comfort, both physical and emotional, Smut, Natural Disaster, natural disaster is a bit of a stretch but you'll see, call it a weather inconvenience if you don't like it, Fluff, Getting Together, Introspection, There Was Only One Bed.

Author's Note: This fic was written for @unicornosaur for the Phandom Holiday Fic Exchange! Mint, I hope you are having a wonderful end of the year and 2023 becomes your best year yet. I chose some of the tropes you mentioned and went a bit crazy, I hope you like it.

Thank you @effingmeteors for being my life saviour and beta as usual.

Word Count: 6.3 k

Read on Ao3

Dan ran through the Barajas Airport, dragging his carry-on as he tried not to run into anyone which was nearly impossible on December 23rd when everyone is trying to go back home for Christmas.

He approached a lady at a counter and tried to channel his very basic Spanish to ask for information. 

“Hola, um,” he looked at his plane ticket. “Pla- plataf-forma M? Por favor?”

“Hola!” She said. “Si, claro. Te tomas el tren que está al final y te bajas en la siguiente estación.” She pointed to the right, where the stores turned a corner.

“Allí?” He asked.

“Sí, no te puedes perder!”

“Gracias!” Dan said and ran.

Alright, a train, a train. Can’t miss it. He had the nagging feeling that someone was following close behind, so he turned to look over his shoulder and made eye contact with a very flustered Lester. 

He huffed; why was he even here? The guy was a fucking nightmare. No matter what Dan said, what analysis he did of any matches or players’ techniques, Lester loved to disagree with him. It didn’t matter that they didn’t even work for the same show or even the same sports channel. Lester made it a point to bring up what he’d said and disagree. He didn’t always have bad input but the fact that he was so obsessed with rebutting his analysis drove Dan insane. It was as if Lester was constantly breathing down his neck and even his coworkers made it a point to tease him about it.

And here they were, halfway across the fucking world and Lester still managed to be right up his ass again. 

Dan let out a sigh of relief when he saw the train station and read the signs indicating there was only one other stop and the train was coming in 3 minutes. Suddenly, his phone nearly went flying out of his hand when someone ran straight into him.

“What the fuck?” He screamed without even thinking about it. People around him gave him bad looks.

“Oh, sorry, I was distracted.” 

Dan whipped his head around to see Lester blushing and picking his luggage up. “What the fuck are you even doing here? Are you following me?”

Lester scoffed. “Please, don’t flatter yourself. I’m trying to get home for Christmas, same as everyone, same as you.”

“What were you even doing in Spain?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Yet you know what I’m doing. You’re always in my business.”

“I’m not a detective. It wouldn’t be so easy to know what you’re doing if you didn’t post every second of your life on Instagram. Now move, I want to get a seat on the train,” Lester said, this time actually putting some edge to his tone which took Dan aback.

In the few face to face interactions they’d had Lester had mostly remained neutral or just been outright awkward but he’d never snapped at Dan like that. Dan's eyes followed him as he climbed aboard, and widened when he saw the doors starting to close. He jumped into the small train, nearly getting his hand smashed.

He had to stand for the trip thanks to his distraction but it was only a 5 minute ride. Lester was sitting comfortably with his luggage, reading a book with what looked like a pointed attempt at avoiding Dan. Why else would he open a book for only 5 minutes and place it high enough in front of his face that it blocked Dan from seeing him? Not that Dan was trying to look at him.

Once in the T4S Dan dashed out of the train and followed the signs until he made it to his platform. The line for the next flight hadn’t even started to form and there were still 40 minutes to embark so he walked back to Burger King and bought the biggest veggie burger he could find before sitting down and practically inhaling it while he played on his phone. 

He checked if Lester was actually following his Insta just out of curiosity but he wasn’t, not from his main account at least. Did he go out of his way to check on his socials then? Dan frowned before shaking his head and deciding to move on. Instead, he searched for Phil’s account, noticing that most of his posts were related to his work, a carefully curated feed of him smiling with various players and celebrities except for the occasional post with his parents or his niece. It seemed like he never missed a holiday at home with them. The smile he had in those pictures was very different from the one in the other pictures, it was more open and honest, a true smile.

Dan looked back at his own grid, he could tell that his smile was guarded even in the pictures with his family. Everything that he’d ever posted was very manufactured, only the highlights of his trips, his awards and his family, who loved him enough but didn’t really understand him. They didn’t understand the gay part of him nor the Football fan part of him. Politics was not something they could discuss over dinner either so their exchanges remained quiet and tight even if he did love them. In a way, he realised he was jealous of Lester and the relationship he had with his family. Sometimes Dan felt that he had no one; no one at all.

He picked after himself and walked back to his gate, Coke still in hand and stood in line for priority. A very handsome flight attendant smiled at him and gave him a once-over. Dan smirked and threw the empty cup in the bin.

“Are you ready to board, Mr. Howell?” The flight attendant asked and his coworker giggled at his side.

A fan… great. Dan pulled his widest smile. “Yes, thank you, I’m ready to head home… Richard,” he said looking at the name tag.

Richard’s smile widened and the girl let out a little wheeze. “May I see your boarding pass?”

Dan nodded and gave him his boarding pass and passport; thanks, brexit.  “Here.”

“There will be seats open in first class if you would like a free upgrade.”

“Oh, that would be lovely. I could use the extra legroom,” Dan said, thankful that he had chosen to pay for Business instead of biting the bullet and going for first class. There was quite a jump in price and he was still saving for a flat. “Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it. Would it be… unprofessional of me to ask for an autograph and a photo?”

“Of course not!” Dan said. He had never denied a fan and he wasn’t about to start being ungrateful. He saw the girl, Lucile, holding a tiny piece of paper as well and offered to sign it for her, which she silently accepted by nodding and blushing so hard she looked about to be caught on fire.

