#I for AFK for 30 minutes and come back to this

[floofeh-purpi]

Getting isekai'd?! (Part 5)

Sagau! Genshin Fatui x Gn! Reader (ft. Your bsf)

『Beloved fluffball/s mentioned below! 💜』

@justmare @mc-cos-charm

☆

Warnings: Your bsf's a gremlin and a simp for u, swearing, grammatical/spelling errors, ooc 🤠👈, oh shit I accidentally posted this unfinished uhmmm if u saw this not cooked yet no u didnt, you being a bit of a sassy little shit, mentions of your vitiligo A G A I N, your bsf almost getting caught have feelings for you by uhm... you, I FORGOT YOUR DOG EXISTED IN PROBABLY THE LAST 2 CHAPTERS IM SORRY, you and ur bsf being a duo, my shitty attempts at making you laugh

【Part 4】

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

"In their eyes, you are sweeter than honey. Your smile more radiant than the shine of the golden sun. Your eyes reflecting the light like precious stars in the night sky. The marks of Vitiligo on your skin like a celestial map that is to be cherished." By their I meant the harbingers and pretty much everyone in Teyvat. Also guys I tried my best on this part pls forgive me. 😔🙌

★

"Finally those people left." Y/b/f/n thought before happily skipping their way into the 2nd floor and into your room because I imagined their the type to do this shit💀🤚 totally because they defenitely didnt wanna hang out mess with you.

☆

"N/nnnnn?" Your bsf called out your name before pouting when you weren't there. "Wharrr?" You sassily replied back before coming out of the bathroom. "Oh there you areeee, can we play together pleaseee~ 🥺👉👈" Y/b/f/n pleaded, you couldnt help but laugh. You just had to. Like bro look at them, they look like a puppy (you meant that affectionately). "Of course why not." Little do you know, you practically accepted having an e-date with your bsf. But you didnt need to know about that now do you? ;)

☆

"That divine presence we felt with their roomate...–" The Regrator putted his hand on his in a thinking position.

"We cannot be certain that it is our Holiness until we see their blood..." Dottore rudely cutted him off. "Now where the fuck is my funding."

"Bitch stfu I literally gave you your funding 5 hours ago. 💀🤚"

"Harbingers, return to your duties. For we still yet have to confirm if our Holiness has truly descended into Teyvat." The harbingers immediatly straightened up their backs as the Cryo Archon's serious tone.

"Yes your Majesty."

☆

You found yourself playing Minecraft yet you still didnt buy the spotify fucking premium with your y/b/f/n on the computer. Sounds of you cursing agressively in tagalog and bisaya could be heard from your best friend's room get them ear theraphy 😔 "PUTANG INA IM OVER HERE 👹" You screamed over your mic to your bestfriend, whose blocky character was going the opposite way of where you are. "Sorry teh/kol! 😰" Yes your friend is scared shitless of you being like this, but they know you're just being... well, you. "Damn it your lucky I love you...–" Y/b/f/n accidentally out loud in which you fortunately didnt hear. "Ha?"

"Hatdog."

"Litse."

"LeTs SeE! 😍"

Before you could affectionately say another curse word you suddenly heard something scratching your door. "Wait, afk-" you said to you bestie 4 life before removing your chunky ass headphones and opened the door.

"Awwww is my big baby in need of attention again???" You cooed while giving him/her belly scratches, the husky's tail wagging happily at the affection he/she's recieving.

After 30 minutes of you scratching d/n you finally stood up from your crouching position, with d/n whining at the lack of hand on his/her belly but stood up and following you.

You sat down on your gaming chair and picked up d/n and sat her/him on your lap. Happily while wagging her/his. You then putted back your headphones.

"Yo, back."

"Bro what the fuck took you so longgggg" Y/b/f/n's avatar ran around you in circles.

"Yati ka shut the fuck up d/n wanted to sit on my lap."

"Lucky dog..."

"What?"

"Nothang.... 😰" Your best friend said before you went back to your usual self. Again.

☆

The tsaritsa was in her palace's library. Searching for books about the signs for you returning to teyvat once again.

No.

No.

Wait "You x reader" books fucking exist?! She's so keeping the book.

Until she finally found a book that seemed actually legit. "Istg if this also isnt the one..." The Cryo Archon rolled her eyes in her head before she flipped open the book.

☆

YAYAYAYAYA DONE WITH PART 5! :D

【Part 6】

Published: July 1 2024. 8:02pm.

[full-of-skritt]

Guild Wars 2; 30-Day Challenge

7. do you have a favourite place to afk/chill out?

I don't really AFK much because my computer will die if I leave GW2 running for super long, so I tend to close out if I'm going to be away for longer than like 20 minutes-ish?

That said, I prefer to be places that are safe and which I won't get attacked and come back to find myself dead lmao

Lion's Arch is a favorite obvs as a hub city, and honestly the only one that I have the layout memorized of hahaha.

I think the Wizard's Tower in SotO is gonna be a new one because I can absolutely see myself leaving Cixxe by R'tchikk and Gladium.

(I tried to take a screenshot of the Wizard's Tower with good graphics and my game crashed.)

I also will AFK purposefully by the bridge out from of Amnoon for uh...certain reasons.

[sophiaatwdluver]

GOING AFK

going to be out for a couple of hours, will not check phone but may or may not finish my current fic in 30 minutes or under and not checking tumblr after that, I hope you guys like the fic and I get a few followers when I come back from it! (It’s fluff)

[maximuswolf]

"Alt-tab" Games

"Alt-tab" Games I'm looking for games that you can alt-tab into, and out of, for any amount of time.Essentially, a game that you can keep open at all times (so, it would need to be somewhat lightweight), and play only while you're waiting for your queue in a game, or while you're waiting for your friend to come back from the bathroom, or while you're just bored and need to fill up 5 minutes of time instead of mindlessly scrolling on Reddit or whatever.You alt-tab into the game for 2 or 3 minutes, then queue pops, you alt-tab out of it, and only tab into it again maybe 30 minutes later after the game is done. You keep the game open at all times, but just leave it in the background for the most part.Runescape can sorta function like this, per example, though I'm not a huge fan of it. There's also a ton of 'clicker' and 'afk' games out there, but I don't know which, if any, are good. Submitted July 07, 2024 at 06:14PM by itzlax https://ift.tt/PJxHzED via /r/gaming

[imagine-a-fictional-boyfriend]

I’ll Take Care of You, Chapter 3: The Bar

HI! I was so afk;sdlj to hear from you lovelies on my last chapter... you don’t even understand:)))

I'm probably taking this in a direction y'all weren't expecting but it's what I felt like in the moment. I hope you stick around to see where this story is going :) aka more smut to come but imma make you wait  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Fic Summary: Reader works in the hospital where Billy Russo keeps his mother. They’ve caught each other’s eye. But she thinks he is the devoted son… little does she know what hides behind a handsome face and expensive suits.

Posted on my ao3 as well :)

Pairing: Billy Russo x Fem!Nurse!Reader

Chapter Summary: The realization of what the reader has just done finally dons on her, and she becomes a bit overwhelmed

Warnings: swearing, am I writing how I, personally, would react??? 🤔🤔🤔

Words: 1.5k

Masterlist ~~ Chapter 2

~

You were exhausted. Despite the mind-blowing romp with Billy at the start of your shift, the rest of your night was a shit-show. There was a code blue and the patient didn’t make it. It wasn’t one of your own, but the loss is still always hard. You had to take on the other nurse’s patients while she dealt with the paperwork and debrief. You felt like you hadn’t sat down all night.

You had sent Billy a flirty response to his text, telling him that he better not stop thinking about you. He had sent a simple ;) but nothing else. That was okay with you. All you wanted to do was take a shower and sleep, and not think about what you had gotten yourself into.

When you got home, you stripped off your scrubs and turned on the water in your shower. You stayed under the warm spray for a few more minutes than you usually would. After you finished your shower, you looked at your body in the mirror. Little bruises from Billy’s hands bloomed on your hips, hickeys were scattered across your neck. You grinned as you traced a bruise by your jaw. You hadn’t had to deal with these suckers since college, and receiving them from a guy like Billy... well, it made your insides burn.

Before you could get too caught up in the memory, you decided it was time to go to bed. You threw on some comfy shorts and a long sleeve cotton shirt. You put on your eye mask to block the remaining light that your curtains couldn’t so you could try to catch some sleep.

***

When you woke up, you checked your phone for the time. It was around 1:30pm. You also had a text. From Billy. You turned your phone face down and stretched your arms over your head, trying to contain the grin that was taking over your face. When your excited heart rate slowed, you picked your phone back up and clicked on the text notification.

12:00pm Let me buy you a drink. You free at 8:30?

You bit your lip as your fingers hovered over the keyboard.

1:34pm Thought you were going to call me?

1:40pm Didn’t want to wake a sleeping beauty. I do know how hospital shifts work, little lady

You blushed. Over a text, you blushed. Why did this man make you feel this way?

1:41pm I told you that you were a nice guy ;)

1:45pm Is that a yes to drinks, then?

1:46pm I’m free. You felt good sending that text.

1:50pm I’ll pick you up. What’s your address?

Normally, you just walked, took a taxi, or the subway. Giving him your address, was that really smart? You were chewing on your lip as you debated your next text. You’d tell him, and you’d also tell your best friend what you were doing tonight. That way if anything went wrong... You doubted that it would, though. Billy seemed like a genuinely nice person.

So, you texted him the address of your apartment building, but not the room number. That was at least a little smart. Then you texted your bestie and let her know that you were going out on a date with a guy you didn’t know well but he seemed really nice. She sent you a bunch of surprised emojis, then said she’d expect to hear from you by midnight and if she didn’t, she’d call the cops, the FBI, homeland security. You shook your head at her drama.

You went through your day with excitement burning in your chest. After finishing with your dinner, you went to your closet to find something to wear. You were so nervous. All he’d seen you in were your scrubs, and those were far from flattering. You know he already found you attractive, and you normally didn’t show yourself off, but you wanted to snaz yourself up. You hadn’t gone out with anyone since college. You picked out your nicest black jeans, a red bodysuit, and your black leather jacket.

You anticipated at least some kissing, so you didn’t bother with more than tinted lip balm. You brushed on some eyeshadow and mascara, then covered the circles under your eyes. You debated covering up the hickeys, but decided against it. You thought it would be hot if he saw his marks on you. You knew he left them for people to see. You ran your fingers through your hair as you looked at yourself in the mirror. You pulled on your black high-heeled ankle boots and grabbed your purse before you left your apartment.

You waited down in the lobby and checked your phone when it buzzed.

8:30pm The car’s out front. Black Escalade. My driver’s name is Jack. He’ll drive you to the bar

You frowned. 8:30pm You’re not with him? :(

8:31pm There was something that came up, but I’ll be waiting for you.

8:31pm Promise.

You sighed. 8:32pm Okay.

You exited your building and saw a man standing beside a black Escalade. He saw you approaching.

“Y/N?” He asked. You nodded. “I’m Jack. Mr. Russo sends his regrets, but he’ll meet you at the bar. Are you ready to go?”

You looked up and down the street before looking back at the young man. “Yes.”

Jack opened the back passenger door for you and you got in.

The drive was silent. You hated it. You felt so weird. This felt... practiced. Wrong. You frowned as you stared out the window. You suddenly became very overwhelmed. What the fuck was even happening right now? What were you doing?

When you got to the bar, you didn’t wait for Jack to open the door. You got out yourself and walked into the bar. You scanned the crowd for Billy. He was sitting at a high table against the wall across from the bar, and smiled and waved you over when he saw you.

