#Beating cultist that summon your brother is not always fun

[flamingpudding]

Fictober23 Prompt: 9 - "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Fandom: DPxDC

Rating: T

Warnings: Red Hood's swearing, mention of character death

Danny blinked a couple of times before he realized what exactly happened. He had been with Alfred making some cookies for the rest of the family after Oracle had reported they would all come back uninjured. And Danny had decided to help Alfred in hopes to get back on Damian's good side. The boy had been pretty short and huffy with him ever since Danny had admitted that he didn't plan on getting reinstated as hero.

The rest of the family had taken it sort or well, sure there were the occasional side comments in hopes to maybe convince him to come on patrol with one of them every now and then but otherwise his decision was greatly accepted. Alfred had appeared especially happy when Danny had announced that after having lived with the Waynes for little more than a year now.

Of course Phantom would still come out to help if his ghostly rogues decided to show up and pester his new family or Lady Gotham needed help with something or when Lazarus Pits were involved. But this certainly did not include a situation like that.

Looking down at his gloved hands, Danny breathed out a sigh of relief, noting that he had gotten summoned as Phantom at least. Pretransfomred. Last time he got summoned and had appeared shortly as plain old Danny before changing into Phantom, Tim, as Red Robin of course, had gaslighted the cultists into believing they hallucinated seeing Daniel 'Danny' Fenton-Wayne for a brief moment. The press still had a field day with the nonsense the arrested cultist spouted.

At least now they wouldn't have to deal with another media drama that could result in Vlad trying to fight Bruce for custody again. Still, Danny frowned, they had summoned him right out of a late night baking session with Alfred and knowing his family the way he does now it was only a matter of time before they all stormed this place or at least some of them.

Bruce had put a tracker on him specifically for this kind of situation, aside from the fact that he was also still pestering the Justice League Dark to find a way to stop it from happening in the first place.

"You do realize that you are in deep shit right?" The occult leader looked at Danny for only a short moment before continuing his spiel about how with the power of the summoned they would lead the world back to the balance it's supposed to have and bla bla bla. Being the Ancient of Balance Danny never thought he would even get summoned, aren't cultists in books more interested in evil demons, masters of chaos, Cthulhu and so on?

Knocking with his fist against the barrier lightly, the halfa noted that he would probably be stuck in place until his family showed up to disturb the chalk writing on the floor. For a moment he wondered if he should attempt to break out but then remembered the lecture Bruce had made him sit through the first time he broke a magical barrier and got injured in the process. It was probably better to wait.

"You know the last time I got summoned out of family time, one of my brothers went apeshit on the cultists." Danny continued to interrupt the leader's speech, just to be a little shit. He needed to pass the time somehow. Plus he wasn't lying. He had gotten summoned right out of movie night with his siblings, it's no understatement to say that they were not amused. Jason was especially pissed for some reason. "And the time before that it was my younger brother, that was a whole lot more bloody but no one died anyway in the end.

"Silence spirit of balance, you will listen to me. I was the one that summoned you."

"Yea… buddy that's not how this whole summoning thing actually works. You read a couple of fictional books." Danny retorted until he saw what the leader pulled out and flinched back.

How was that possible? Danny was sure that after his parents death, Bruce had bought all the rights of Fenton Works, including the patents and put it all in Danny's name no matter how much some tried to fight it. If it wasn't willed to Danny then Bruce had bought it. They had stopped any production of his parents' inventions, they had forced the GIW to cough up all the inventions they bought and then disband the governmental organization through the Justice League.

Of course Danny had known that some of his parents inventions were still on the black market and then there were also Vlads inventions but, the cult leader was holding up a Fenton bracelet Danny had specifically created for his brother to help him control the corrupted ectoplasm in his system until his treatment with Frostbite was done. How was it possible for them to get a hold of it? No wait it looked slightly modified from the one he made for his brother.

"This will make you listen to me." Danny's eye widened as he noticed a shard of a very familiar red crystal embedded in the bracelet when the leader waved it around triumphantly at Danny's reaction. It wasn't enough to brainwash him by simply holding it to his face but if he made direct contact with it? Danny wasn't so sure.