The lines started to form behind him and once boarding opened, Richard wrote something on his ticket, some sort of code and told him to just show the ticket as usual as he went. The plane was not at the gate, they had to go down and wait for a bus to take them to it. Once on the plane, he was led to his seat and given a complimentary bag with quite a few toiletries, a blanket, headphones and even a few snacks. His leg bounced a little as he played with everything around him while trying not to look out of place.

After what seemed like an hour but was in fact closer to 20 minutes, he looked around and frowned, wondering why they hadn’t taken off yet. The crew offered him champagne and apologised for the delay. A weather alert had affected the schedule by just a few minutes.

Dan looked out the window. It was not a starry night, the clouds painted the sky grey and there was lightning in the distance but that was alright, he had travelled in these conditions before. 

A little rain never hurt anyone… right?

Well, as soon as the storm hit the airport, it was clear that it would be more than just a little rain. It was pouring to the point where the runway was completely covered in minutes. The plane made its way to the assigned runway waiting its turn to take off until the thunders started. As the night sky was illuminated by lightning and thunder hitting too close for comfort, Dan could see the plane that had just departed swaying in the winds and his stomach dropped. He had never been a nervous flyer but his anxiety was definitely rising.

After another five minutes, the plane turned around and went back to the boarding area. The pilot apologised and advised people to go to the Air France counter to find more information about other flights or accommodations. 

Once again the bus picked them up, Dan and his little carry-on getting drenched as soon as he set foot out of the plane. He was shaking like a leaf when he squelched - walked, his way over to the Air France counter where a very rude and stressed employee told him that every flight had been cancelled because of the magnitude of the storm and there was even a flash flood warning. He was assigned to a middle-of-the-road hotel because it was near Christmas, everything was booked and there was no time to take everyone to the city.

He let out a deep sigh but there was nothing he could do. “What about my luggage?”

She looked at his ticket again and gave him an unimpressed look. “London. As it happens every time you have connecting flights.”

“Of course,” Dan said and wished that the flood would just drown him then and there. He was stuck in Madrid for who knows how long, in the middle of a weather disaster, drenched to the bones and he had nothing but his carry-on. “Merci.”

The ride to the hotel was an adventure. At one point the water was so high up the van that the driver asked them in Spanish something that sounded a lot like a plea for them to pray that they would make it, meanwhile, other cars were being dragged by the current. It was hard but after half an hour they made it. The driver was stuck in the hotel with them and already calling his family to let them know he wouldn’t be back to sleep. 

Just as Dan was making his way through the door someone smashed into him, sending him to the ground and nearly making him roll down the small set of stairs behind him. Dan let out a scream, filled with frustration, rage and basically every other emotion as he was finally at his breaking point with the entire situation, a small sob made its way past his lips.

“Sorry!” The guy yelled, his eyes wide as he pulled Dan to his feet effortlessly.

Before Dan even saw him, he knew it was him. He would recognise Lester’s voice anywhere. That only filled him with more rage. Dan was not a violent person and he was not a little animal unable to control his urges but, fuck, he would have loved to punch the fucker. Instead of doing that, he tried his best not to let the tears prickling at his eyes fall and said “Get the fuck away from me!” through gritted teeth, making Lester comically jump out of his way.

Dan ran his hands down his soaked and now muddy jeans before picking up his carry-on and walking inside with as little dignity as he had left. He sighed looking at the length of the check-in line and decided to find a bathroom, letting the others argue about who got which room for a bit, hoping things would die down enough by the time he was back. 

He washed his face and made an attempt at drying himself with some paper towels and the bacteria riddled hand-dryer machine but there was not much that could be done. He took a deep breath, looked at himself in the mirror and vowed not to cry if things went sideways. 

The receptionist gave him a tired smile but was able to give him the first round of good news since he’d deplaned. It seemed that he was in luck because he had gotten the last room, a double. 

He thanked the worker profusely and turned around only to step onto someone’s foot.

“Fuck!”

Dan shut his eyes, bracing himself for disaster. “Sorry,” he said, avoiding eye contact with Lester.

“No, you’re not,” Lester said, without missing a beat and turned to the receptionist. “A room for the night, please.”

“I’m sorry, sir, we’re at full capacity,” the receptionist said. 

Lester paled - if that was even possible with how white he was. “I - well, I can’t go find some other place,” he squeaked.

Dan walked away slowly, very slowly, trying to listen to their conversation without being noticed until he gave up and just stared.

“No… of course not,” she said, trying to figure something out. “You wouldn’t be able to reach the closest hotel in this weather.”

“I could sleep in the lounge,” Lester suggested as water dripped from his quiff and ran down his face. He clutched his massive suitcase nervously.

“I'm afraid that's against code and the lounge will probably get water as well,” she said, biting her lip.

Dan knew he was going to regret it. In fact, he was regretting it already but he said it anyway. “I have a double - if you want to share.”

Lester’s lips formed a perfect circle and his eyes widened as he looked into Dan’s eyes for a little too long for comfort before he snapped out of it. “Really? I thought you hated me.”

“Yeah, I do. But I can’t let you drown in the lounge. It’s enough that we’re spending Christmas Eve stuck here, let’s just go.”

“Thank you, Mr. Howell. That’s very kind of you,” the receptionist said, probably relieved that she wouldn’t have to put up with a stray guest following after her or moping around a random corner of the hotel.

“Yes, thank you, Mr. Howell!” Lester said in a girly voice once they were out of earshot.

“Shut up.” Dan smacked the back of Lester’s head and led the way to their room. 