You couldn’t seem to return his smile, but made your way over to him.

He stood up when you got to the table and reached for your hip. You let him pull you in to drop a kiss to your cheekbone. “You look absolutely stunning.” He whispered in your ear.

His voice was melting you, but you tried to hold your resolve.

He pulled your chair out for you and you sat down. Well, you’d put it as plunked. You plunked down, and crossed your arms over your chest.

He raised an eyebrow at you as he took his seat opposite you. “What’s the matter?”

Your eyes scanned his before you spoke. You couldn’t hold your tongue. “How many girls have you sent cars for?”

He looked stunned. “Excuse me?”

“How many times have you sent a car to fetch someone for you?” You asked coldly.

His eyes narrowed. “I don’t really think that concerns you.” His voice was dark.

“Doesn’t it? That felt so weird, Billy. Sitting in the back of that car, going to some undisclosed location.” Your voice betrayed you, sounding more hurt than you intended.

His face softened. “I wanted to keep the bar a surprise, Y/N.”

“Yeah, I can see why.��� It was probably the fanciest bar you’d ever been in. Your arms tightened across your chest. “I just feel wrong.”

Billy’s eyes searched your face, observed your body language. “What happened to the fiery little lady from last night?” He asked gently.

Your shoulders sagged. “I don’t know. I’m not normally like that.” You rubbed your fingers across your forehead. “I still can’t believe that I did that, last night.”

“So, you regret it.” Billy slouched back in his chair. He looked defeated, and you didn’t like that.

You sat forward and reached across the table to touch his arm gently. “No, I don’t. I just think that I need to figure out what’s going on here before I get myself into trouble.” You said honestly.

“I can respect that,” he nodded.  

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier. Your past relationships or girls you’ve seen is none of my business. It was stupid of me to say anything.” You said sheepishly.

Billy took your hand and squeezed it. “It’s okay. But to answer your question, I’ve never sent a car for anyone. I don't think there are many girls like you, Y/N.” His eyes were so dark, you felt like they were consuming you.

You felt your cheeks flush now. “Oh.” You said absently.

“I won’t do that again, though. I’m sorry.” He said. He let go of your hand and you immediately missed the contact.

You shook your head in dismissal. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not. I never want to make you uncomfortable.”  

You gave him a sheepish smile. “Thank you.”

“You intrigue me, Y/N. I want to get to know you. How about we start there, and see where it goes?” Billy said.

You nodded, smile growing. “I’d like that.”

***

Author’s note: pleaseee let me know what you think :)

Chapter 4

[tigerkirby215]

5e Vex, the Gloomiest build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Horace “Hozure” Hsu. Made for Riot Games.)

Writing this build in a dark room late at night, super tired and stuff... Stuck inside cause of this dumb virus... AFKing in TFT for a Prestige skin like a tryhard... It’s kinda aesthetic, ya know?

GOALS

Another person to kill... Shadow? Can you handle it? - You don’t need best friends: you’ve got your Shadow. He’s the only cool one, because he’s basically you.

Ugh. Can we get some rain clouds in here? - No one likes a debbie downer, but everyone loves a good scare!

Man, walking suuuucks - Nowadays even the anti-dash champion needs a resetting dash. “Do the thing, Shadow.”

RACE

I could make Vex a Harengon to justify her rabbit ears, but she doesn’t really do much “jumping.” That, and I didn’t buy Wild Beyond the Witchlight. So Halfling still works good enough for a yordle. Your Dexterity increases by 2, and while your movement speed goes down to 25 you have Halfling Nimbleness to move through people who are bigger than you. You’re also “Brave” for advantage against fears (when you hang around the Shadow Isles stuff really isn’t that scary) and of course have good ol’ yordle Lucky to reroll Nat 1s.

Halflings are normally pretty cheerful but Ghostwise Halflings are perfectly dark. You’d normally increase your Wisdom by 1 but I’d recommend increasing your Constitution instead. But I mean, it’s not a big deal if you take Wisdom instead. It is only +1. You also get Silent Speech to keep to team chat with 30 foot telepathy. I mean, they have to understand your languages but at least you don’t have to tell everyone what you’re talking about. And oh yeah you obviously speak Common and Halfling.

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - Turns out when you don’t release any new yordles for (wait it’s been 5 years since Kled was released? Holy shit) people end up wanting them.

14; DEXTERITY - Just because you don’t like walking doesn’t mean you’re slow.

13; CONSTITUTION - Imagine dying like a normie.

12; WISDOM - Vex isn’t sad because she’s pessimistic. She’s just realistic.

10; INTELLIGENCE - You’re too cool for school. (And I needed everything else more.)

8; STRENGTH - Ughhh I don’t wanna lift heavy stuff! I’m tired...

BACKGROUND

I guess you’re technically a Haunted One, even if the black mist is the best thing that ever happened to you. You get proficiency in Arcana and Survival as well as two language of your choice to talk to your "allies.” (I guess one of them has to be exotic or whatever.) (I’d personally pick Sylvan as the language of yordles and whatever language the majority of your party knows as your second choice, but that’s just me.)

The thing that sucks about having a Heart of Darkness is that everyone keeps trying to help you, thinking that your sadness (and the living shadow on your back) is something to be fixed. I mean, at least you can get the NPC normies to help you, as long as you don’t spook ‘em. “No doctors! I told you: being sad makes me happy.”

(Artwork by @ToggleD0wnFall on Twitter.)

THE BUILD

or whatever...

LEVEL 1 - SORCERER 1

Starting as a Sorcerer for saving throws and stuff. Also proficiency in Intimidation and... Persuasion, I guess? Look, persuading people that you’re fine “no really” is a skill too.

I wonder what Sorcerous Origin we’ll pick... If only there was one based entirely on shadows and darkness... Oh hey Shadow Magic. As a Shadow Sorcerer you get Eyes of the Dark for 120 feet of Darkvision to see with your dumb Halfling eyes, and Strength of the Grave which will let Shadow take a hit for you. (As long as you make a good Charisma save.)

But of course the main appeal of a Sorcerer is the Spellcasting. You can learn 4 cantrips from the Sorcerer list and two level spells: For cantrips Mage Hand will let Shadow pick things up for you, Mind Sliver and Sword Burst will keep loud people off you both up close and from afar, and Prestidigitation will let you do all sorts of normie yordle magic. As for leveled spells Shield and Mage Armor are both kinda mandatory for some Personal Space.

LEVEL 2 - WARLOCK 1

What? Did you really think we wouldn’t get at least some support from adults? Work for that cool gloomy dude Viego and make a pack with The Undead. That’s because Undead are super dark and morbid and have a Form of Dread: as a bonus action you can turn on your Doom and Gloom for 1 minute. You get some temporary hit points, fear people when you hit them, and are immune to fears yourself. You can transform a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

You also get Pact Magic, which is different from normie Spellcasting because you get the cool stuff done with just a Short Rest. Anyways you can learn two cantrips from the Warlock list like Minor Illusion to have Shadow trick some normies and Eldritch Blast to Eldritch while you Blast. You can also grab some first level Warlock spells like Hex to mark people you don’t like, and Arms of Hadar if you really need your Personal Space.

LEVEL 3 - WARLOCK 2

Second level Warlocks get their Eldritch Invocations for extra stuff that you don’t have to put effort into. While Armor of Shadows does exist it’s honestly better for you to cast Mage Armor with a spell slot, so with that being said take Agonizing Blast to agonize while you blast and Eldritch Mind so you can keep your concentration around annoying people.

You can also learn another spell like Hellish Rebuke, because people just keep barging into your Personal Space!

LEVEL 4 - SORCERER 2

Now that you can agonize your blasts it’s time to go back to Sorcerer. Second level Sorcerers get a Font of Magic for Sorcery Points which currently don’t do much other than give you more spell slots. You can turn your Warlock slots into Sorcery points though, which is good because they come back on a Short Rest but the rest of your magic does not.

You can also cast another spell like Earth Tremor, to slow people down with Looming Darkness and sunder the land with your edginess.

LEVEL 5 - SORCERER 3

Third level Sorcerers finally get Metamagic! Empowered Spell will allow you to maximize your damage and retain your role as an artillery mage. Alternatively if you want to guarantee fears in your foes take Heightened Spell to give them disadvantage to resist Shadow’s influence.

If you want Shadow to stick around then Dust Devil will swirl around for quite awhile. Alternatively Shadow (Magic) also teaches you Darkness for free, and you can cast it with 2 Sorcery Points to see through it! Your friends can’t see through it, but you can team up with Shadow for some powerful combos when you can see them but they can’t see you!

(Artwork by @jpdiasarts on Twitter.)

LEVEL 6 - SORCERER 4

4th level Sorcerers get the first of many Ability Score Improvements, but I can’t take Fey Touched every time for Flash. That, and we won’t give into basic yordle society. So let’s get value out of our Halfling race with the Second Chance feat. Along with +1 to your Charisma you can also use your reaction to make an enemy you can see attacking you reroll their attack roll, potentially making them miss.

Don’t use this against an attack that you can Shield against, but if someone gets a really good roll you can use this to get your Personal Space back! You can only use this once per combat though (it comes back when you roll for initiative!) so make sure to use it when it matters to keep your spell slots in check.

Oh and you can also learn another spell, and another cantrip! For your cantrip Shocking Grasp will help you push people away if they get too close (folk tend to react poorly when zapped by a tazer!) As for leveled spells Web will keep foes from dashing around, and is also pretty flammable. Huhn; wonder if that’ll be useful.

LEVEL 7 - SORCERER 5

5th level Sorcerers get gifts from the Ruined Queen Tasha in the form of Magical Guidance. You can use a Sorcery point to reroll a d20 if needed, potentially squeezing a success out. Don’t use this all the time (even if Warlock slots means you’ll have plenty of Sorcery points to spare) but this can be very useful in an emergency!

You can also learn third level spells and hey: Fireball may be a normie spell, but it’s still pretty effective. It’s maybe a bit too flashy to be Looming Darkness but it’s a good source of AoE damage which isn’t as loud and annoying as Shatter.

LEVEL 8 - SORCERER 6

All this time being a Shadow Sorcerer and Shadow hasn’t even done anything for us! Well how about you go out there and get some work done, Shadow? For 3 Sorcery points you can summon a Hound of Ill Omen to target a foe within 120 feet of you.

Shadow is basically a Dire Wolf except he’s Medium, has temp HP equal to half your Sorcerer level, can move through stuff (but takes damage if he ends his turn in stuff), and automatically chases whoever you told him to go for. Shadow will appear 30 feet away from the person you told him to get, and will chase after him like I said. All he’ll really do is attack the target you told him to though; he won’t even opportunity attack unless it’s the person you told him to chase. But if Shadow’s near someone they have disadvantage on their saving throws, which is pretty cool. (Unfortunately it’s only against spells, not your Form of Dread.)

Speaking of saving throws: Slow is a really great way to keep normies from running around doing annoying stuff. And you don’t have to hit Shadow with it which is pretty cool.

(Artwork by @Lauriquess on Twitter.)

LEVEL 9 - WARLOCK 3

Third level Warlocks get to choose their Pact Boon: if you want a really small Shadow go for Pact of the Chain, and if you want your cool necklace go for Pact of the Talisman, but we’ll be going for Pact of the Tome because you’re mostly a spellcaster really. (And we definitely don’t have enough cantrips.)

You get a Book of Shadows (See? Books can be cool!) with three cantrips: take Thaumaturgy to be extra spooky, Vicious Mockery for some sick teenage burns, and Sapping Sting to make normies fall over when you fear them. Some might say that 10 total cantrips by level 9 is a bit overkill but look on the dark side: you’ve now got a cantrip for basically every type of saving throw in case you can’t hit with Eldritch Blast!