"How did you get that!"

"Oh not so mouthy anymore are we?"

His core quivered and all his eyes could do was focus on the red shiny stone as flashback ran through his mind as he pressed as far away from the leader as he could. His back hit the other end of the barrier he was in and Danny contemplated breaking the barrier and high speed flying home to the Wayne manor even if it risked injury.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The calm but familiar voice broke Danny out of his panic as he saw a blade sneak around the leader's neck. Robin was standing right behind the man seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.

"Robin! B said to wait for his signal!" Another voice appeared and Danny heard the thud next to him with the flutter of a cape. Relieved, he turned his head ever so slightly to find Red Robin next to the barrier, looking unimpressed at the fact that Robin, from the looks of it, had run ahead of them once again.

Robin clicked his tongue and Danny finally relaxed enough to snicker at his siblings' banter. Before he could add in his own two cents to the banter a window crashed in and Red Hood added himself to the rescue party.

"Can't any of you follow a fucking plan?" The man announced his presence loudly while also landing boot first on some random cultist members. That instantly scattered, their stunned frozeness, caused by their leader getting held at blade point, broken now.

"You're one to talk. Since when do you simply follow B's plans anyway?" Red Robin huffed back, taking the bracelet from the leader as well as destroying the barrier seal with his boot by smudging the chalk writing.

"Point taken." The other answered as he started to knock out any cultist that was in his reach. Red Robin joined him once he gave Danny a look over and was certain that the barrier no longer existed.

Robin once more clicked his tongue causing Danny to look over, the leader now knocked out cold before his feed. "Phantom, you need to stop getting summoned by these incompetent…"

"Imbeciles!"

"Scoundrels!"

"Asshats!"

"Scum!"

"Fucktards!"

"Lunatics!"

"I do not require your input!" Robin shouted across the room at their older siblings that were currently giving the rest of the cult members the beat down of their life.

"Fruitloops?" Danny offered chuckling at the seething glare Robin directed at him for that and he lifted the palm of his hands in a sign of peace.

[writinanon]

Collision

The Continuing Story of Deputy Rook and Sheriff Jake.

  Jake looked over at Rook as she was shooting pool with Nick. Sharky and Hurk had done it again only this time they summoned Rook alone, or rather Joseph and Rook. Both looked beat to hell and Rook revealed that Nuclear bombs had fallen in her world after she managed to defeat each of the Seeds. Joseph stuck to her side like a bur. It was a shame that Jake couldn’t arrest him for crimes committed in an alternate universe. Rook mourned the loss of her friends, of her enemies, and tried to put on a brave face for most of it. Jake figured that Joseph clung because she was all he had left of his world. Since no bombs fell Jake managed to arrest and get the leaders of The Garden of Eden sentenced to prison, in different maximum-security prisons. Jake’s eyes moved over to Joseph, sitting in a booth with water, watching Rook’s every move.

 “Hey Rook are you gonna join the sheriff’s office here?” Mary May asked and Rook looked over. They hadn’t told anyone that she’d already applied and he took her in a heartbeat. Jake lost three of his deputies to the Cult and Rook was more than qualified. Hell, if he could he’d co-sheriff with her. She’d more than earned it.

 “Well actually I joined up already. I start back next week.”

 “We’re still sorting the paperwork of the arrests. It won’t be official until next week.” Jake said. Whatever spell they’d used was permanent this time. Joseph was somber and silent, never straying too far from Rook so Jake had no idea what was going to happen when she went to work but he was prepared to force the other man to stop.

  Rook looked good in her deputy uniform. Her hair was pulled back in a bun and she was early, coffee in hand.

 “Where’s your preaching shadow?”

 “Joseph is working on a book.” She said carefully and sat at her desk.

 “I know there isn’t much we can do here but do you honestly think letting him roam free is a good idea?” Jake really didn’t want to deal with another Cult, especially one that would be led by someone that looked like his little brother. Joe was avoiding Joseph like the plague. They both had such similar interests but went about showing them in wildly different ways.