---

They had managed to plug their phones only for an hour before the power went out. The sound of the heavy rain was deafening and the thunder only served to make Dan more nervous. He sat by the window and looked down, watching the water rise and rise, starting to flow faster with each passing moment. Cars, small trees, bins and even the entire power line to the hotel were dragged away easily. Dan briefly wondered how long it would last and if anyone had died; he shivered.

“Hey, Dan…” Lester said. “Dan!” He repeated, a little louder this time.

Dan looked at him in awe. Lester had never called him Dan - ever. Not even when critiquing his work. “Yeah?” He asked, breathlessly.

“Are you ok?” He said, his brow burrowed into a frown.

“Yeah,” Dan mumbled, looking out the window again.

Lester cleared his throat. “You’re shaking. Come here.” He extended a hand towards Dan.

“What?”

“I have my luggage. I’ll give you my spare pyjamas, you need to get those wet clothes off before you get sick.”

Dan swallowed thickly and realised that his throat was already bothering him a bit. He tried to clear his throat but it caused him a very annoying itching sensation that sent him into a coughing fit. 

Lester led him to the bathroom and turned his phone light on, setting it upside down. “Get in the shower, I’ll see if I can get you some tea and something to eat.”

“Why are you helping me?” Dan frowned.

“Because I’m not a monster - and because you helped me too.”

“Thanks, Lester.”

“Phil.”

Dan hesitated but nodded anyway. “Thanks, Phil.”

Phil finally smiled at him. “You’re welcome.”

---

The shower really helped relax his sore muscles and unclogged his already stuffy nose but the heat of the bathroom was getting to him. He wrapped a towel around his hips and walked out, collapsing on the bed with a groan, the phone still illuminating the room.

That was another issue. He was not only stuck sharing a room with Les- with Phil in the middle of a natural disaster but there was also only one bed. It was a big bed, huge even, but it was still only one bed, meaning they would have to share. Few things could make this night more stressful or awkward.

Phil walked in and stood by the bed in what seemed like shock as his eyes roamed all over Dan’s body, his lips moving silently.

Dan grabbed the phone and turned the flashlight off. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have left it on once I was out of the shower.” He was thankful that Phil couldn’t see him blushing under his stare.

Phil cleared his throat. “Oh, don’t worry about it. How are you feeling? Do you have a fever?” He leaned down and pressed his lips to Dan’s forehead.

Still. Dan was so still. He was more still than he had ever been in his life. What the fuck was happening? Why was Phil being this kind to him? And why did he smell so fucking good? It made Dan want to fucking weep.

“You’re hot,” Phil mumbled, finally standing back up.

“What?”

“You’re running a fever,” Phil said. “I spoke with the workers, they will be staying at the bar on the first floor trying their best to provide food and everything else for the guests, but they have asked that anyone with covid symptoms or any flu-like symptoms stay in the room, they will stop by to bring us supplies. An outbreak in these conditions would be terrible.”

Dan pouted but nodded nonetheless. He hadn’t planned on going exploring the possibly haunted hotel in the middle of a blackout and feeling like shit. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Now put on these and get some sleep.” Phil handed him what felt like a pair of pyjamas and walked over to the window, looking out very intently.

Everything felt so awkward and intimate at the same time but Dan’s head was starting to pound so he decided to not overthink this one and just do as he was told.

His memory after getting back into bed was hazy: Everything was so hot and sticky, he barely remembered flashes of Phil checking in on him, touching his forehead and waking him up to give him some sort of pill. The next time he opened his eyes it was the next day, the rain was showing no signs of stopping and… he was fully wrapped around Phil who was awake and very very still.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” Dan said, trying to shuffle back, but Phil wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled him closer.

“It’s ok, I don’t mind,” he said. “You were terrified of the storm last night but once you settled down on my chest you were able to calm down and fall back to sleep.”

“Fuck, that sounds embarrassing,” Dan admitted.

“That probably means you’re feeling better.” Phil pressed the back of his hand to Dan’s forehead and smiled. “I think your temp went down.”

“Did you give me something last night?”

“Ibuprofen, it was all they had.”

“Thank you,” Dan mumbled.

Phil chuckled. “Stop thanking me and go back to sleep. It’s only 8.” He pushed on Dan’s head gently, bringing him to lay down on the crook of his neck. 

It didn’t even take three seconds for Dan to escape to a dreamland where the sun shone above his head in a beautiful summer date with a mysterious black hair beauty.

---

A demon poked Dan’s side, trying to drag him back to - to hell. “Stopppp, fuck! Fuck off before I fucking punch you!”

“Oh-” said the demon.

When Dan opened his eyes again, he saw Phil stiff as a board, looking out the window again, lips pressed into a fine line. There were two bowls of soup on the table but no steam was coming out of them.

“Hey, Phil. Is that lunch?” He tried. 

Phil turned towards him but didn’t say a word, he only gave him a murderous look.

Honestly, he thought he had seen Phil angry boarding the train, but that had been nothing compared to this, and it was a bit terrifying. Dan swallowed but didn’t dare say another word.

“That’s Lester to you,” Phil said through gritted teeth. He stood and marched to the bathroom, throwing a “Enjoy your meal” over his shoulder. The shower started shortly after and Dan had to wonder how Phil was managing in the dark, his phone left abandoned on the bed.

“Well, that’s rude,” Dan mumbled. He got shakily to his feet and walked over to the small table by the window. The soup was tepid at best but Dan knew he needed to eat and he had no means to reheat it. Thankfully, it was still delicious and it helped his itchy throat quite a bit. He would have to thank the poor employees trapped with them for pulling this off on the spot, give them a huge tip and maybe even a hug. 

He let out a heavy sigh and checked the water level below. Some houses were barely visible above it which meant the ground level of the hotel must’ve been flooded as well. What a disaster. 