Honestly none of the Pact Boons are particularly important for Vex so I picked the one that made the most sense. Feel free to take something more practical since 10 cantrips is admittedly overkill.

Oh and you can learn more Warlock spells, so now it’s time to finally take Misty Step. For Flash!

LEVEL 10 - WARLOCK 4

4th level Warlocks get another Ability Score Improvement: getting more Charisma for better spellcasting is probably a good idea.

You can also learn another spell, and hey look another cantrip. For your cantrip even if more damage options are kinda overkill by this point Chill Touch inflicts Grievous Wounds, which might be useful. You can also grab another second level spell and Blindness / Deafness (which is on the Undead list) is far more useful than any of the other normie options you’d have at this level anyways.

LEVEL 11 - WARLOCK 5

5th level Warlocks get another Eldritch Invocation, and even if you’ve got a resetting dash you’re still a squishy mage. So grab Tomb of Levistus for Zhonya's Hourglass.

You can also grab third level Warlock spells now! Remember how I took Fireball and complained that it wasn’t a good replica of Looming Darkness? Well Hunger of Hadar takes your Concentration but it’s a lot edgier!

LEVEL 12 - WARLOCK 6

6th level Undead Warlocks have become Grave Touched by the mist, and can make mist of their own! Along with being able survive without eating, drinking, or breathing you can turn any of your damage into necrotic damage. If you’re in your Form of Dread however you can add one extra damage die to whatever you’re using to get people to buzz off, adding to that morbid and macabre aesthetic.

You can also add another spell and if you’re bored with Shadow being a wolf how about you make them a Summon Shadowspawn? Weaponize your Fury, Despair, or Fear (I’d honestly recommend Fury since it has good synergy with your Dreadful Aspect) and work together with Shadow to deal with all your annoying foes! I’d also suggest replacing Hellish Rebuke with Counterspell, because even if the former fits better the latter is way more useful.

(Artwork by Jennifer Wuestling. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 13 - WARLOCK 7

7th level Warlocks can finally activate Shadow Surge. Relentless Hex lets you mark a foe with Hex and then dash to them. And technically you can move Hex around after the fact to reset your dashes! And while you’re at it you may as well grab Dimension Door for Summoner Teleport.

You could also upgrade Summon Shadowspawn to Summon Aberration if you so desire, but Summon Shadowspawn is more than strong enough and far more fun and thematic.

LEVEL 14 - WARLOCK 8

Another Ability Score Improvement. Yay. Cap off your Charisma for the best spellcasting you can get out of Shadow. You can also learn another spell, but we’re going to wait for...

LEVEL 15 - WARLOCK 9

9th level Warlocks get another Eldritch Invocation: even if it’s kinda ineffective Ascendant Step is still pretty useful to have Shadow carry you around. I mean yeah it’s slow but not that much slower than walking for you, and Shadow can lift you up in the air. “Shadow; carry me...”

You can also learn 5th level spells. If one guy’s being particularly annoying Negative Energy Flood can get them to shut up and work for you. Alternatively if you want more Personal Space Antilife Shell is on the Undead List and will make sure normies keep faaaaar away.

LEVEL 16 - WARLOCK 10

Are you ever so sick of everything that you just want to explode? Necrotic Husk has two benefits: for one you’re resistant to Necrotic damage, and immune while in your Form of Dread because being around Viego for so long means you’re used to his work.

But additionally when you are reduced to 0 hit points you can use your reaction to drop to 1 hit point instead and cause your body to explode! Each creature of your choice within 30 feet of you takes 2d10 + your warlock level in Necrotic damage. You do gain 1 level of exhaustion after using this, and after using it once you can’t do so again until you finish 1d4 long rests. So I’d perhaps use Strength of the Grave first unless you really need to lash out.

I hope you weren’t expecting more spells because you aren’t getting them from Warlock: just a cantrip. By this point we’ve honestly got far too many cantrips so I dunno maybe just grab Prestidigitation again and swap it out from Sorcerer when you get the chance.

(Artwork by @DukkoArt on Twitter.)

LEVEL 17 - SORCERER 7

Finally back to our yordle roots: 7th level Sorcerers get 4th level spells like Storm Sphere for a sphere of darkness and angst. But I mean the real benefit is that you get more Sorcery points let’s be real.

Oh and you can swap out Prestidigitation for Gust I guess. Spooky winds and stuff. Either this level or next level depending on your DM.

LEVEL 18 - SORCERER 8

Your last Ability Score Improvement... You’re gonna have to ask: what’s more important to me? More Metamagic, or more Eldritch Invocations? If Metamagic is to your liking take Metamagic Adept for Careful Spell and Distant Spell along with two more Sorcery points to use on them. If you like Eldritch Invocations though Eldritch Adept has a ton of options as a level 10 Warlock. I won’t tell you what invocation to take (they’re all great boosts but none of them shout out at me as something you should prioritize) as there are plenty of options to make your own Vex now that they’re all grown up.

I can at least tell you what spell to take: none of them! Wait until next level!

Oh and you can swap out Prestidigitation for Gust I guess.

LEVEL 19 - SORCERER 9

9th level Sorcerers can learn 5th level spells which means you’ve finally caught up to your Warlock slots. And look at that: the good wish Tasha gave you one last way to weaponize Shadow. Bigby’s Hand does a bunch of cool stuff and is pretty much the ultimate way to make Shadow crush some normies. (Most literally.) Alternatively if you want to borrow from Viego Enervation will let you heal from the mist and also do some damage. Great if you’re stuck in a corner with a bunch of annoying normies.

LEVEL 20 - SORCERER 10

Our final level is the 10th level of Sorcerer for one last spell, one last cantrip, and one last metamagic option! For your metamagic it’s honestly about time you take Quickened Spell to up your DPS. For your cantrip take Mold Earth to dig holes in the sand and brood. And as for your leveled spell? Honestly I just like Synaptic Static, and there isn’t much else I want anyways.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

We’re all doomed. But you’re more doomed - 5th level spells pack more than enough punch, and you��ve got plenty of them. Warlock slots will always be at your fingertips, and Sorcery points give you plenty of flexibility too!

I can feel it: someone’s happy over there! - Along with giving you a temporary hitpoint shield Form of Dread puts a nice bit of CC on all your abilities. Keep enemies scared and sad with tons of Doom and Gloom!

Ugh. Stop copying me Shadow! - Hounds of Ill Omen are cool. Summon Shadowspawn is also cool. Bigby’s Hand is especially cool. And hey: even your lower level Concentration spells like Hex? They’re pretty cool too.

CONS

Ughhhhhhhhhh this is gonna take foreeeever! - You’ve got limited fumes, even for a coffeelock. Form of Dread has limited uses and there’s only so much spell slot melting you can do to get your magic back.

I’m dancing... Happy? - You’ve got a really boring set of really normie skills... and if you’re playing Vex the way she’s meant to be played you’re probably not going to use any of them except for Intimidation.

Yup; the glass is half empty - Half your levels are Sorcerer levels, meaning you’re squishy. You’ve also got Mage Armor on which guess what: also means you’re squishy. People who hit teenagers sure are lame but it’s really not hard to Power Word Kill you.

But I guess you’re pretty cool overall. Shadow’s an alright partner and you can spread Ruination even without Viego. Trudge around and get people to frown for once. There’s nothing wrong with being sad, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting the world to be sad. But do try to at least be happy out of character, because we play games to have fun. I mean, who’d play a video game that just makes you depressed and angry?

(Artwork by @AzzylumArt on Twitter.)

[dontneedadictionary]

FACEIT, TF2, and YOU: What it is, how to play, etc

So you’ve heard of the hit new thing coming to TF2 but you don’t know what the heck its all about? Or maybe you’re trying to figure out how to use FACEIT to play Team Fortress 2? This is the guide for you.

For those of you interested in signing up, consider using this link. For those of you looking to learn more, please read under the cut. I’ll be giving a detailed explanation of what FACEIT is, what it means for TF2, and how to queue. 

Ok, so first thing’s first: what is FACEIT? 

FACEIT is an Esports company founded in 2012. It has been hosting leagues and community matchmaking for games like CS:GO and Dota 2 for a while. But this isn’t really too important in the grand scheme. What you need to know is that FACEIT has taken an interest in creating a skill-based, cheat free, matchmaking platform for casual Team Fortress 2. 

What this means is that after the closed beta for TF2 ends later this month (March), you will be able to queue into community maps hosted by FACEIT. These servers are heavily monitored with anti cheats so that they will not be infiltrated by hackers and bots which have currently been the plague of Casual Team Fortress 2. 

Currently, FACEIT boasts zero bots, zero hackers, skill-based matchmaking, free prizes (australium weapons and rare cosmetics), no autobalance, no random crits, no random bullet spread, and more. 

You can learn more about these things in plenty of youtube videos like these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvfEmlJ_N48

But what does FACEIT mean for TF2? FACEIT poses a chance for TF2 players to experience a more serious casual setting without the current issues plaguing the game. It also means that TF2′s community could grow. Potentially, if FACEIT goes well, Valve could be inclined to improve the future of the game. 

FACEIT currently is one of the best options for people who like playing TF2 seriously. It’s not technically competitive, but it is a more competitive way to play. Consider it like playing something like Competitive Overwatch casually. You should take the game seriously, not play as a friendly, and not abandon the game. 

If you’re someone who wants more from your TF2 experience and want a challenge, this could be for you! That being said, I caution that it isn’t for everyone. It’s a very different way to play TF2 than a standard causal game is. Maybe give it a try and see if you like it! 

-o-

So how all does it work from the technical side of things? How do you play?

Well, I’ve got the guide for you! (This will get long, I’m sorry).

Currently (3/14) the client only offers a closed beta. To get access you will need to be invited by FACEIT to the closed beta. However, you may be able to get access to this by inviting a friend (I’m not 100% sure). 

If you have full access, or this is written after the closed beta has ended and the client opens to the general public: start here. 

First thing’s first. When you download the client, it may require you to verify your email and phone number before you can queue. This is a component of the anti-cheat. Additionally, it may require that you download the anti-cheat software (this will require a PC restart). I suggest downloading it regardless of it is required. This is merely to help prevent the infiltration of hackers and bots. 

The anti-cheat download can be found in the bottom left of your screen. Just download the software and make sure you log in afterwards via the same button once it has been successfully downloaded. NOTE: you cannot install the anti-cheat with TF2 or another game open. 

Once this is setup, you should be able to queue with no issues. 

From the play menu, you can queue for Solo or Team games of matchmaking 12v12 TF2. It will let you know how many players are currently queuing for the game mode if you hover (hence 21 in this screenshot). 

There are currently 8 available maps. You can select your preferences here. However, much like in competitive game lobbies, you will have the option to vote for the map chosen for the match. I’ll come back to this in a moment. For now, you need to know how to make sure you make it into a match.

When a match is ready, there is a VERY short period of time to accept the match. Less than 30 seconds to hit accept. If you miss this window, you will have to requeue. If someone else misses this window, you will automatically requeue. The client will automatically play a loud trumpet flourish and you just hit the button to check in. This is to ensure no inactive players and afks.

This is what the window looks like when you’re accepted into a game and the maps are still being chosen. Team leaders (priority towards people with premium passes) will choose and select a map for the game to be played on. If you’re not a team leader, you can request that certain maps be played or not played. 

After the map has been chosen, you will be provided an IP address to paste into your developer console in TF2. If you don’t know how to enable your developer console, please follow this guide. 