“He doesn’t have the means or the will to start a new Cult. For now. If he does try we’ll figure it out. We can put things in place to prevent him from taking up Shiloh’s stragglers.” The remaining stragglers that had slipped through the noose of the resistance and then the reinstatement of actual law enforcement.

 “Like what?”

 “Well threatening my life will probably work for a little bit until we can come up with something more concrete.” She offered with a shrug and looked down at her hands.

 “I’m not going to threaten to kill you just to keep the crazy man in line.” There was a concerned piece of Jake that wondered if Rook wanted to die, her friends and family were dead the people she fought tooth and nail to save were dead and all she had to show for it was the same man that would have seen her brainwashed and turned into a cultist.

 “It’s just… Joseph doesn’t have the network here that he did previously. Before he had Jacob’s strength and when he couldn’t smooth things over with words he had John’s malicious charisma and Faith’s drugs. Plus… Everyone is gone.” She looked at her hands. She would do that sometimes, just stare at her hands.

 “Rook you’re not a murderer for protecting your life.” Jake knew that look. It was the same look all soldiers got when they felt bad for killing someone that would have killed them and others.

 “We should talk about something else.” She mused bitterly, she would forever think herself a murder and Jake couldn’t fault her for it, he felt that way too.

 “Okay so the Testy Fest is coming up.” She burst into laughter and he smiled. He couldn’t give her absolution but he could try to prove to her that her sins didn’t matter.

 “Oh those poor bulls.” She muttered and gave him a shaky smile. They hadn’t actually come to an agreement on the matter but for now they’d let it ride and see how things turned out.

  Joseph watched Rook walk into the house, Deputies worked long hours. She pulled her hair out of the bun it was held in and blinked seeing him sitting in the living room.

 “What do you want for dinner?” She asked as she stepped out of her shoes. They’d been stuck in that Bunker for a month and a half before being released. In the bunker it had been his reading and her utter silence until he slipped and had a moment of anger. She took everything from him while he tried to save her wretched soul. He tried his damnedest to make her worthy of walking through Eden’s Gates. When he expressed this to her she barked a sharp laugh at him and tore into him with words. How he might have been right about the end of the world but forcing people to conform or die was wrong. It hurt people. It destroyed people. It was only the Lord Above that could judge and grant clemency or condemnation. Listening to her repeat chapter and verse to him, justifying her own rejection and resistance and destruction of all he held dear was maddening in so many ways.

  It had been the first time that he kissed her in a moment of passion. She hadn’t returned it, but then he hadn’t given her the chance to recover from her shock either. She wasn’t completely silent after that but tended to keep a distance from him and when he tried to provoke her into discussion of psalms and verses she would narrow her eyes at him and shake her head. Once he had been assured that she wouldn’t kill him, or herself, he had released her from the cuffs. When they arrived in the middle of the church, the church that they had fought in, with the pair of fools that wanted fire and destruction, sought it out for fun Joseph wondered if the Lord was taking pity on them, or if he was punishing them. Rook now surrounded by those that she loved and cared for, those she had sacrificed for, but they knew nothing of this, knew nothing of her but that she wore the same face as a woman that would have brought them to Salvation. Joseph now with his Family and those that wore the faces of his lost Family, but they weren’t actually His Family. All they truly had, even now surrounded by others, was each other. He knew that the Sheriff was talking of arresting him or putting him in an asylum, but Joseph would take Rook if that happened. He had already planned for this, he remembered Faith’s notes well and could distill enough Bliss to incapacitate the Deputy and keep her pliant while he tried to locate them a new home. But another day had passed and he was free. Another day had passed and Joseph remained within the Deputy’s home and not that sinner Jake.

 “I made sandwiches because you didn’t tell me when you would be home.” Sometimes she arrived on time, but occasionally she wouldn’t come home until very late. He always stayed awake until she returned to him. And she did always return to him. In their world and here.

 “Oh.” She blinked, taken off guard, and stood awkwardly in the doorway. “Thanks.”