Speaking of which, the high pitched scream and loud thud coming from the bathroom could only mean one thing. Dan rushed to Phil as fast as he could and opened the door, the small amount of daylight filtering through helping him get to him. The metallic smell gave Dan chills as he touched the back of Phil’s head. 

A sob and a hiss made their way past Phil’s lips as soon as Dan touched him. “Fuck, don’t touch me.”

“Come here, I want to see this in the light, you’re bleeding,” Dan tried to reason with him.

“Get out,” Phil said with a trembling voice. 

“Phil, please. I need to see how bad it is.”

“Don’t!” Phil snapped. “Don’t talk to me like we’re friends when you were so horrible to me.”

Dan frowned, running his fingers through his hair. “What do you mean? I thought we were getting along.”

“We were until you tried to punch me and called me every name under the sun!”

“What? When?” Dan wished he could see Phil’s face more clearly and understand what was going on.

“This morning! When breakfast and lunch came!”

“Phi- Lester… I have no idea what you’re talking about. I am a very heavy sleeper when I can actually fall asleep, sometimes I sleep walk or sleep talk. All I briefly remember is a demon poking me, I don’t know what to tell you. If you want to hate me that’s fine, but I need to see that you’re not dying. We can’t both be dying at the same time.”

“You don’t remember?” Phil said incredulously.

“No, and trying to wake me up is never a good idea, I’m sorry.” Dan felt around the sink and found a towel, he pulled Phil to his feet, hugging him tightly and wrapped it around his waist as best as he could. He walked Phil to the chair by the window and helped him sit, only then did he venture a look. Phil was as pale as a ghost, his eyes were a whirlwind of emotions and he was… covered in blood. So much blood that Dan started to feel faint himself. “Fuck, close your eyes and don’t look down,” he said and removed his t-shirt, pressing it to the back of Phil’s head. 

“Is it that bad?” Phil asked in a small voice.

“It looks worse than what it is, I think,” Dan lied, he had no idea how bad it was because he was still trying to stop the bleeding. He had to give Phil credit, he shut his eyes without question and let him handle it. 

After a few minutes, Dan risked a look into the actual wound. It turned out to be a very small cut on the scalp but the walk from the bathroom to the chair looked like a murder scene. “I think it’s ok, only a small cut that bled a lot.”

“Ok,” Phil said, letting out a small sigh and wiping his eyes with the back of his hands.

“Does your neck hurt? Or anywhere else?”

“My ass. I slipped and fell on my ass, I hit my head last.”

Dan nodded, and couldn't help a smile. “Well at least you have a round ass, I would have made holes in the tub with my hip bones.”

Phil’s eyes snapped open, his eyebrows raised. “Been looking at my ass much?”

“I didn’t have to look, I have eyes and it’s just big enough to - to have caught my eye.”

“So you did look,” Phil teased.

“Fine, I looked,” Dan said, looking around. “Do you think we have glue?”

“Glue?”

“Yeah, at the hospital they would use glue if it’s just a little cut.”

Phil shrugged. “I was given a first aid kit, it’s in the closet. Whatever we have is there.”

“Ok, hold the t-shirt.” Dan walked over to the closet and found a small box with ibuprofen, gauze, tape, some burn cream, scissors and… glue. “Bingo.”

“I can’t believe they gave me glue.”

“It would have been weirder if they gave us a needle and thread, which is the other option.”

“If I think about you sewing my scalp I will puke and pass out,” Phil groaned. “Pleeease, don’t glue my hair.”

“I’ll do my best.” Dan took a calming breath and got the glue ready before removing the t-shirt and getting to work. He spread the hairs around the cut without pulling much and dotted a line on it, watching intently to see if any blood continued to come out but everything seemed ok. “You’ll have to hold your hair like this. Be careful not to pull on it while I clean you up.”

“Ok.”

Dan found the towel he had used the previous night and wet it in the sink before returning to Phil and wiping him down. It took a few trips but he managed. “All done!” He said, satisfied.

Phil grabbed his wrist just as he was pulling his hand away. “Thank you, Dan. Sorry about before; I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“You didn’t yell that much and it’s not your fault that I act insane in my sleep.”

“You did look insane,” Phil smiled. He tried to stand but he wasn’t doing much better than Dan.

“Why don’t you eat your cold soup?”

Phil pulled a face.

“Hey, you were the one refusing to eat and sulking in the bathroom.”

“I was waiting for you to eat.”

“But then you left.”

Phil pouted. “I was also very mad - and hurt. I never said it made sense.”

“You’re a grumpy old man, aren’t you?” Dan smiled.

“Sometimes. But you are often a grumpy child,” Phil said. “Now sit with me while I eat. I don’t like to eat alone.”

“Alright, Philly,” Dan said with a smirk.

Phil raised an eyebrow at him and pulled another face as he took the first spoonful of cold soup.

After such an eventful lunch, they took a well deserved nap, had an uneventful dinner and settled down for the rest of the day. By the time they woke up, it was Christmas Day, the storm had finally passed and they were both visibly feeling much better. 

The first thing Dan noticed was the piercing light shining in his eyes, the second thing was Phil’s head tucked into the crook of his neck, letting out small puffs of warm air right on that spot that drove him crazy. He debated on whether to wake Phil up or not, he needed rest but Dan didn’t want the semi he was nursing to turn into a full erection next to poor Phil. “Hey, buddy. Power’s back. We should plug our phones in.”

“Hmm? Oh, right, can you do that for me?” Phil said, rolling away to give him space without even opening his eyes.

“Sure.” Dan plugged both phones in and turned on his own, silently praying that service was back. He had a smidge of service and data signal so he sent his mum a text and emailed his entire family so at least one of them would see it. Dan let them know that he had tried to make it back on time and failed due to the weather conditions. He wished them a merry Christmas and asked them to contact Phil’s family if the tv mentioned something about him going missing, just in case. He hit the send button and held his breath until he got the email sent notification.