You have less than 3 minutes to connect into the match. If you make it in during this time, you will be partaking in a few moments of warmup. It’s just like pre-game in Casual TF2 servers. From here, the game functions similar to competitive. One team attacks and sets a standard. The other only has to beat that standard time or amount of points capped etc. (I believe that KOTH maps are best out of 5).

If at any point your team is really getting beaten and you feel the need to forfeit. You can type “!gg” in the chat and a vote to forfeit will start. 

If you leave the match early, you will be penalized. So you should really only queue up if you have an interest in completing the game. Even if it goes poorly, you should stick it out or use !gg. 

Once the match ends, it will automatically close. Similar to an MvM lobby!

As you play, you’ll be able to work towards points to win prizes (they’re expensive but still possible to get!) as you play the game. Here’s an example of some of the prizes.

There are also missions to help you unlock points. Here are some examples of those:

You will also be able to rank up and unlock points that way. Newer players will have to work up through the ranks. The XP to earn these rank ups comes from playing the game. You can earn your way to the Face Melting rank just by playing the game. 

An example of how the ranking system currently works is shown here from Big Joey’s youtube video.

As you can see, the higher ranks will be based on your skill as a player. There are also other things in FACEIT such as ladders and tournaments. These are more complicated and explorable on the actual site or platform itself. So I’ll let you guys check that out on your own.

Overall, there are a lot of fun things about FACEIT! Hopefully this guide helped you understand what it is, how to play, and what there is about it. Please let me know if you have any targeted questions about it in my inbox and I’ll be sure to help provide any info I can.

Have fun y’all and give it a try! This is a cool alternative to casual play. 

[yeojaa]

ANGELS & AIRWAVES (w. jjk)

He's never met you but you know how he sounds when he wakes up from a nap and his greatest fears.  You know the way he sings after a shower and that he could be mistaken for a dying seal when he's laughing too hard.  The best part?  You don't judge him for any of it - including the fact he's a filthy Widow main.  He might just love you.

alt summary.  Jeon Jungkook has a big fat crush on a girl he's never met.

pairing.  jeon jungkook

genre + rating.  fluffy crack. general, for now.

warning / tags.  long-distance relationship, crushes, canon compliant (ish),  eventual happy ending, gaming, gamer!jungkook, strangers to lovers, friends to lovers, overwatch.  tags are hard.  :( 

reading.   n/a.  a three part one-shot.

word count.  ~3400

part i.

JUNGKOOK’S ROOM Sunday, 10 November, 2019.  2:13 AM.

It’s 2:13 AM when Jeon Jungkook finally finds a match, the familiar in-game sound dragging his attention away from the illuminated screen of his iPhone to the monitor before him.  He studies the SR - 3779 and 3761, respectively - and skims burning eyes across the members on each team.  Four rocks, including himself, and two Masters.

One of them has a strange name - BIGMELON - that he stares at until he's zoning out, trying to make sense of it.  Was his teammate a pervert or just hilarious?

"Good luck and have fun, everyone!"  

Your cheer filters through his headphones crystal clear but he's somehow still surprised, head tilting curiously to the side.  He hadn't expected a girl to be playing Overwatch at quarter past two in the morning.

When there's no response - he notices no one else is in the voice chat, an oddity for such a high ranking game - he takes it upon himself to keep you company.  His username lights up as his finger glides across the ALT key, sleep-worn words breaking the silence.

"Thanks, you too."

Nothing follows until BIGMELON appears once again in the upper left-hand corner of his screen.  You have a nice voice, he thinks.  "Are you sticking with Widow?"

Jungkook takes in the team comp:  Sigma, Hog, Genji, and Lucio.  A little unconventional but not wholly un-doable.  They're on King's Row, too, which is one of his favourite maps.  Balanced enough that people aren't too salty when they get headshot but with enough coverage that he can get clear picks.  

"Should I?"

"If you want."  A pause and your hero slot is filled with Mercy's portrait.  "I can damage boost."

He thinks he can hear the teasing.  It's soft and sweet and a little rough - like you'd just woken up.  

"Who says I need it?"  Comes his immediate response, question chased out of his mouth by a laugh he can't help.  It echoes, filling the quiet of his bedroom.  He hopes you don't take it the wrong way.

"O—kay, Widow main.  We'll see if you get anything from me."

It's an empty threat because you're giggling along with him.  It's distracting in the strangest way.  The sound bounces around in his ears and he can't help but focus on it, realizing belatedly that he's still sitting in spawn as the timer runs down for setting up defence.  

"Are you going to join us?"  You quip, emoting right beside his stationary sniper.  "I didn't queue just to have someone go AFK."  

Mischief colours your words and he laughs again, snorting as he finally presses W.  Two sets of footsteps echo in game and he presses SHIFT once he's hit point - and with just a few seconds left to spare - launching Widowmaker's body onto the balcony overwatching it.  Mercy follows, Guardian Angel carrying her into the air to alight behind the blue-skinned hero.  

As the timer hits 0:01, Jungkook right-clicks, scoping in on the second-floor spawn door.

BOOM.

The kill feed reads DDEOKKOOKI x STRIKER007.

"I guess you didn't need the damage boost."  

He can't help the sound he makes - a marriage between a witch's shriek and a pig's snort.  It leaps out of his mouth, louder than he intends, and he feels equally bad for you and his hyungs.  He's definitely going to get an earful in the morning - or any minute now, when one of them bursts into his room to berate him for being so loud.  "I told you."

"Yeah, yeah."  The way you speak has him grinning from ear to ear, nose scrunching in amusement.  Mercy is flying across the map, healing stream trained on Genji as the cyborg ninja just narrowly misses an errant Hanzo arrow and dashes back to point.  "I'm gonna take care of the rest of our team.  Let me know if you need anything, O' Headshot God."

You're clowning him hard but he knows it's all in good fun.  Still, he likes the nickname and decides to keep it, effectively picking off the attacking team's stealthily half-hidden Junkrat and Ana right after. 

"Show-off!"   

Then he's dinked in the head - health dropping to 30 from the partially-charged shot.  He needs heals like yesterday.

Unfortunately, Lucio is up at choke with the tanks, skating circles around the base of the statue as they hold point.  Jungkook doesn't see you immediately - he’s scanning his screen for your witch skin (of course) - only realizing you've appeared at his side when his health bar begins to climb.  "Try to stay alive, yeah?"

"My bad,"  he drawls, scoping in the same instant the kill feed announces two more enemy deaths. 

There are only a critical Reinhardt and protected Zarya left.  The former falls the moment he drops shield and her bubble doesn't reset in time;  the Russian tank dies in the next instant, his charged shot firing the moment it hits 100%.  

"Thanks for the damage boost."

"Any time."

Then you're gone, off to support the rest of your team again while he grapples onto a different ledge and continues his oppressive gameplay.  He feels a little bad when the opposing team goes double shield tank and swaps their Junkrat for a Pharah.  He feels less so when he's slept out of nowhere. Four seconds feels like an eternity when he’s out in the open - vulnerable as a baby lamb in a den of lions.

"Looks like you're really making them mad."  You'd been relatively quiet when not tending to him - likely because it was only the two of you in voice chat - and he startles when your comment breaks the quiet lofi he has going in the background. 

"I don't know why.  I'm just having fun."  He's lying.  You're laughing.  

"Too much fun, I think."  

"Maybe they should be better."  Jungkook says this like he's commenting on the weather or the colour of the sky - offhand and nonchalant.  It makes your giggles come harder.  He can hear the scratch of your mic as if you've doubled over and it's now pressed into cotton clothing.  He can't help but pat himself on the back.

"Please don't tell me you're going to 'gg ez' them when we're done."

Now he's feigned offense, gasping at the mere thought.  "Of course not.  I'm not that rude!"

"Well, you never know."  You're right.  People could be the worst when it came to online gaming, spewing vitriol and hurling insults the moment their egos were bruised (or inflated). 

"I promise I'm not an asshole."  He's not really sure why he feels the need to make this abundantly clear.  After all, he'd probably never play with you again.  Korea's density of players was just too great - you were just one in hundreds, thousands, millions. 

Still, he smiles when you reassure him you don't think he is.  "I'm just teasing.  You seem nice."

"I am nice."  Spoken in the same instance he lands two consecutive headshots - one on the bouncing, wall-riding enemy Lucio and the other on the momentarily grounded Pharah.  You must see that, because you're mocking him in that dulcet tone of yours, caramel coating words and turning them soft like toffee. 

"Not according to them."  And not that you mind, it seems, because you're damage boosting him as he catches their out-of-position Rein in his sight.  He whoops in triumph, eliciting another bemused sound from you. 

"You know they're going to do everything to counter you when we go on attack."  Which was in sub-one minute, the timer counting down the last thirty seconds of your team's defense. 

"Who says I'm going Widow again?"  

You're scandalized.  "You mean you're not just a filthy Widow main?"

For a moment, Jungkook wonders if this is how his older members feel when he (and Jimin and Taehyung) mercilessly rib them.  He thinks it must be and oh, how the tables have turned.  He decides he doesn't really mind, though.  It's all innocent fun and it's keeping him awake, aided by the cold brew he'd chugged at midnight. 

"Woah - says the Mercy player?"

"Mercy is a respectable support, okay!"

"Sure, e-girl."  

"Take that back!"  How the words explode out of his headphones makes him momentarily worry he might've overstepped but by the way your laughter chases it forward, he knows he hasn't.  You can take it just as well as you can dish it.  

"Okay, okay.  You're a not bad healer."  Because he hasn't died yet and last he checked, neither had your tanks.  Genji had once or twice - to be expected, given his playstyle - and you had, but that was still pretty respectable.

He can practically hear you rolling your eyes.  "Oh, thanks."  

"Any time, BigMelon."  

"That's ‘daebak’ to you, pal."  Had he heard you wrong?

"What'd you say?"  

There's a long pause - he's not sure whether it's for comedic purpose or something else.  You sound muffled on the other end, as if you're repressing sound.  "Because watermelon?  Su-bak?  So big melon is dae-bak?"  Whatever you had stifled earlier disappears, torn away by the pride that shines bright yellow and boisterous in your peals of laughter.

It's such a bad joke that Jungkook feels like he's about to have an aneurysm.  Were you Jin moonlighting as a Master support player? 

"You're kidding me."  He wonders if you hear him above your own glee, giggles making it hard for him to hear himself think.  "What're you - a dad?"

You scoff now, parroting his words back to him.  "What're you - the pun police?"  

Another one?

He briefly considers ALT + F4-ing his way out of this match and away from your corniness.  Considers it but ultimately decides against it, instead remaining stoically silent and choosing McCree when the hero selection screen slides into place.  His silence will surely speak volumes.  

"You know that was funny!"  By the way he can practically hear your pout - it's endearing, much to his chagrin - he thinks you know where he stands.  

"Not the word I'd use."

"You just have bad taste, McCree."  You say it scathingly yet full of mirth, a sniff punctuating the end of your rebuttal. 

"Do not!"  He returns, just as quickly.  

"Prove it.  Laugh at my joke!"  You're shameless, confident, reassured - it makes him chuckle.  

You take it as his surrender though, your own laughter blending seamlessly with his.  It goes on for longer than is strictly speaking necessary, crowding like cotton balls in his ears as you leave sprays of your hero - Ana this time - across the spawn walls.  He wrecks every one of yours with his own, BAMF displayed in 1440p. 

"Hey - stop that!"  It doesn't matter that the round is about to start - you're spamming your melee button into him.  He immediately does it back, toggling between that and his voice line. 