  Rook was slowly adjusting, it took some getting used to but she was slowly assuring the people that remembered her as a crazy woman that she wasn’t the same. Her life was weird and had only become weirder with this twist but she was trying to find joy in it. She was currently sitting in the rebuilt church that Pastor Jerome called perish.

 “Was there something you needed?” He asked softly. It was a Friday, she honestly should have been at work. But there was only so much paperwork she could file and staring she could handle. So she went ‘on patrol’ something they did periodically now to ensure that the remaining Peg – Geos were captured or were the peaceful ones that wouldn’t do anything but carried on the tenants of the Garden.

 “I just… It’s quiet here. I’ll leave if you want me to.”

 “No, all is well. I just didn’t take you as religious.” He chuckled softly and she ran a hand through her hair.

 “My parents were religious. I’m open to interpretation so long as you don’t try to force it on me or others.” He nodded and hummed in agreement.

 “Would you mind if I sat with you? It’s been a while since I had a moment for myself.” He smiled at her and she motioned to the pew.

 “It’s your church.”

 “It’s God’s church.” He corrected gently. “We are merely patrons visiting his House.” He took the seat beside her but was half an arm’s length away. Rook was grateful for the company, for the understanding. Sometimes it felt like Joseph was the only one that understood her. Sometimes she worried that the fact that three nights out of seven she woke up and fell asleep in his arms. She half expected him to kiss her again and dreaded that. Dreaded that because it had felt nice, for as fierce and domineering as it was, it had felt nice to be kissed with such passion. She’d never been kissed like that before, like she was the only thing that made up the world the good and the bad.

  She looked down at her hands and sometimes she could see the blood caked there. Jerome had yet to see her stick her hands in the holy water to try and cleanse the blood but she had a feeling if she wasn’t careful about it he would and she would have a ticket to a mental hospital. They could give her and Joseph adjoining rooms.

  Getting to enjoy the Testy Fest was fun, as the carnival was winding down music was playing and there was dancing. She had a few to drink and was pleasantly buzzed when Jake walked up at her grinning. He held out his hand.

 “How ‘bout it?” He asked and she laughed before taking his hand. They danced to the upbeat music until Mary May started to play slow songs. Rook bit her lip and looked up into his blue eyes. He placed his hands on her hips and started to sway slowly.

 “This is like a coming of age prom movie.” She muttered as she placed her hands on his shoulders. The lamp light over head caught on the ring he’d given her.

 “You kept it?”

 “Well yeah. I didn’t want to forget.” He smiled brightly and she grinned back at him before resting her head on his shoulder. “Did you mean it?”

 “You’re someone worth trying for.” He promised her. They continued to sway for a while, as songs shifted by and Mary May was dragged down from her position of DJ by Jonathan. Rook smiled at that. Rebecca took over and played a random assortment before she grinned.

 “Here Jake!” And the opening strains of Only You started to play.

  Joseph, who was not glaring at the couple dancing he was merely observing to ensure that the Sheriff didn’t do anything untoward to the Deputy, moved as fast as possible as his brother’s song played and Rook froze completely. She wouldn’t harm the man she was dancing with but anyone else around them would be injured, as much as Joseph would like to see them understand that she was not like them it wouldn’t do to have her be locked away. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her away from the Sheriff. She moved willingly enough.

 “Perhaps we should take our leave? It has been a long day.” Her hand inched toward the knife that was no longer there and then she was looking into his eyes, those feral eyes were calming down. “Take me home.” He commanded and she nodded before escorting him away. Joseph glanced back at the confused people and smiled. Truly they’d never understand his Deputy. She was stronger than they were but now was not a time to show it.

  Jake frowned as he watched them leave. He went and grabbed his coat and hat, getting briefly stopped by Joe.

 “I can’t leave her alone with him. Not when she’s like that.”

 “I understand just… Take this. I made it for her.” Joe handed over a basket of bread and a small package. “She’ll… She’ll understand.” Jake nodded, taking the gifts, and headed after them.