Staff stopped by to drop a small Christmas brunch off shortly after, reminding Dan not to open the door. He slipped a few euros under the door and asked if they could get more snacks from the vending machine and they agreed. As soon as the workers had left, he opened the door and brought the food inside. 

The food was nice, a few assorted pastries, eggs and some sort of simplified version of paella with seafood, which they both loved, and sparkling water. Why did continental Europeans favour sparkling water, he didn’t know but it was water after all.  “Ready for movie night?”

“Movie night?” Phil asked, a smile already on his face.

“Yeah, we have snacks from the vending machine and the TV is working now.”

“Nice!”

Dan should have picked the movie, but no, he let Phil turn the lights off and put on The Blair Witch Project. He was an idiot and Phil was just too pretty. 

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea, he thought as Phil wrapped one arm around him after he let out a small scream at a jumpscare. Yeah, it was a great idea, because he could just lean into Phil and close his eyes and listen to his heart beat instead of the screams on the TV. 

“Are you awake?” Phil asked and fuck, his voice was low and sexy. 

Dan looked up at him, accidentally rubbing his smooth cheek against Phil’s scruffy beard. In moments like this Dan hated that he was such a sucker for pain. “Yeah,” he said, breathlessly and Phil took him by surprise, kissing him. A kiss so soft that it was making Dan’s insides melt. Who gave him the right to be such a good kisser? It was insane, but what was even more insane was that Dan couldn’t let it go, he had to ask Phil why. He broke the kiss and cleared his throat. “Wait - I need to know something.”

Phil was looking at him with wide eyes, another blood-curdling scream coming from the TV but they both ignored it. 

“Why do you always pick apart my commentary? I thought you hated me but you’ve been nice most of the time we’ve been here. You always try to shit on everything I say and - it just doesn’t make any sense.”

Phil blushed so hard that he covered his face with one hand, but Dan pulled it away. 

“Is that why you were so mad at me?” Phil smiled.

“Well, yeah!”

“Is that why you were so rude the first time we met at that ESPN party?”

Dan frowned.

Phil finally laughed. “I’m sorry, I just,” he continued to laugh without explaining and Dan started to pull away. “No, no don’t-” he snorted, “Don’t go. I just like your analysis and the way you speak and I want to debate - and you’re so pretty.”

Dan wished there was a mirror close by to see his own face because it must have been one of utter shock. “You like me?”

“Yeah! Why do you think I went to introduce myself to you with two glasses of champagne? Did you think I was about to throw it in your face?”

“Why didn’t you say something? Jesus! You always nitpick everything!” Dan said, bewildered. “You must have noticed that it made me mad!”

Phil giggled. He actually giggled and pecked Dan’s lips. “You look so hot when you’re mad.”

“Well, I’m about to look really hot, right now.”

“Dan is so hot right now,” Phil said, throwing like a 20 year old reference to zoolander and still giggling. 

“You- you…” 

Phil rolled on top of him and left him speechless. He kissed both of his cheeks, his forehead, his nose and finally his lips. This… This was no soft kiss. Dan grabbed the back of Phil’s head and deepened the kiss but Phil hissed, gently moving Dan’s hand away from his head, placing it above Dan’s instead without even breaking the kiss.

Phil rolled his hips, making him feel exactly how much he was enjoying it and fuck, he was huge, not that Dan was a size queen but… ok, maybe he was, whatever. Phil broke the kiss and nipped at Dan’s bottom lip. “You’re thinking too loud.”

“If you want me to stop thinking you’ll have to make me,” Dan said a little deliriously.

Phil smirked and went straight for his neck, sucking and biting at him, letting out a laugh when Dan practically screamed a moan and turned away to give him better access, his cock twitching and Phil continued to thrust against him and then it simply wasn’t enough. 

Dan pulled one of his hands free quite easily and snaked it between them, pulling Phil’s cock out of his joggers and his own out of his pants to stroke them together. He smirked as he finally heard Phil whimper even if he was still working on Dan’s neck until he couldn’t anymore, until all he could do was pant and moan Dan’s name against his neck over and over, even as he came. Dan joined him shortly after, adding to the mess on his stomach.

He pressed a kiss to Phil’s temple. “Hmm, that was fun,” he said, too blissed out to cringe at how stupid that sounded.

Phil brought Dan’s hand to his mouth and sucked on his fingers while looking into his eyes.

“Don’t get any ideas, Lester, I’m getting in the shower.” Dan laughed and nudged him away.

Phil smiled and watched Dan intently as he awkwardly wiped his hand on his borrowed pyjama pants and threw them on the floor before walking to the bathroom.

He got under the hot stream and sighed happily, closing his eyes, he leaned back and let the water cascade over him. He smiled, eyes still closed, when heard the bathroom door open and someone getting in the shower with him.

“Hi,” Phil said and Dan finally opened his eyes to find him kneeling right in front of him, a smirk already on his lips.

“What are you doing there?” Dan teased.

Phil shrugged and took him into his mouth, at which point Dan finally stopped questioning his methods.

---

Boxing Day was certainly like no other. With the water finally going down, everyone got to cleaning, even Dan and Phil, granted that they tested negative for covid since people didn’t need anything else to stress about. They were happy to hear that the hotel staff had let the neighbours stay and the city officials were able to bring groceries and check on everyone.

Dan regretted asking the receptionist when she had stopped by their room because they hadn’t heard the door at all but the blush rising to her cheeks was answer enough. He apologised profusely but she waved him off and told him she hoped he enjoyed his stay, only then catching on to what she had just said. They decided to pretend the conversation never happened and shook hands on it.