The rest of your team is probably wondering what the hell you're both doing.  

"Stop distracting me!"  He barks into his mic, deep dimples on full display, nose scrunched adorably.  He doesn't really mind - it's clear by his hyena cackles that follow - and he likes when your chorus of shut up's pitch and leap with your giggling. 

As he navigates McCree out behind your tanks, he can't help but wish - maybe a little selfishly - that they'll lose this round and go into a best of three.  When the opposing team's healers both die - one to Ashe's dynamite and the other to Zarya's high-charged beam - he knows that's not going to happen.  Your team's going to cap point and then you're going to be gone - off to the next game and never to be matched with again.

"We did it, McCree."  You sound deeply pleased as the last of the defenders fall, leaving point uncontested.  The Lucio on your team lingers by the choke, ready to boop any last minute hoodlums;  Echo hovers just above the enemy’s spawn, dealing damage the moment any hero comes in view.  One of your tanks is already emoting.

VICTORY flashes across his screen.  

"We sure did, BigMelon."

The cards come next - they're all for your team, though he isn't surprised.  You'd gotten 37 defensive assists whereas he had 27% Infra-Sight uptime.  He's sure you both vote for each other, the remaining four going to your other support's Sound Barrier casts.  

"Thanks for the carry."  He doesn't mean it facetiously.  This is some of the most fun he's had in-game in ages.

"You're welcome,"  you chirp.  He thinks you'll leave right after.

Instead, you both sit in voice chat in silence, watching the timer in the upper right-hand corner. 

"Do you want to duo?"  You ask in the same instance he does, breaking the both of you into a fit of laughter.  It's more distracting than he realizes, the FINDING MATCH countdown replacing the end game statistics while you’re both still cackling.

Luckily, you invite him to a group right as he removes himself from queue.

JUNGKOOK’S ROOM Tuesday, 24 December, 2019.  11 PM.

It’s six weeks and a good three dozen games later - a feat for him, considering how much of his time is eaten up by literally every other obligation he has - when he asks for your name, not realizing the consequences of his action.  

“Most people call me Jinny.”  He thinks it fits you, bright and pretty and punchy.  “What’s your name?”

Jungkook's unprepared for the question, though he shouldn’t be.  Of course you’d want to know.  Anyone would, if they’d already given their own answer.

He's silent for the longest time, quiet stretching on and on over group voice chat.  He applauds you for your patience, how you don't press him on it when the hesitation has descended from appropriate to downright awkward.

"Uh."  The word drops like a weight, crashing through the tentative friendship you've built over the past weeks.  

"You don't have to tell me,"  you supply as softly as he's ever heard you.  It's the first time you've seemed uncertain - and it bothers him that he's the reason.  "I get that we haven't known each other that long."  

As if that's actually the issue.  He would've told you the night you spent four hours together, taking wins left and right, filling the time in between matches with silly banter that had his jaw aching from laughter.  He would’ve told you on that random Thursday, when you’d listened to him talk about his busy day, effortlessly keeping him occupied - and amused - while your SR nearly descended below 3500.  He would’ve even told you yesterday, when you’d said you were going to bed, only to be roped into another six games by Jungkook’s eagerness.

It has absolutely nothing to do with time - or the lack thereof.

But he can't say that - can't tell you who he really is - so he improvises as best he can.  "My friends call me Jay."

"Jay, huh?"  You turn the sound over on your tongue, like you're tasting it for the first time, trying to decide whether you love it or hate it.  He hopes you don’t hate it.  "Then I guess we're the best J-duo to ever exist."

"Woah, we?"  He's only doing it to rile you up, finding it cute when you huff and puff and threaten to let him die in-game.  You never make good on the threat anyway;  you just like to see him sweat, watching as his health bar drops to measly single digits.  "I don't think I agreed to that."  

It's your turn to mock him, that same edge turning your words into sour candy.  "Fine.  You can find yourself a new healer.  We'll see how your SR likes that, Bronzie boy!"  

Neither of you really take the game that seriously but he gasps like he's been shot.  

"No!  Don't leave me with them!"  The way he howls the plea is enough to return you both to your rightful place - one filled with boisterous laughter and things he never thought would see the light of day.

Because somehow, he's found somewhere he feels safe - a place he feels like himself, with no pretenses or expectations.  It’s where he can rant and rave, bouncing from topic to topic like an energizer bunny with no end in sight.  It’s, oddly enough, with you.  

Connected through voice chat and built by an endless stream of communication - sometimes productive, other times not - the space you’ve carved out together has come to feel like a third home.  It isn’t quite what he has with his family or his members but it’s just as nice.

Different, but nice.

"Fine.  You're forgiven."  You sniff in that peculiar way of yours and he snickers loudly.  "How was your day?"

And this is why it is - because it's ordinary.  It’s where Jungkook can rest his head and drift for a while without worry of what’s over the horizon, ready to swallow him whole the moment he takes his eyes off the calm blue sea.  He's not raised on a pedestal with you, all the weight of his choices resting on his shoulders.  He's just a normal guy playing games.  

It might not make up for all the years of normalcy he's missed out on - the movies after school, the street markets on weekends, the holiday parties with classmates - but it's enough.  

He eats it up like he's been starved of it.

"Busy.  Really busy.  I had dance practice all afternoon and forgot to eat so I'm dying now."  There'd been a time - about three weeks in - when he'd chosen his words more carefully.  He'd been worried he might let something slip but he's found what feels like the sweet spot now, where he can tell you about his day without thinking he’ll suddenly shatter the image you have of him.

It's not always easy - he has to remember to never mention names or intimate details - but it's better than nothing.  He can finally tell someone about his day like he wants - all of the good and the bad, too.

"You should make something to eat!"

He's used to your reprimands but he still laughs, crossing his long legs beneath him as he readjusts in his computer chair.  "But we're in queue."

"Jay!"  It comes out devoid of static, clear as the waning sunshine that filters through his blinds and reflects particles of dust that drift lazily through his bedroom.

"I'll make something after we win."  He knows what you're thinking - that he's gone and jinxed your whole night.  You’re weirdly superstitious, something he's learned only recently.

As if right on cue:  "Shut up!"  

Your words sweep his expression up with glee and giddiness, like a kid on Christmas morning;  lines dig themselves into the bridge of his nose and the delicate skin beneath his eyes.  Jungkook tells himself it’s the usual pre-game jitters but he knows it’s more than that.  

It’s you and that infectious giggle that careens through his headphones, making him see everything in a pretty haze of warmth.

He’s not sure when you’d started having this particular effect on him - maybe since the beginning? - but he feels it now, clearer than ever.  Every tinkling laugh makes his heart speed up, thump around his chest like a baseball missing its mark.  The sight of you logging in elicits the biggest, possibly dorkiest smile, all slightly too-big front teeth and deep dimples.  You have him rushing through his post-practice showers and devouring dinner in half the time he usually would just to get online a minute more quickly.  

There's just something about you. 

And sure - a part of him wonders whether it's all in his head (as if it could be anywhere else).  Wonders if he's seeing you through rose-tinted glasses, doing to you what so many do to him.  Was he in over his head, praying to a deity that didn't even know he existed?  

Sometimes it felt that way - a little out of reach, like childhood crushes and summer love and wishing upon a star.  Certainly far too much for a blossoming friendship of just a month and a half.  

But then you laugh and it's Pop Rocks fizzling in his stomach and he knows that no - it's there and it's real.

Jeon Jungkook has a big fat crush on a girl he's never met. 

notes.  i love overwatch and i love jeon jeongguk.  what more can i say?  :)

[technobladetimestamps]

Oct 18 Stream Timestamps

Timestamps from Technoblade’s “the aftermath (Dream SMP)”

Link to my youtube comment with all of the timestamps x

Timestamps with hyperlinks below

01:23  calling the chat out / hit 3 mil and then got 8k subs deleted / 3 is better than 4 03:30  justified in killing Tubbo but was letting Tommy let it out of his system 04:29  festival intel / weapons test / need to go to the nether to get stacked 06:01  sellout timer / good at roleplaying bad at not selling out / airstrike 14:49  the nether / “I hate this dimension already” / cough bc he’s speaking to much / “Maybe I’m allergic to cheese and my life will be terrible” / hard to read chat / goals: blaze rods, gold, ghast tears 19:01  the festival was a victory / “Do you think there’s fire...in this dimension” 24:54  wants stacks of gapples so he isn’t afraid to use them / hoarder  27:25  orphans killed his parents / Technobackstory 32:07  “What do you think about recording an audiobook?” / “It’d be a terrible audiobook cause i’d be coughing” / groupchat promo 33:10 adhd advice? / “I’ve got no idea how to handle adhd man” 36:34  happy sellout timer gasp 39:52  calling zombie piglins brothers 46:27  “Could not take down Manberg without you guys / doesn’t usually care about blast furnace since he can go afk 50:12  rage donation / “I can’t plug my channel” / sad voice 51:11  youtube advice / “Being a minecraft youtuber is like playing youtube on easy mode” 54:45  “Read it and weep losers” 1:01:59   Blaze rods increase particles in fireworks / King’s Avatar character / Technoweeb 1:04:57  “Is there a way I can personally reach you?” / “No.” 1:06:02  “Web novels pog” / TBT2 / would have to edit out slurs / multitasking / happy sell out timer gasp 1:09:16  “He’s flexing the healthcare” / “Good luck on the tournament. Unless I’m in it, than bad luck for you” 1:15:26  they’d never let him team with Peetzahut for MCC 1:16:12  favorite president / can’t choose bc they’re probably all problematic / President Garfield / trying to remember the name of a president 1:22:07  almost left the ghast tears behind / sad laugh 1:30:11  “Establish the ultimate villain arc with Dream” “Perhaps” / MCC dream team team balancing / “Yeah cry about it” 1:31:52  “Only pain, misery and governments are in the overworld” 1:33:14  “Thanks for helping me procrastinate” / “What would be the first crime your family assumed you committed” “Nice try cop” / “The IRS won’t arrest you for joking about tax fraud on air right” / apology vid for tax fraud / at least his upload schedule won’t change in jail 1:34:47  would go to minecon if his friends go / “What friends” “That was uncalled for” 1:37:03  internal clock in sync with the sellout timer 1:45:14  could fight Manberg alone with this much gold 1:47:35  “You missed cobblestone” / but like he actually needs it / “Use fortune” “What on the cobblestone?” 1:51:58  “I will look into. And by look into it I will promptly forget in 5 minutes 1:56:24  sorta bullying Freya by calling her below average / “Ever heard of less is more Technoblade” “Yeah that’s how my upload schedule works” 2:00:07  Explaining The King’s Avatar  2:03:33  “Was that your dad? Cause guess what’s this sword’s named” “I’m basically a saint” / didn’t get jbaited by the joe mama joke / can’t sell out 2:04:39  can’t sell out / King’s Avatar anime is sponsored by McDonalds / “I’m not your dad” / slow falling potions / phantoms disabled / “Tommy has phantom membranes...We’re on great terms right now” 2:09:56  “It’s a drop bear” / “They’re playing skyblock” 2:17:31  “Just because I hate the government doesn’t mean I hate having a good outfit” 2:18:25  looking for Fundy to flex the trident on him / “Asking for a friend” / “Trident hunting” 2:20:05  it’s not sellout time but it is sellout sign 2:29:12  “Can you dupe tnt? And if so will Dream ban you for it?” 2:32:10  “Blitz come back!” “I don’t think it’s happening” / “I know from the potato war that pumpkins are trivially easy to find”  2:34:54  “Fruits of our labor” / selling out 3 minutes early / would play Phasmophobia if the sleepy boys ask 2:41:27  reading a very weird dono / “I’m stuck with these eyes that have seen your message for the rest of my life” 2:43:22  “Why are people spamming smoker? I have never smoked” / “Oh you mean the smoker item” 2:45:11  “Peer pressure is a dangerous thing. Techno killed a man because of peer pressure”

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

Did you get ‘gen-rushed’? Or did you just tunnel someone for 3 minutes and in that time frame, 3 different Survivors with nothing else to do, did 3 different Gens and then met up on another Gen and did that together, thereby doing 4 Gens in 3 minutes? Were you really ‘rushed’ when they just did their main objective while you were dumb enough to not interrupt them?