  The Rook household was dark and quiet when he arrived. He knocked on the door and hoped that she would answer but instead it was Joseph. Between them getting home, about ten minutes ahead of him because he got delayed by Rebecca asking what she’d done wrong, he had lost his shirt. Rook was usually able to get him to wear a shirt but around their home he usually went without one.

 “Yes?” He asked in that pleasant tone that Jake had come to understand was his default when he wasn’t pleased at all.

 “Is she alright?” He asked, knowing he would not be invited in.

 “Rook is fine, she merely needed to get away from everyone.”

 “Everyone but you.”

 “Well I do live here too and she did drive me.”

 “Tell her that Rebecca is sorry and give her this.” He handed over the basket and Joseph took it, probably intending to do no such thing until Rook’s voice called out.

 “Jacob? No. Jake.” She smiled faintly. She shooed Joseph away but he only allowed her to stand in the doorway, not actually leaving. He loomed behind her, eyes that misted over and serene look that meant he was plotting something. Jake knew because it was similar to the look Shiloh wore when she was plotting something.

 “Joe baked some of that bread you like and he made you something. He wanted to give it to you but got distracted.” Jake said softly. “Are you okay?”

 “I will be. I didn’t hurt anyone this time.” She smiled but looked tired.

 “Well rest up you’ve got the next todays off.” He waved and headed back to his car. He glanced back and saw her take the basket from Joseph but Joseph was the one to close the door and shut them off from his eyes. He was once again wearing the infuriating smirk. Jake’s hands clenched into fists. He had never thought of hurting his brothers but that expression on Joseph’s face made him want to beat it off him, and not even wearing Joe’s face made the desire vanish. He sat in his car for a long moment, watching the lights of the living room and then the upstairs bedroom flick on. He saw Rook’s for in the window through the sheer curtains and felt something inside him loosen. A text notification pinged on his phone.

 ‘Are you watching me change clothes like a creep?’

 ‘Just making sure you don’t need me to come rescue you.’

 ‘Well I’m fine. Really, I’m locked in my room. I’m going to go to sleep. Tell Joe thanks. Tell him that I’m honored.’ Jake wondered what his little brother had given her other than bread but figured he could interrogate his brother easier than he could his Deputy.

 ‘Goodnight.’

 ‘Night.’

  The rosary held a few more beads than Joseph’s and was made of wooden beads instead of the glossy black ones his had. The cross at the end was small and simple. Rook was touched that Joe had wanted to give this to her.

 “It guided my love through turbulent times. It guided me through darkness. May it guide you to happiness.” His little note said. Joanna’s prayer beads were lovingly cared for. Joe’s devotion to his wife still clear. She almost didn’t want to touch them with her sinner hands. But that was what they were made for, absolving sin. She wrapped them around her right wrist, leaving a little slack for them to move freely if necessary. As she was getting dressed she looked down at the tattoo she had on her chest, dead center and above any collar for a woman’s shirt. John knew how and where to place a mark. She traced her hand below the black lettering that was now beginning to fade a bit, going just slightly blurry at the edges. She pulled on her shirt, seeing the top half of the letters but ignored it. She needed to go grocery shopping and pick up a friend. She needed a guard dog.

[crasherfly]

I thought I’d have something important to talk about today...

About 30 minutes into my therapy appointment I had run out of things to talk about. I had done my best to summon...something...anything...to the surface.

But I had nothing. I got nothing for this space either.

I’m doin’ fine. Like, I’m not any worse than normal or anything. I just...am having kinda a blank week/month. It happens.

I’m trying to get back into running now that the gym is closed. It’s hell. I miss my weights. I know I’m going to be okay. It’s just going to take some time to really get my head around this. There are bigger problems in the world than my personal fitness and self-image. I have better safeguards in place for myself, emotionally, so I know I’ll come out of this better than I did during the the start of the pandemic. I’m taking this as an opportunity to improve and come out stronger in a different way.

I’m still sober. Haven’t decided if I’ll have a beer or two for Thanksgiving. I didn’t give this much thought when I started. But now I’m here. I guess I’ll have more thoughts when and if I end this streak. I wouldn’t say that it’s been a lifechanging experience, but it’s been good to break routines and try something new.