With everything in order, Phil let Dan know that flights would resume on the 27th, but he didn’t sound happy about it. 

“There must be a lot of people still trying to get home to their families. It would be selfish for us to try to get on the first flights,” Dan tried.

Phil smiled, seeing right through him. “Do you think we should wait, like two or three days?”

Dan smiled back. “I’ve never spent New Year’s Eve in Spain, maybe we should just… wait a few more days. What do you say?”

“Only if you kiss me at midnight,” Phil replied and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

They had to break the news to their families and it wasn’t easy. Dan’s mum didn’t want to miss another holiday without him but when he mentioned a possible new boyfriend she gave her blessing and wished him luck; she even sounded happy for him. Phil, on the other hand, had to drag Dan into the call, only then did Kath relent on the condition that they both visit as soon as they were back in England. 

And so they made it back home as an official couple, with many dates under their belts and two missed family gatherings, a small price to pay in exchange for love.

Final author note: This was due on December 30th but since I was locked out of Tumblr the event runners were kind enough to make a post for me and now I get to share it myself.

[an-aussie-button-masher]

All Aboard the Hype Train! Five of the Most Anticipated Games of 2023

   Happy new year, everyone! 2022 is out the window and we’re on to (hopefully) better and brighter things in 2023. The best part of a new year is looking forward to all the exciting new things we know are coming soon; new movies, new TV series, new events, and most importantly, new GAMES! There are dozens upon dozens of games planned to release sometime this year, far too many to write about in a single article. So, I’ve tried to find a few examples of the most highly anticipated upcoming video games expected to release in 2023, long-awaited sequels and spinoffs to popular series that fans have been dying to get their hands on. Take a look for yourself!

Jedi: Survivor    In a dangerous galaxy where everyone is hunting you down, you have to do whatever it takes to survive - that’s the life led by Cal Kestis, one of the last surviving Jedi in the Star Wars galaxy. Five years after Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal is now older and grizzled, clearly having gone through some very tough times since the previous game. Set around the same time in the Star Wars universe as the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, the Empire has tightened their grip on the galaxy and it’s up to Cal alone to keep the hope of the Jedi alive. Releasing on the 15th of March, Jedi: Survivor will be exclusive to PC and next-gen consoles to make full use of the newest technology, with fancy tricks like full ray-tracing and incredibly fast load times. The reveal trailer demonstrated some impressively smooth and fast-paced combat alongside a sense of mystery and suspense surrounding the story that makes me very excited to experience it myself. 

Dead Island 2    It’s only fitting that a zombie game gets dragged from development hell and brought back to life - and after 12 years of waiting, Dead Island fans will finally get their sequel on the 28th of April. The most comically over-the-top zombie survival series on the market, Dead Island puts the “laughter” in slaughter, overflowing with humour, colour and blood. The sequel puts you in Los Angeles, which has been quarantined by the military due to the undead infection. You aren’t trapped in there with the zombies, though - they’re trapped with you, and all the bizarre weapons you can get your hands on. New to Dead Island 2 also seems to be an extra game mode where you can play as a zombie, spreading the infection to the unlucky survivors and overtaking LA in a victory for the undead! Which side will you be on; alive and kicking, or dead and unburied?

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom    One of the most vast and adventurous open worlds on the Switch will be getting even bigger on the 12th of May, with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The thirtieth entry in the Zelda series will bring the expansive map of Breath of the Wild to new heights - literally! Tears of the Kingdom will see Link, the hero of Hyrule, journey across a world split in two between the rolling plains and mountains of the surface, and the whimsical floating islands looming above. The game was initially conceived as a way to use all the ideas Nintendo had for DLC for BotW that were too big to fit in the game. With so much content they wanted to include, it was ultimately reimagined as an entirely new game that continues the story of BotW and expands the massive lore of the Zelda franchise. With new tools and a fancy techno-magical arm, Link and Zelda are about to head off together on their biggest adventure yet!

Hollow Knight: Silksong    Few games have been as anxiously awaited as Silksong, the spinoff sequel to 2017’s beloved metroidvania Hollow Knight. Team Cherry announced the spinoff back in 2019, then promptly went radio silent on the game for years until they revealed in the middle of 2022 that Silksong would release within the following twelve months. Initially envisioned as a DLC add-on to Hollow Knight that would allow the player to play as the main characters’ mysterious ally Hornet, the developers ran into issues in developing Hornet as a playable character - mostly due to the fact that Hornet was slightly taller than the playable Knight, and thus couldn’t fit in much of the game’s map! Soon, Team Cherry ultimately decided to scrap the DLC idea and revise it as a fully-fledged game built from the ground up to accommodate Hornet and her unique skills and expand the fascinating world of Hallownest. Expect to finally witness Hornet embark on her own adventure through the kingdom of Pharloom sometime before the end of July 2023!

Spider-Man 2    Swinging into Spring of 2023 is everyone’s favourite web-slinging wall-crawler Spider-Man, in the sequel to Insomniac Games’ award-winning 2018 Spider-Man game and the 2020 spinoff focused on his younger successor Miles Morales. In this action-packed superhero open-world adventure, the spider-duo will face off against the fearless Kraven the Hunter, making one of his first major appearances outside the comics. Alongside Kraven will be the terrifying monster Venom, first teased in the credits of the previous game and voiced by horror veteran Tony Todd. The writers have described Spider-Man 2 as a darker story than the first game, comparing it to the Empire Strikes Back of the series where things always seem to get grim in the middle of a trilogy. Peter Parker may have gone through the wringer in the first game, but it looks like his troubles are only beginning…

   Which of those games are you most excited for? Are there any other upcoming games you’re hyped about that didn’t make the list? Let me know! Reblogs and likes are appreciated, and thank you for reading!