I think people forget that the standard DbD match takes between 8-10 minutes. With proper map pressure being made. If you only apply pressure to one person when you have ample opportunity to do so to everyone, then of course the game ends in 5 minutes and 47 seconds. When it takes all of them the standard 80 seconds to do their own Gens, they aren’t rushing you. Someone held M1/R1 for over a minute. There is no rush there. 

I’m actually looking forward to the new update. But I don’t like how the Survivors stand now. They look too stiff. Like, standing in place before still had some kind of movement. They actually seemed alive in a sense. Now they just look like they’re planking vertically.

Also the new running animation looks absolutely horrible. But the maps looks nice.

I have 9K Iridescent Shards. I don’t want Felix now. I just wanted one of his Perks but I don’t want him. So what do I do now? I just farmed BP and IS all week. I don’t like any of the cosmetics available for my P3 Mains either.

I was thinking about how cool it would be to have like a tropical themed map. Different color scheme. IDK if it’s at all possible but it’d be a nice change. 

Got a Leatherface who stood on the open Hatch so I couldn’t get out and like, he wasn’t moving so idk if he was afk, but my ass legit just went a did a Gen and opened a door and left that way. He never moved. Turns out he was streaming and had gotten up to go pee and get a drink, expecting me to be trying to find some way to get into the Hatch. He came back to the game being over and me with the Escape icon. His empty chat couldn’t even tell him what happened. Sad.

I have 11K Iridescent Shards now and I still don’t know what to do with them. I finished getting Elodie P3′d with all Perks. That makes Claudette, Min, Yui, and Elodie now.

So I’m Healing this Laurie and Victor comes upon us. I see him readying up his lunge so I get between them and he dead ass flies over my head and downs her. I Crush him and start Healing her up again. He comes back just as I get her to the Injured state, and I didn’t try to take a hit that time so Laurie goes down again! I Crush him, Heal her all the way because the Killer was Chasing someone else by then. It was great! XD

I really do wish we could get a new map soon. Like I know they’re updating graphics for everything to better appeal to the PS5 generation or whatever, but I do want a new map. New vibes and stuff. Unlike for some people, Midwich feels old to me.

I can’t stop laughing over it! XD She abandoned me later on though so I guess that was revenge for this moment.

The ending was the best part. When you’re solo but somehow your whole team is vibing.

This match was something else. I was so stressed in the beginning.

This was 30 minutes long, but the first video wasn’t very interesting because I never encountered the Killer. When that recording ended I hit record again to finish up the match. And this half of the match was so much more spicy. I wanted her to get out so much because she deserved it and his pansy ass didn’t deserve a 4K..

She deserved to be teabagged so much. I regret nothing. Also, my character going through like 4 different animations at once and becoming a twitching mess was kind of funny too. I was tapping L2 so fucking fast btw. Red Rank Killer is so bad they have to face camp when the last Gen pops just to get at least one kill. Sad af.

[casualcatte]

Quiet, almost breathless humming eased through the quiet of the library accentuated every few heartbeats by the slither and tock of a book being slid home into its place on the shelves. Upon investigation, the source of the sounds was a viera of indeterminate age, but the vivaciousness in her movements and her countenance made her appear young and eager. Large, sky blue eyes scanned the shelves with a quick, knowledgeable air before making a small “aha!” sound and sliding another book home into its place on the shelf. Several books needing to be returned home sat on the table behind her.  Long, honey blond hair framed her face, one hand sweeping it absently back as she picked up another book. However, as she did so, she took notice of the new arrival and gave a bright smile. “Oh, well, hello there! Is there something in particular I can help you with?”

Without waiting for an answer, she pirouetted with such fluid agility that bespoke of, perhaps, a previous life as a dancer. Another book slid home on the shelves as she awaited an answer. Picking up another book, she held it in her hands as she once again looked at the visitor with that enormously inquisitive gaze. “You seem like you’re looking for something.”

More beyond the courtesy snip!

Notable Affiliations

These can be used as points of contact.

♦ Hyzenthlay is a librarian with the Cabinet of Curiosity in the Crystarium. 

♦ She's a known archaeologist and ruin explorer, a number of the pieces she's found on display in various places.

♦ A fair hand at tailoring and weaving, some may know her from her sensible clothing pieces upon various persons in the Crystarium.

♦ She possesses the Echo. Only to facilitate travel for her between Norvrandt and Eorzea; she's no epic hero and has no real control over such powers. Echo memories are ONLY at other players' discretion. For those who do not engage with Echo-enabled Characters, she's simply a far-traveler from Ilsabard.

What I'm Looking For...

Mostly just friendly folks to Roleplay with.  I'm not particular as to character race or background, though their interactions with Hyzenthlay and how she reacts to them will ultimately determine their fate.  I'm wholly an "organic" roleplayer; I've never liked the idea of scripted relationships or allegiances, rather letting them grow as they will based on what happens in roleplay.

Long-term, short-term, I'm perfectly content with whatever time a person has to donate.  I'm more than happy to play a bit part in plots and personal stories.  However, don't expect me to play a villain, that's not in Hyzenthlay's personality.  (Nor am I fond of playing the villain, because I'm bad at it.  )

What I'm NOT Looking For...

♦ Drama Llamas. I'm not looking for drama or people who can't keep Characters separate from Players.  What happens in roleplay is just roleplay; it has no regard or reflection on you or me as people behind the keyboard.  Please, keep that in mind. 

♦ Exclusivity. I don't expect to be anyone's sole source of RP and enjoyment, nor do I expect them to be mine. I enjoy having a robust friends list and being a social butterfly.

♦ Passive Roleplayers. If you're the kind of person that always has to be approached, has to be given stories to write, or has to be prompted constantly to RP, then I'm not the roleplayer for you. I enjoy active, engaging characters and players who have as much interest in creating the story as I do. 

These are all deal-breakers.  I don't have the time or energy these days to cope with people that can't respect these boundaries.  

I am OKAY with...

♦ In-character Conflict.  Again, see the IC=/=OOC caveat.  Just because my character doesn't like or get along with yours doesn't mean I dislike you on a personal level.

♦ In-character Dungeons/Questing.  I thoroughly enjoy mixing PVE and RP!  I like using all of the world instead of just the city or specific taverns

I'm NOT OKAY with...

♦ Roll-based Combat.  I find it boring.  I'm sorry!  That's just how I feel.  If I want to play roll-based combat, that's what my D&D nights are for.  

♦ Excessive gore, violence, sexuality, or horror.  I may be older in age, but these "mature" themes aren't something I enjoy roleplaying with any regularity.

If you have questions or would like to add me to your Friends List, please don't hesitate to contact me -- or leave your in-game contact below and I'll contact you!

About Me ♦ I’ve been roleplaying for almost 30 years now. I love discussing roleplay ideas and implementing them. I’m not worried about “spoilers” or ruining immersion by discussing and planning storylines OOC. Planning ensures that everyone has a chance to contribute ideas that are fun for *them* so everyone has a good experience.

♦ I tend to be patient with people of all roleplay styles and experiences. Just be courteous if you need to AFK mid-RP for an extended period or reschedule the scene.

♦ I am a 40+ year old woman with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. This means I may need to cancel plans last-minute depending on my pain levels/fatigue or I may need to leave mid-scene. This is NOT an indicator of interest – or lack thereof – I have a disease that needs careful tending and I have to listen to the needs of my body before anything else.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, I'm usually online from 8pm (Eastern) until whenever I decide to log out for the night.  I don't have a day job anymore, so I keep pretty strange hours.  The latter half of the week, I tend to do Real Lifey things (D&D and Hubby Date Night, woo!) so I can be pretty hit-or-miss since things come up spontaneously.

Availability & Contact Information

Timezone: GMT/UTC -5 or Central (US) Time.

I’m mostly available from 8pm to 8am, Sunday through Tuesday. Beyond that, my schedule gets pretty unpredictable and difficult to manage.By preference, I enjoy in-game RP, but if scheduling is an issue I don't mind using other methods of play like Discord or even Googledocs, whatever works best!

Discord: writerholic#1384 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rp_aficionado Tumblr: https://roleplay-aficionado.tumblr.com/ Pillowfort:  https://www.pillowfort.social/roleplay-aficionado

[theoriginalladya]

Fanfic writer Friday: How do you take notes when you're afk or in bed or in the shower? Do you have a good memory to just remembering things or do you need to write it down immediately? I ended up using whatsapp for note taking whenever I'm not on the computer and even have one of these water proof note pads in my shower (that is currently not IN the shower so it's of no use!!!). How do you do it?

Oooooo, good questions!!!!!  Thank you for asking!

Well, I’m the type that always, and I mean ALWAYS, has a notebook and pen around.  In my purse, in my backpack, in my hand if I have no bag - I just learned to carry them wherever because my muses will pick ANYWHERE to attack with ideas.  Some years back, I remember pausing in the produce section of the grocery store, digging out a piece of paper and a pen and writing down a couple of ideas that decided to show up while I was choosing tomatoes.  (yes, it really happened! lol  No tomatoes were harmed in the process, either!)  

When I am at home, I have notebooks for specific stories/character concepts, too.  I leave them near the bed, though my desk is right outside my bedroom door and it’s easy enough to reach if I leave it there.  There are times when I have MULTIPLE notebooks, depending on the story/characters and just how talkative my muses are (it’s an organizational thing for me, partly, so I can match ideas up with the stories later).  

That said, there are plenty of times I’m NOT able to write things down as soon as I think of them.  The biggest culprit is usually the drive to/from work.  My drive is approximately 30-45 minutes one way, so I have plenty of time to think.  Often, the music I listen to inspires the muses.  Now, if a particular song inspires something that’s very vivid, chances are I’ll remember it when I get to my destination where I can write it down.  Other times, I just put that song on repeat in hopes of keeping the memory fresh or making it stick better (if that makes sense?)  Other times, I forget.  In those instances, I figure it’ll either come back to me later or it just wasn’t meant to be - because I get PLENTY of ideas, I’m not lacking in that department! lol

The EASIEST way for me to get my ideas down and keep track of them is on my laptop, of course.  I have a big save folder just for Writing - fanfic, original fic, etc.  Each has it’s own folder, and within subfolders.  

So, this is what my Mass Effect file looks like:  

Writings/Fanfiction/Mass Effect - Shepard stories/[and 43 different folders in here, most attributed to specific Shepards; plus other documents that don’t fall under categories]

Overall, my preference is to have the laptop handy because I can get my ideas down MUCH faster than I can writing by hand, but in the absence of the lapop, I always have a notebook.  

Just as a side note ... I think I’ve only ever once had an idea come up while I was in the shower.  My muses are kind, in that respect, but that one time I did grab a towel and hop out to run and write it down! ;)

[michaelmcchillsmpe]

Day 16 | 12/14/19

Okay, heads up, this is going to be a long one. Michael did his charity stream this day so it’s a lot of hours of doing stuff on SMP Earth but there were also a lot of interruptions because it was, of course, a charity stream with specific stream goals. Also sorry if some of the points don’t seem to be as relevant to his progress on the server because he was more focused on his charity stream doing good than doing good in-game.