Haven’t done much else beyond the usual gaming and other nonsense. More on that below. :)

Aight let’s talk about games.

I picked up a new TV this week at Best Buy! I’m uh, like, a third of the way ready for the new generation!  If it’s a bad tv, please don’t @ me. We got the one that made the most sense for us.

Now just gotta find a Series X and a Yamaha receiver that can do 4k. Simple. Right? RIGHT?

Had sorta a light week for games. I worked a lot on DND stuff this week- more on that below, or, if you’re especially curious, you can find my DND blog HERE.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4)

I’m not sure what prompted me to get back to the world of Red Dead Redemption 2. I had no prior inkling that there would be anything newsworthy happening in RDR2- but of course, we now know that soon Red Dead Online will be a stand-alone game of its own, the single player campaign relegated to the backseat as an add-on feature.

I first spent time with the single player world. Needless to say, spoilers to follow here, so if you’re still behind on this game’s story- well, read no further.

Still with me? Great. Okay, so it’s no shock that Arthur dies at the end of RDR2. It had to happen. It’s a damn shame because i found him infinitely more relatable than John Marston of the original game, but to each their own. 

Arthur dies and you go through a kind of reset where you take over the story, such as what’s left of it, as John Martson. It’s a bit of a momentum killer, from a power curve point of view, but from a narrative view- it’s necessary. The ending to the main “campaign” is pretty good. You get revenge and the story wraps up nicely in anticipation for the the start of the game that...released a generation ago.

I...okay, I’m not getting into this here. This isn’t about my thoughts on the campaign, which I swear are mostly positive! (I actually think RDR2′s story is far and away superior to the first game’s, and it’s not a close contest, prequel issues aside) This is about why I came back to RDR2.

I guess I needed a big, immersive game world to get lost in for a while. And RDR2 certainly offers that. It doesn’t quite have the variety of its big brother, Grand Theft Auto 5. And it isn’t nearly as spontaneous as say, Yakuza 0. But it is still very, very big and chock full of narrative secrets. So much so that I found myself surprised by how much game was still there after the final credits rolled.

I took my hand at bounty hunting, bought a few new pieces of equipment I hadn’t seen before, and trolled around towns as a downtrodden, violence prone John Marston. I found some new secrets I hadn’t seen before, including a couple of cinematic moments with characters from the previous story. It was fun! I killed probably...5-7 hours just trolling around the virtual West. 

I will say it got a little tiring hearing everyone I met tell me how great a guy the previously killed protagonist was. Like. I know he was great! I played as him! I wish I still was! Ah well. 

This experience has me thinking about how...SERIOUSLY...we analyzed RDR2 when it first came out. Like, the discourse surrounding this game’s narrative experience was freaking BREATHLESS. But I think something that got lost in all that talk about the story- and more importantly- the culture of the studio behind it- is just how incredible the world they built really is. 

The world the devs for RDR2 built is simply...massive. Massive to the point that it might actually be unknowable. The only scale I can think to compare it is that of the Bethesda RPGs, and even then, that feels like a rough comparison.

Of course, size isn’t everything. They have to populate the world too, and again, they manage to do so with striking detail. Every city, town and settlement feels real. I mean, I still remember the first time I rode into Valentine and was struck in the face by the sheer choreography of it all. It actually made me want to make my character WALK instead of run, ‘cuz I didn’t want to break the immersion of the moment. That’s the arresting power of this game world.

Rockstar announced that the RDO experience will live on for at least the foreseeable future. There’s going to be plenty more written about the culture of Rockstar and the indulgent microtransactions that their games are trending toward. I’ll leave that to the journalists. 

But as a player? I’m glad the game world will continue to find life. It’s too massive, too finely crafted to merely be discarded by something as arbitrary as the passage of gaming “generations”, if that’s even really a thing anymore.