[rabbitcruiser]

Panic Day

Panic Day is the one day of the year that it might just be okay to give into that emotion that we all try to keep in check–panic! It is okay to feel overwhelmed or upset. Giving into that feeling every once in a while does not necessarily make a person weak or inept.

So go ahead and mark your calendar, and hang on tight until you get to Panic Day! Once the day starts you can take the time to just let it all out, whether screaming into a pillow at home or climbing a mountain alone just to have a good yell after arriving at the top! Or it might be a day to recognize and apply some ways to avoid panic in the first place.

History of Panic Day

When it comes to various holidays, many people may think of the ones that were created simply to celebrate the fun moments of life, which everyone loves. However, Panic Day was created as a day to recognize how stressful life can sometimes be, and then see what can be done to minimize the effects.

Everyone knows that stress is detrimental to the health and can even be dangerous! Stress can bring on illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

Some people respond to stress by having feelings of panic which can be debilitating. Panic can make a person feel that their fear cannot be overcome. While this may not seem rational, the panic takes over and makes it difficult for the one stricken to be able to make rational choices. For those who feel that their fears and stress are overwhelming, Panic Day is the perfect day to make a step forward and reach out to a mental health professional.

How to Celebrate Panic Day

The fun approach to Panic Day is to give into the lighter side of the concept of the day.

Some people might find it fun to stun their co-workers and friends by giving into the idea of stress right in the middle of the day, shouting about it and dancing around the room. Adding in a few comments like “It’s too much!” or “Don’t make me do it anymore!” for dramatic flair could be a fun precursor prior to wishing them all a Happy Panic Day!

Not up for such a public celebration? Consider some of these suggestions for celebrating Panic Day:

Practice Breathing Deeply

It is well known that breath is vital for living, but stress and panic can cause breathing to be shallow and less effective for the body. Practicing a few deep breathing exercises can help reduce stress (sometimes almost immediately!), lowering the heart rate and reducing the tendency to panic.

Try breathing deeply in through the nose and out through the mouth, counting from one to five for each breath. This type of practice helps reduce the risk of hyperventilation and offers a much needed respite for the mind and the body.

Listen to Happy Music

Sometimes panic ensues when the mind gets overwhelmed by circumstances. Tossing a few relaxing tunes onto the record player or a Spotify playlist may help to minimize the impact of stress. Classical, piano, or even some binaural beats specifically for relaxation may be the perfect choice. Or a little more tongue-in-cheek, throw on an album by Panic at the Disco.

Consider adding some of these songs to a playlist that will help to bring a smile to the faces all around:

Don’t Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin

Hunger by Florence + The Machine

Good Day Sunshine by The Beatles

I Got You (I Feel Good) By James Brown

Sha la la (Make Me Happy) by Al Green

Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves

Take Stock of Life

Make the day more personal by using it to slow down and take stock of all the things that pull at your time. It may be in your best interest to trim the list a bit. Plan time for activities that will help you to let go of some of the stress in your life. Some activities that can help with this are exercise, mediation, massage, yoga, or taking time to relax and enjoy friends and family.

Start on that Hobby Again

Do you have a hobby that you haven’t had time to enjoy? Why not pick it up again? Remember what you loved about that hobby and make plans to enjoy it. For those who don’t already have a hobby, this could be a great time to try something new that could become a hobby! Whether knitting, stamp collecting, painting or horseback riding, hobbies can assist in creating joy that sustains calm throughout difficult times.

Make Yourself a Priority

Some people like to end their day by reading a book that is purely for enjoyment. Others try to use the time between work and home as their alone time to let off the stress of the day. Schedule in some “me-time” by getting a massage, going to a spa, enjoying an afternoon nap, indulging in a digital detox or going on a grown-up play date!

Watch a Panic-Themed Film

When celebrating Panic Day, it stands to reason that watching a film with a panic theme just makes sense. These might include:

Panic Room (2002, starring Jodie Foster)

A Town Called Panic (2009, French animation)

Panic in the City (1968 starring Howard Duff)

Panic (2014, starring David Gyasi)

Perform a Personal Concert in the Car

You have probably seen these people singing to the radio as they drive! When is the last time you just enjoyed life? Sing along to a variety of the songs listed above, or choose another playlist that brings good vibes and happiness in order to combat those feelings of panic.

Panic Day can be a day to find a fun way to keep the panic away. Be mindful of what is going on in life, and remember that everyone needs time to relax and have fun as well. Try something new and have a great Panic Day!

Source

[joficeandwind]

"God... damnit. God fucking damnit!" Angelique yelled at herself, she felt like she could rip her own hair out. They were back here, again. This stupid black void their spirits resided in when they're vessels weren't active, which was the case right after someone beat the game, or when Daniel completely shut it off for some reason.

"I was so close! I could feel myself breaking from the game's code, there were small visual glitches, I must have been so fucking close!" Her words were punctuated with a closed fist hitting her forehead in a slow and heavy tempo, clearly not doing enough to relieve her of her frustration. "Why?! Why do I always fail when I get so close!?"

"Hey, don't be so down." Her lover was sitting on the "floor" of the void, looking down at the nothingness. "The player won the game, so, it's not like you failed to save them." Aubrey's voice was quiet and dry, always hard to tell how much of it was sincere and what was snark or sarcasm. Angelique groaned, shaking her head. "It's not just about them, Aubrey, it's about US getti-"

"I-I-I'm so-sorry- I, hic, ru-rules, pla-play by the, I'll p-play by the r-r-rules..."

The two were interrupted by the sobbing of their friend, both turning to the poor man. "Oh, no, no, no, don't tell me..?" "...Shit." Both had hoped that the player had aced the game, or at least just lost the Metal Sonic level, but... it seems they were too hopeful. The player failed at Michael's level. Which means, Hellhog got his way with him.