Michael’s charity stream day! He gets on SMP Earth to bring some more friends onto the server and he’s looking for leather because if someone donates $50 to his stream he’ll fly to someone’s base to put an emote of his of their choosing there.

Note: For when I mention SMP Live, know that this stream ended only hours before the members of that server were told the server would be shutting down so in this stream no one knew the server would be shutting down so soon yet.

Michael gets three people in the game: FallyFire (one of his good friends, Alan), CrowWing15 (his girlfriend, Ellen), and AFitzy (the voice actress, Allanah, for Alesa, the girl that is all of Michael’s emotes and basically represents his stream).

Michael goes to get Ellen and Allanah to bring them back to Packle since they joined the faction. Ellen is with Michael in person and Allanah is in the VC.

Michael takes Allanah with him to go to Burren’s base to retrieve leather for making item frames for emotes at different people’s bases. Burren hops in and out of VC to talk to them as well.

They go to Connor’s base by accident and Allanah dies there. Michael dies not long after just as he gets to Burren’s base.

Dink joins the VC. He then is called a bitch through a donation.

Someone donates to go to Techno’s base and put Swolesa there so Michael goes there.

Fit joins the call. He apparently got banned from the Vatican’s Minecraft server. He also says that he’ll say his line at $2,200 which the goal was $30 off of at that point.

We hit $2,200 and Fit says the line. Michael also heads back to California as James joins the VC.

Fally finally joins in.

James puts water on their concrete powder road turning a portion of it to concrete.

Michael gets a donation to go to Sp00n’s base to hide an emote at his house.

Michael goes afk for a second to talk to his sister and James puts him in a hole with a murder cart under him that kills him the second he gets back.

Since it’s a charity stream Michael keeps going in and out of VC to talk to chat about stuff. He joins back at one point apparently to Jameskii in a hot tub in VC.

Josh comes on to do a server restart because there’s a couple of glitches but Michael is in a plane over the ocean so there’s a yelling match in in-game chat as everyone else jokingly says to do it right then.

Michael’s connection starts lagging really badly.

Tommy joins the VC for a second to threaten Michael for being close to his territory only to realize they’re allies and he leaves very quickly.

Michael crashes his plane and dies. Burren has a laughing fit while Dink goes to get his stuff.

Wispexe and Tommy join the call to see if they can get some traded diamonds or cobblestone but the server is still really laggy and Michael can’t log on very well.

Michael and Ellen take a break to build a gingerbread house as part of their donation goals.

Michael flies to go get the items that Dink got for him but he’s interrupted by a $100 donation where he breaks his keyboard in half.

Michael flies to Kara’s base to carry out a prank that he got paid for. Then he puts several other emotes up at her base for fun for donations.

They take a break for a second for reaching a donation goal which Michael said he’d put his cat, Leela, in a Christmas outfit. She was adorable in it but did not like wearing it for long.

Then they hop on Runescape (in which Sky himself joined in) followed by some mini-games in Minecraft with viewers for a couple of hours. They come back to Earth right after however.

Michael comes back in and asks Poke to join a VC and gets Burren and Beef as well. Poke leaves after a minute though because Michael just sells out to his chat for charity.

Michael flies to Poke’s base to put up a meme at his place.

Burren leaves the VC but Yoshi joins and immediately gets bullied like usual. Poke and Michael try to get him to ban Schlatt and Carson from SMP Live.

Poke also made it a point to make sure when both Ant and Schlatt donated that he had donated more than what each of them donated. He 

Michael takes a break for a second to read a Christmas story to chat because he reached a goal.

When he goes back to the server he flies to Jordan’s base because he got paid to put an emote there.

He gets stuck in the ocean as his plane gets stuck in a bubble column so Michael rejoins a VC with Yoshi and Poke to get them to help. He breaks free of one glitch only to get stuck in another. He despawns his plane though and drops into the ocean to be picked up by Yoshi who showed up in his plane to help. Michael gets in Yoshi’s plane in a drive-by though which everyone was impressed by.

He finally gets to Jordan’s base and puts down the emotes he got paid to put there.

He takes a break for a little bit because he gets emotional but he comes back and wanders around for a bit as he talks to chat.

Packle allies with JokosWorld.

Michael tries to fly back to Packle but his plane is broken from the glitch earlier. He has to switch to his secondary, slower plane in order to get back.

He flies to the railroad to get back to Packle on that then flies the rest of the way back again. He has a jam sesh on the trip.

Connor got the donations to $6969.69 (I had to add this lol)

Michael accidentally says they’ll start war with Crisis Text Line if they reach the goal instead of the AntarcticEmpire.

He watches Motivational Lizard for the first time.

He pulls in Yoshi so he can go on SMP Live and blow up his base (again) there since he reached the goal for that.

They go back on SMP Earth because Techno got on and they get him in a VC. Jameskii joins the VC as well. Michael then tells Techno they have declared war on the AntarcticEmpire and Techno immediately flies over and is like “wait I see a guy in iron I got this.” 

Michael goes to hide in the bunker and tells Fally to get in there as well.

They make jokes about how the war is going to look like Avengers: Endgame because Packle has so many allies.

Michael thanks chat again for donating before ending the stream after 15 hours.

AND SHOUTOUT TO UMUHOATMEAL FOR DONATING A LITERAL $3,000 TO THE STREAM FOR CHARITY. THEY’RE CRAZY BUT AMAZING AND WE LOVE THEM FOR IT.

Quotes: 

Allanah: “I have a gun.”

Michael: *talking about Poke and James* “Can one of you @ them, try to get them in here.” Burren: “I WILL. I’LL ANNOY THEM. YES.”

Beef: “I forgot that people exist in real life too.”

Michael: “If we reach our goal, we are starting war with Crisis Text Line. Wait-” 

Michael: “Start a war to stop suicide.”

[windupnamazu]

THIS BUT INSTEAD OF DOING ONE EVERY DAY FOR THIRTY DAYS OR LETTING PEOPLE SEND THEM AS ASKS I DO THEM ALL IN ONE GOOOO

01. Main Class AST! I was a SCH up until Heavensward, though.

02. 2nd Class BLM! I’m bad at it though and I only take it into expert roulette because I love the aoe rotation.

03. Fave Crafter What? I can’t read this. I hate crafting. It’s weaver.

04. Fave Race Lalafell! I’m also really partial to Miqo, but I could never fantasia to one because the skinny races all kick at my self-esteem-

05. Fave Add-On Is this a question about expansions or the third party tools that we're supposed to pretend we don’t use?

06. Playing Since June 2017! Here’s a pic of my friends during the free trial days. 

07. Playtime 218 days, 22 hours, 11 minutes, but only god knows how much of that time was used afk in front of a summoning bell.

08. Stupid thing you did when you started playing I did ARR back when glamours were locked to level 50, so when they started giving me ugly clothes I... wouldn’t wear them. For the first like thirty or so levels I just wore the cute i1 glam pieces and I died so many times because I had no stats.

09. Most memorable moment Two of them - when we first started the free trial, someone ran up to all of us talking in /say down in Bulwark Hall and gave us some gil to split among us once we got our subs. Another time, someone by the Limsa marketboard started talking to me and gifted me some minions when I said I had just started playing and really liked minions. It’s probably cheesy to say but their kindness really stuck with me and it’s part of why I kept playing, even though I’m an inherently anxious person who’s terrified of interacting with strangers and I didn’t think I could ever love an MMO this much.

10. Did you make close friends? Yes! We met Peepo through the game, and now she’s one of my best friends. Elly was already part of our friendgroup, but now we’re even closer because we play together. I’m also really happy that I’ve been lucky enough to make friends through the tumblr community too - I mean, I wouldn’t say close emotionally, but there’s a special kind of bond between mutuals who tag each other’s stuff, y’know?

11. Fave part of the story [thinks about a certain cliffside confession] [starts tearing up]

12. One special place There’s this rock in Cutter’s Cry that you can jump onto. It’s not really special but it sticks with me because we had a silly moment on it and now whenever we get it in leveling roulette Rob always points it out as my rock.

13. Fave city This will probably always be Limsa Lominsa. The Crystarium comes really close, though.

14. Fave area This might be a tie between Lakeland and Lower La Noscea. Lakeland is so purple and is tied to a certain You Know Who and Lower La Noscea has my earliest memories of running around in the game.

15. Fave housing area The Lavender Beds!

16. Fave NPC Really makes you wonder, huh.

17. Fave Dungeon It was Shisui of the Violet Tides. Then they updated the retainer quick venture pool so they can bring back the mengu without me having to farm them.

18. Fave Trial I still go absolutely nuts when we get Yomi or Suzaku in trial roulette tbh.

19. Fave Raid After at least thirteen runs so far, I can safely say that it isn’t the Copied Factory. Maybe Leviathan or Phantom Train? I don’t run Savage and I didn’t do any of the Alexanders when they were current...

20. Fave Music huauaugoaguhougwuh

21. Fave Mount I think that legally, I have to say the Namazu mikoshi, but...

22. Fave Minion

i still love the wind-up namazu its just. him beby.

23. Fave Glamour If I ever answer these kind of things and don’t respond with this outfit, assume that I got possessed.

24. Are you married? Maybe.

25. PVP, yes or no? I actually kind of like PVP. Wish it was a lot shorter, though.

26. Fave thing you do in the Gold Saucer Forget to redeem my Jumbo Cactpot tickets!

27. Fave Weapon It’d be Canopus Lux, but also the Mogfork exists.

28. Coolest Attack FELL CLEAVE. And probably everything from MNK. I’m also biased towards AST’s whole kit because it’s my aesthetic, but they’re not really attacks.

29. Fave Emote /brofist, /laliho

30. Best Mogstation item If I don’t say the Fatter Cat my boyfriend might kill me but it’s obviously  Ten Pots of Metallic Green Dye.

[aid-worker-sya]

So, while I haven’t gotten the masteries maxed out, here were my ultimate thoughts on Whisper in the Dark after completing its meta (and holy fuck I fucking HATE that meta guys) and its main quest, in a little under 3 hours; and that’s keeping in count I had to AFK for like 30 minutes. I’m copying and pasting this from the GW2 forums; while I DID have fun, ultimately, I feel this unfortunately has far less replay value than the last two episodes, and I can’t see myself coming back to this map for non-RP reasons once I get my Boreal Greatsword (which is like an Ultra Greatsword out of Dark Souls) and Endless Boneskinner Tonic. I had fun, don’t get me wrong, but if this was a Steam review? It’d be one of those ones where while I had fun I’d still give it a thumbs down. Spoilers below the cut!

The Good:

The map, while small, is great. It has that perfect feeling of the hopelessness, despair, and even depression winter brings; and it was released with winter around the corner. I have seasonal depression with winter and how it gets so dark and so cold so early, and I feel like it was perfectly represented in Bjora Marches. Its sad. We've stepped foot uncomfortably out of the Shiverpeaks back to the Norns' ancestral homelands, and its ruled by Jormag and his cultists. Its a really depressing place with the son always blocked out and snow, and I really genuinely loved it. I especially love the hopelessness among the Vigil after SPOILEEEEEEEEEEEERS happened, and the constant paranoia that follows with Jormag constantly whispering to everyone; I knew he'd try to kitten with Rytlock, Cre, and Braham, but I was caught off guard by him screwing with Jory too and I especially loved that segment in the caves.