I have more thoughts specifically on playing Red Dead Online, but I’ll have to save them as this is already running long as it is. I also don’t think my thoughts are terrible revealing. You know what RDO is gonna be when you log in, and for the most part, that’s what you get. I think it has fewer problems than GTAO, but it is still a tightly controlled experience- likely by design.

Muse Dash (PC)

Muse Dash is a rhythm game where you tap a combination of 2-3 keys on your keyboard to the beat of a catch J-Pop song. Your character, or muse, on screen, dispatches foes who serve as visual cues for your keystrokes. You must string together as many perfect sequences as possible. There’s a combo meter and HP system in there too, if you’re into that kind of thing.

I first encountered Muse Dash on V-tuber Gawr Gura’s livestream. Unfortunately, the video appears to be missing from her archive now. I was struck by how much its short, energetic tracks reminded me of a different rhythm gaming experience- Dance Dance Revolution.

Fun fact- I used to be a DDR FIEND back in my high school days. Had my own mat and everything. I even used a barstool for extra support so I could hit those really intense combos.

*sigh* To be young and able to play DDR without risking a heart attack...

Anyway, suffice to say Muse Dash caught my eye. An endless supply of J-pop tracks, cute anime visuals, and some low-key rhythm gameplay? Tag me in!

It’s made for a good, chill change of pace. The price of entry is low...like, five bucks on steam? And you can purchase more songs if you’re into that. I recommend it!

Dungeons and Dragons: Ghosts of Saltmarsh

As I said above, most of my freetime last week went into prepping for my local DND group’s campaign set in the world of Saltmarsh.

If you really want to hear a play-by-play, I’ve linked my related blog above. 

Overall? I really enjoy the world of Saltmarsh. It’s spooky and moody. There’s pirates, but there’s also no shortage of sea monsters, ghosts, cultists and even vampires to keep you busy. It has strong Dark Shadows feels, where many of its included modules feel reliant dramatic tension and investigation ahead of a dramatic showdown with a big, bad monster of the week.

 I still have a lot more prep to do, but at least for the moment, I can take a breath and ease up. The first session went well and the players seem curious. I hope that keeps up as we really start to dig in to the world itself. I’ve never run a full city before, and finding ways to insert all the separate modules as plothooks has been a challenge unto itself. I’ll be sure to let you all know how it goes!

Anime

I haven’t watched much lately, and that admittedly sucks. I tend to go in phases, and lately, my time just hasn’t been going to anime the way it has in other seasons. 

I’m still very into Jujutsu Kaisen and am tracking with the season ending to Fire Force. I’m avoiding season 2 of Re:Zero like the plague, partially because I need to wait until the full season is done so I don’t have to torture myself by waiting week to week, and partially because I just know season 2 is going to absolutely destroy me in ways I’m not sure I can fundamentally handle right now.

I keep meaning to go through my queues and create a proper watchlist across VRV, Crunchyroll and Funimation. Maybe I’ll do that later tonight.

That’s all for this week! Hope everyone has a good and safe Thanksgiving.

Haven’t played anything on multiplayer for a while now. As always, if you have a specific game you’d like to play online, my DM’s are open. Please feel free to send me an invite <3

[waynekelton]

The Best Mobile Games of 2019 (So Far)

Halfway through the year and there have already been plenty of top-notch games to savour. From classic board games to cunning real-time strategy, not forgetting insanity-inducing card games, a wheeler-dealer RPG and a groovy roguelike. No matter what your tastes, everyone should find something to tickle his or her fancy.

Admittedly, there hasn’t been much in the way of truly original content; with most of the best games being tabletop adaptations or PC conversions. However, when the games are this good it seems churlish to criticise, especially since they prove that in spite of the doomsayers the premier mobile game market is still alive and kicking.

Star Traders: Frontiers (Review)

The ever-reliable Trese brothers turn their creative hands to the open world sci-fi RPG genre with terrific results. Although essentially a game of intergalactic commerce, Star Traders’ diversity allows for a range of differing approaches. Not happy with a methodical law-abiding approach? Then why not indulge in a  spot of smuggling or piracy? Perhaps you will decide to ditch trading altogether and take a military-focused approach or stick to the carefree life of a wandering adventurer. Initially intimidating, you will soon discover that the dynamic world of Star Traders is one that is well worth your investment.