Both of the girls hurried over to him, Aubrey hugging him from behind and Angelique running in front to grab his hands. "Mike! It's over, it's us! You're ok now!" Angelique knew her words were basically useless, but, it felt better than doing nothing.

If any of them were tortured by Hellhog, they all had their mental and emotional state take a toll. Aubrey would go completely silent trying to process the events, and Angelique got furious and even violent. But, since it had happened again and again and again, they had gotten better at dealing with it. Angelique especially, she would be able to calm herself down in about a minute, since there was no physical pain left after the fact. But Mike? He was always a complete mess for what felt like hours, no matter what.

It did, make sense though. Sure, Aubrey had half of her body scorched off, and Angelique got strung up like a marionette, but Mike? He was just... mauled. And his Spirit reflected his injuries. He was missing an arm, one of his legs was twisted back and the other was completely fucked, bones piercing out of it. His left arm was completely in tact, like an insult. Making him think he had no excuse to not try and maneuverer the world with his broken body, if even one of his limbs worked. His torso was beaten and bloddy, bruises, cuts and gashes everywhere, he was clearly bitten at and eaten, some of his intestines dangled lose, and oh god, his face. Everything above his lips was caved in, smashed to a pulp. He had no eyes, his jaw was broken, throat slit so he could choke on his own blood, it was a horrific sight. He was only able to talk because he was a spirit, if he was a physical body, he'd be dead from shock, blood loss, and brain damage.

"Mike, please, it's ok, it's all ok." Whenever he got like this, Aubrey's caring side always resurfaced, even if she was in pain, too. "We're your friends, Mike, we're not that monster, we're gonna be together forever, just like we promised."

"I'm s-s-sorry, hic I'm sorry, I-I'm s-so, so s-sorry..." He kept repeating this, over and over and over, until he eventually just goes incomprehensible and keeps on sobbing, it's what always happened. Angelique gripped his hand tighter. "...I should be the one who's sorry, Mike. But, I promise, I'm gonna get us out of here soon." She cupped his cheek, bringing his head closer.

"'Cus we're friends, right? I'm gonna help you, I promise."

[industryjust]

Songster bass tabs

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Anything in parenthesis just means you can play that throughout the song if you like. Every unique visitor makes about 1.99 pageviews on average. The approximated value of is 2,575,440 USD.

#SONGSTER BASS TABS ARCHIVE#

It is pretty basic and pretty easy to play along with. Songsterr is an archive of guitar, bass and drum tabs and also an online tab player which makes learning tabs. Na Mala Nde Tab Quiet Afternoon Tab Mankind Tab Splash Tab Splash Chords Im Done Tab Love Games Tab Mr Pastorius Tab Rampage Tab Work Song Tab Crystal Gazing Tab Goodbye Pork Pie Hat Tab Goodbye Pork Pie Hat Chords Power Tab Seven Impossible Days Tab Seven Impossible Days Chords Kung Fu Tab Jam In E Tab Example 2 (Solo) Tab. Please go to and for more information.Lynyrd Skynyrd - I ain't the one Tabbed by Marc This is about 93% right. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. You can manage your subscriptions through your Account Settings after purchase. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current monthly period, unless you change your subscription preferences in your account settings. SUBSCRIBERS' AUTOMATIC-RENEWAL FEATURE: Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your Apple ID account settings. Your Songsterr subscription will automatically renew each month and your credit card will be charged through your Apple ID account.

#SONGSTER BASS TABS PLUS#

Pass-through Plus Subscription gives access on all supported platforms including Web.

Sign in with your Songsterr account to synchronize favorites with our website. Instantly access tabs you viewed recently. Filter out songs that don't have a tab for your instrument. iRig and Amplitube (make sure that the "Background Audio" option is enabled in Amplitube) Tune your guitar via mic or adaptors like iRig. Gives you time to prepare for playing after tapping Play. The bass strings are drawn with the lowest-pitched string (the fattest one) at the bottom. Most often bass tab is written for 4-string bass, but you may see it for 5-string and 6-string basses, too.That will depend on whether more strings are required to play the song. Change the pitch of your tab and skip retuning your guitar. Bass tab shows the strings of the bass drawn horizontally. fresh tabs top tabs lessons submit videos. Hear only the instrument you are learning. Modern Day Cowboy bass by Tesla with chords drawings, easy version, 12 key variations and much more. Cache size can be controlled via Settings app. View and playback previously opened tabs offline. Play back selected measures over and over again. Slow down tab playback up to 15% to learn difficult parts. mega link group in telegram interracial sex stories photo shoot illuminati blood sacrifice list. mazda dtc u2300 52 68 Songsterr bass tabs. what is a normal operating range for a cmv oil pressure gauge 2022. Most songs have tabs for individual instruments (guitar, bass, drums, vocal, etc). Such Small Hands Bass Tab by La Dispute with free. There is only one accurate version of a tab per song.

#SONGSTER BASS TABS FULL#

Huge catalogue of 800,000+ accurate tabs & chords with free full length playback.This subscription gives you access on all supported platforms. sign up for a $9.99 USD per month subscription (pricing may vary in countries other than the U.S.). To get unlimited access to all learning features like Loop, Solo, Mute, Speed Control, Pitch Shifting, etc. The free version allows you to listen and see all tabs. Songsterr Tabs & Chords is a subscription based app. Gives you instant access to 800,000+ high quality guitar, bass and drum tabs & chords.įeatured in the Wall Street Journal as one of "The Best Apps for Learning to Play Music" and as the Apple App of the Week, Songsterr gives you instant access to 800,000+ high quality guitar, bass and drum tabs & chords.