The writing was great. I feel like ever since the Icebrood Saga began the writing has tremendously improved, and I loved the psychological horror that filled the air. The writing was the best part of the episode to me, and being able to kamehameha with the mastery is cool too, despite me not havin gunlocked it. And I like games like GW2 for its story, so thats a huge boon to me. I'm part of a Norn RP guild and I absolutely loved this, I've already thought a lot about what Jormag is whispering to all my characters and I can't wait for us to get further in and caught up so we can RP in the map. Even Braham, who I've disliked (a shared sentiment by many) in the past is starting to grow on me; and this is the chance to write him into a likable character.

And its also unfortunate when I say that's what I enjoy the most out of this map, because that is... not good.

Nitpicking/Personal gripes:

YOU TEASED US SO MUCH WITH THE BONESKINNER AND HE WAS FUCKING NOTHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

Jokes aside though, the Boneskinner was really disappointing. Its one thing that he wasn't prominent in the story itself, focusing on the Sons of Svanir was fine, but at the end of the day? It was just another Champion boss. I remember when it said it was going to eat people I was thinking maybe there'd be a mechanic where it ate players and insta killed them, but no it was just these NPCs I don't care about. Now I loved the woods area in general, but it is incredibly disappointing after being hyped up the Boneskinner is just a Champion you can easily miss. I would have been in favor of it being a Legendary and the final boss of the meta event of the map (more on that below), but that was disappointing. Not enough to seriously deduct points if I was rating it formally, but I don't think I was the only one who felt this way about it. If anything the Endless Boneskinner Tonic just feels like, way more exciting than the actual thing. Being able to turn into a Boneskinner and let people pretend to pet you sounds funner than the actual boss. Now, I DO like the associated quest where the Vigil is getting freaked out bc they're being watched due to my love for the horror themes in this episode, but still. Now, I get the Boneskinner will be the focus of a strike mission, but that's a rotating thing that not every player is gonna be interested in.

The lore is weird and you didn't explain what the Fallen is, and I was debating if I want this to be a big thing. When I saw "corrupted bear shaman" in the distance I assumed they were like, Icebrood shamans who used to revere the Spirits but fell to Jormag's influence and are stuck in their forms, like Svanir was. But they're just kind of there? And they're like... on fire. They look like Destroyers. Is there some kind of lore to them? Are they resisting Jormag with fire magic but are also hostile to anything that isn't them? Hopefully we'll find out in a few months.

The Bad:

And I'm really sad this is gonna be the longest part, because I did have a LOT of fun playing it, and I probably will again on other characters, followed by never returning to the map.

The first thing I want to talk about is that meta. I hate it. I hate it a lot. The Icebrood Construct WAS kind of cool, but that should have been part of the story (a second half, which I'll go on below) with it attacking the Keep as part of the personal quest. I don't like how intrusive that was to the UI. I really wanted to do the main quest for Whisper in the Dark before doing metas and quests; but that UI thing was SO disruptive and I didn't want to constantly run back to get Raven's protection, I just kind of put my story on hold to finish it. And I didn't even like the last boss. The Icebrood Construct was cool visually and I liked it being chained, but there's nothing I can say other than "big monster walking and we gotta make it stop!" I'm sure Jory's part of the main quest would be unaffected since its in a cave, but the other two segments with Rytlock and Creia and Braham were awful until I decided to just stop. It didn't help that meta took forever to finish either. I hate to say this, I really do, but even The Frozen Maw, aka Baby's First World Boss felt more investing to me despite the worse loot; there's something about the Champion Svanir Shaman Chief summoning his portals and hulking out on you in his Icebrood form that feels... more epic than just an ice kaiju steadily advancing. Also, it doesn't mess up my entire UI, so I can do other stuff, such as the main quest in Wayfaer Foothills without worrying about a debilerating condition from an event I'm not interested in is hindering my process.

The map is really small. This has been said a million times; which means you guys should listen. It didn't need to be HUGE, but like... I don't know. 2-3 more explorable areas with its own events like the woods and cave would've been nice, I think? I think that would've made a huge difference to the map.

And also said a million times, the quest is too short. Even my favorite GW2 streamer, AuroraPeachy, commented that was really short. I thought the Raven Shrine would be like, the halfway point, and then maybe something like stopping the Sons of Svanir from destroying the keep would occur, much like the meta event of the map, maybe ending with a funeral for SPOILEEEEEEEEEEERS, and even Rytlock acknowledging this has become something much, much, much bigger than just pursuing Bangar further. Instead it just... kind of ended? The Freir (or however you spelled it) was a great Legendary boss once you understood the gimmick, don't get me wrong, and I could've been fine with it as the final boss, just not that early. And this isn't just my opinion either; a lot of people are unhappy with how short this quest was. If you released LW episodes like... twice as quickly (which would also affect quality negatively) like every two months it'd be fine; I think everyone excused Bound by Blood being short bc it was a "Prologue" (I think all of us at heart consider it to be the real episode 1 and were disappointed still though by the length), but now? We're in the main meat. Nobody wants to wait 4 months for something THIS short.

And this brings us to the ultimate problem; outside of roleplaying and doing IC stuff on all my other RP characters? I don't... really want to come back to this map. I LOVE the atmosphere and writing around it, but I don't wanna come here to spend hours when I could be doing World Bosses in Core Tyria, map exploration, or the past two maps; which I want to talk about in-length now.

Dragonfall and Grothmar Valley still have lots of people active in those maps; why? Because they're fun and rewarding (although hatched chillis are probably the worst map currency in the game, that's another can of worms for another discussion). Dragonfall has this huge (easily more than twice Bjora Marches) and an incredibly unique and massive meta event in the form of Break the Crystal Dragon; and I have WAY more issues with War Eternal's writing and story than Whisper in the Dark's, but I still want to do Dragonfall much more than Bjora Marches. That meta is so huge, fun, and massive it makes me want to come back to Dragonfall just for it. Hell, it makes me want to do the previous metas and misc quests around the map JUST to get mistborn keys to open those coffers at the end. An incredibly fun meta event spawning multiple Legendaries followed by a horde of Champions to fight each spawning chests after is super fun! And I've not done all of Grothmar Valley's metas, Metal Legion alone is just so fun I have gone back to the map just to do it. Its fun and has massive replay value. And as this game does not revolve around loot, where any character can craft weapon and armor with the highest stats in the game? That's what's most important in the PvE front; fun maps with fun events that entice the player to return to do them again and again. Its not even about getting Ascended trinkets; they're just fun to do, and Dragonfall's metas drop a ton of chests dropping jewels useful for upgrading Exotic amulets and trinkets (for those who don't like grinding or crafting for Ascended armor) and other crafting as well. Grothmar Valley gets you a warhorn that's a kitten microphone and some wicked t-shirts, and some really cool back items for Charr players who are deep into Legion roleplay. Even Siren's Landing which I don't really like (I don't like any Orr map tbh) has two things going for it; the first is that Undead Wyvern epic-level boss, and the second is the option to buy Ascended back items and trinkets with Karma instead of Unbound/Volatile magic.

What does Bjora's March has? I guess the Endless Skinwalker Tonic is cool. And those Ancient Boreal weapon skins look great, especially the Greatsword featured in the trailer since it looks just like an Ultra Greatsword out of Dark Souls (I actually like the Ancient Boreal skin much more than Restored Boreal, looks more... ancient, eroded by the sands of time; which I get it, restored and ancient, but still). But i'm never gonna make them more than once, once I get the skin its transmutation charges from then on out. So what's my incentive to go back to Bjora's March once I have these items, other than roleplaying with my guildmates or to do the quest on new characters after I get to that point? Nothing except a meta with fairly uninspired events, the same Sons of Svanir I was killing back in the Shiverpeaks. I hate to say this, I really do, but even The Frozen Maw, aka Baby's First World Boss felt more investing to me despite the worse loot; there's something about the Champion Svanir Shaman Chief summoning his portals and hulking out on you in his Icebrood form that feels... more epic than just an ice kaiju steadily advancing. Its a TERRIFIC atmospheric map and really great for roleplaying if you're into that, but its not like I'm RPing with my guildmates all the time. Most of the time I'm doing the personal quest and living world on my characters, bounties in Elona maps, and world bosses (bought the World Boss Portal Device just to do them), and various other metas I find fun (usually with challenging final bosses). There's very little intensive for me to return to Bjora's March other than getting that tonic and Boreal weapons. Once I have them, I'll only come back to RP or complete it on new characters. That's it.

In Conclusion:

I really need to stress the fact I had a lot of fun, except for when the blizzard started and I felt compelled to join what I feel is an unfun meta event. The story was great, the atmosphere was great, the writing was great, and the new masteries are fun. I genuinely enjoyed myself, and I'm sure I'll enjoy doing it again. But its not like Istan (and Elona in general quite frankly, I love the entire region except for the Desolation), Dragonfall, Grothmar Valley, and even Siren's Valley for me. I feel very little reason to return to the map, and that to me is enough I cannot recommend it. It's a map that exists I have some fun on, but other maps are much more fun to do. The replay value in this map largely relies on my RP guilds being active in it, and because on all my characters I want to try to complete the entire story on them if possible.

I certainly hope this short map and story means you're gearing up for Chapter 2 of the Icebrood Saga. We know you will be introducing Drakkar as a new world boss; something I and many GW1 vets have wanted (I still remember when most of us thought Drakkar WAS Jormag). I'm really hoping the short story and map is a sign you guys are going full out to deliver us an epic world boss with an epic map. If not... I think the reception from those even who loved this map and quest will be a lot less warm.

So yeah. That's my personal thoughts. Great story, great writing, great atmosphere, great roleplaying potential, and a cool Endless Tonic and weapon skins; but tragically, very little replay value, which is instrumental to new maps in MMOs, and as far as I'm concerned a downgrade from both Dragonfall and Grothmar Valley as a result. Its like... you guys are almost there; but you still need to put int a little more to get to the finish line.

[crazy-coeurl-lady]

Two Simple Steps to prevent ShB from being a repeat of the 5 hour queues we had in SB

1.  Log off when you’re done playing.   This seems like common sense, but it’s not something everyone does.  Last time, people would even bypass the 30 minute afk timer through various means, to the point it made the long queues drastically worse.  I won’t detail those means because you shouldn’t be doing them anyway.

Don’t be that person.  There’s no good or fair reason to bypass the timer - people will sometimes go “well I was only going to be gone for a little while for <insert excuse here> and I didn’t want to go through the whole queue again for only being offline a little while!”  Your excuse isn’t any more important than anyone else’s.  Everyone’s got something - parenting, cooking, walking their dog, whatever.   If we all log off when we’re done, the login queues will diminish much faster.

If you don’t log out and make SE have to start doing the full world logouts to clear the server, you will make Yoshi P very disappointed in you.

2.  Visit one of the low population worlds when doing PvE.  For those of us on Balmung (or Mateus for that matter) we have all of Crystal datacenter to spread out onto to make things better for fellow players.  Use an aetheryte in the major cities to visit another server.  Consider meeting up with friends on Brynhildr, Coeurl, Diabolos, Malboro, Goblin or Zalera.  

You can even do this in advance - if you log out tonight on another server, you should still be there when you log back in when the servers come up.  

There are limitations to what you can do when server visiting, like accessing retainers, but the rest of the time you can be visiting and helping spread the server load out.  If you need to do retainer things or sell on the market board, consider perhaps doing those outside of prime time hours in order to keep our home server queue as low as possible.

For more detail on how to use world visit and how it works and all that stuff, SE has a page for that! https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/playguide/contentsguide/worldvisit/