Legends of Andor (Review)

All three of the board games on this list are at least five years old in terms of the physical version, proving that developers are prepared to look beyond the latest shiny new releases. This is definitely a good thing as there are plenty of classics just waiting to be discovered by a wider audience.

At first glance, Legends of Andor appears to be a hack and slash game, which simply involves rolling a fist full of dice and laying waste to hoards of monsters. Start playing, however, and you will soon realise that the game is actually much more puzzle-based than that. The most precious commodity is time, forcing you to carefully coordinate the actions of your band of heroes. The tight time limit means that each scenario more often than not climaxes in a tense showdown. There is a generous amount of content and it plays brilliantly solo. This may be a conversion of an older board game but its re-emergence on touchscreen makes perfect sense.

Evolution Board Game (Review)

Evolution is a card game of survival in a constantly changing ecosystem where food is often scarce and predators are on the hunt for a tasty snack. Players develop different species in a struggle to be the most successful. The real fun starts when you begin to add extra traits to a species, maybe transforming a peace-loving herbivore into a slavering ball of fangs and teeth.  Charming presentation and a terrific single-player campaign ensure that Evolution simulates the struggle for existence in a fun and rewarding way without getting bogged down with too much detail.

Castles of Burgundy (Review)

The board game version of this settlement building game is a stone cold classic. Thankfully, the app does a superb job of recreating the experience, making it one of the best board-to-digital conversions available. The excellent interface means that players familiar with the board game will be able to jump in and play straight away. Although new players will have to invest a considerable amount of time going through the comprehensive tutorials, it is well worth the effort. Despite a reliance on rolling dice, the range of options means you never feel restricted by bad luck. Keep your plans fluid and make the most of your current rolls and before you know it you will be raising a glass to celebrate the most impressive estate in Burgundy.

Necrodancer: Amplified (Review)

A roguelike game in which Nocturna and her adversaries strut their stuff like John Travolta. Keep time with the catchy beats whilst committing murder on the dance floor to build up some impressive combos. This is the definitive version and includes all of the content from the original pocket edition alongside the additional Amplified expansion. Necrodancer is a brilliant mash-up, transforming the typical sedate pace of dungeon crawling into a mad frenzy as you shake it like a Polaroid picture.

Cultist Simulator (Review)

Time to enter a world of despicable cults, unspeakable horrors and gibbering insanity. No, it’s not Christmas Day at your parents but the Lovecraftian setting for Cultist Simulator. You may be thrown into the thick of the action with little clue as to what is going on, but atmospheric narration creates a web of rich and involved stories. You will soon be establishing your very own cult, recruiting gullible followers and indulging in sanity-warping rituals. The clever card play mechanics are perfectly suited to touchscreen, making this one cult well worth signing up to.

Dungeon Warfare 2 (Review)

If Cultist Simulator hasn’t sated your taste for the dark sidethen Dungeon Warfare 2 should be your next port of call. There is no doubt that there is something deeply satisfying about turning the tables on parties of greedy adventurers by laying traps to send them plummeting into bottomless pits or crushing them between moving walls. As the Dungeon Lord, you get to do all of this and much, much more. The theme works brilliantly and the sense of progression is extremely satisfying. The puzzle-like gameplay and robust physics engine ensure that Dungeon Warfare 2 adds some much-needed pep to the tower defence genre.

Shards of Infinity (Review)

Coming from the same stable as Pocket Tactics’ favourite Ascension, Shards of Infinity was always going to be worth a look. The design is tight and there is a lot more outright confrontation than in most other deck building games. This is because instead of competing for points, the aim is to reduce your opponent’s health to zero.

The big innovation is that through a mechanic known as mastery you can increase the power of your cards. Hell, build up enough mastery and you can summon the infinity shard for an instant win. With the potential for countless card combos, this is a game that can handle up to four players but really excels in a two-player face off.

What have been your favourite games of 2019 so far?

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