#I wanted a mention of Max in KH so much!

[bebepac]

Seeing Double

This is chapter 7 of Just the Way You Are.  To catch up on what you’ve missed please click:  Just the Way You Are Masterlist

Original Post date: 2/24/2021

The Book:  Prerfect Match x TRR

Pairing:  Hayden and Kai /  TRR MC is single-ish

Word Count: 3192

Warnings:  Profanity

Summary: More of Hayden and Liam’s friendship is revealed.  Liam and Riley have breakfast together for the first time... alone.  The squad goes out to dinner.  

Taylor, Sal, Jaiden, and Nico are my own characters.  All others belong to Pixelberry.  

A/N: Working on giving my masterlist a face lift, here’s one of fruits of my labor.  I hope you like it.    I really don’t have a song for this one, so i’m not even going to bother picking one.  

A/2:  In this AU Jaiden is not the older brother, he is the younger brother.  Jason and Ren Brooks after failing to conceive adopted twin girls and seven years later.  Jaiden arrived!

“You have an identical twin sister?”  

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you mention that?”  

“She’s my sister, and we share the same face.  That's it. Do you mention your sibling that doesn’t?”  

“No.. but…”

“People get so drawn into the fact that we look alike, that they don’t realize that we’re still  completely different people with different personalities.  Yes we share a face… but that’s where the similarities end. People really start asking ten thousand questions when you say, you have an identical twin."

Riley laughed in her direction.

"Being that she's giving you the finger right now, looks like the two of you really hit it off. Come on let's smooth this over. I promise her bark is worse than her bite."

Riley grabbed his hand pulling him over to meet her sister. All Liam could think is that Riley was holding his hand.

Taylor immediately rolled her eyes.

"C’mon Tay be nice.”

“Why? He has corny jokes Riley. My God!!! They’re horrible.”

“You’re just a comedy snob because Max is a comedian.”  

She smirked at Riley. Riley smirked back identically.

“Liam is a nice guy Taylor, if you give him a chance. I gave Maxwell a chance.”  

“I’m engaged to Maxwell. Are you trying to get engaged to him Riley?”

Liam let out a surprised cough.

“In case you don’t speak in cough, that means no Ri.”

“That means, we just started hanging out and you’re trying to throw us down the aisle Taylor, overbearing much?”    

Riley raised her eyebrow, crossing her arms over her arms over her chest.  Riley tapped her foot impatiently.  

“Finnnnneeeeeee!!!!  You win.  Okay, You win.  Don’t do that thing like Mom does it drives me crazy."

Taylor took a sip of her coffee like she was taking a shot and then smiled sweetly at Liam.

"Hi Liam, I'm Taylor, Riley's sister. Nice to meet you."

Liam was impressed.

"That's all I ask. Thank you Taylor."

She saluted Riley. "Okay Mom."

"Come on Liam." She grabbed his hand again pulling him away from her.

They went to sit at a table away from Taylor. Liam was  relieved. Though he thought Riley had the situation handled with her sister.

"Sorry I am late. Chance told me at the last second, he couldn't make it then I had to throw something on."

Riley smiled, so did Liam.

He glanced at Riley. If this was her just throwing clothes on, his heart ached to see what she looked like when really tried to look nice.

Riley looked amazing. Her hair and makeup were done. She was wearing a blue retro dress with pink flamingos on it, and her signature pink flip flops.  Riley looked beautiful.

"Well if you rushed, Riley, I can't tell. I think you look beautiful."

Riley smiled biting her lip and her cheeks turned pink. She glanced down at the menu.

Riley was blushing!

"You make sure you let Chance know, I'm sad I couldn't hang out with him today. But I'm glad you're here Riley."

They ordered their food. Another Greek omelet for Riley. Liam ordered a different breakfast sampler.

When the food came he noticed as he ate Riley kept glancing at his plate.  

“Want to try some?”  Liam asked.  

“No.. I’m fine.”  Riley said hesitantly.  They continued talking.  It almost felt like a date to Liam.  

When he glanced up, Riley was eyeing his plate again.

“Riley, you're giving my food the look of lust.”  He slid his plate over to Riley.  

“Well if you insist.”   She said, taking a forkful of  eggs, chopped potatoes, cheese, and sausage breakfast casserole.

“That is soooo good.”

“Maybe you should get it the next time you have breakfast here….with me…”  

“I’d like that.”  Riley’s cheeks turned a darker shade of pink.  “Us to have breakfast again, and the breakfast casserole is a good idea too.”

“Alright.”  Liam’s smile brightened even more.  

Taylor watched her sister.  She hadn’t seen someone make Riley smile like that in a long time.   Maybe she was finally trying to let someone in.   Taylor was going to give this Liam guy a chance, if he could make her smile like that.  She hadn’t seen her smile that much since Nico.  

“See you at work sis.  See you around Liam.”  

“It’s been interesting meeting you Taylor.”  

Taylor smiled.  “You know what,  I like him a little more now.  He’s honest.”  

Hayden poured a cup of coffee.  Hayden didn’t dislike anything.  But he found that there were some flavorings he added to his coffee he enjoyed more than others.  

“Hey Hayden!”

“What’s up Liam?”

“Nothing much, how are you?”

“I’m really good.”  

Liam put his lunch bag in the fridge.

“I just want to thank you.”  

“For what?”  Hayden asked.

“For setting me up with Riley.  It might not go anywhere, but I feel like I have a chance.  We might have a chance. And I really like being around her.”  

“I thought you two would be a good match for each other.  You two have the same look in your eyes.  The one you try to hide.”  

“And what look is that Hayden?”  

“Pain.  I think the two of you could help each other heal.”  

“You can see that in the both of us?”  

“You don’t have to tell me about what happened to you Liam.  Or you can, when you feel like you’re ready to.  Just know you have a friend if you ever need to talk.”

Liam was humbled by Hayden's words. Regardless of what Hayden was or wasn't,  Liam knew one thing. Hayden is a true friend. No one could convince him otherwise.

"Thank you Hayden."

Liam had heard horror stories about the matches.  Especially the one that tried to kill the president.  People that knew what Hayden was, stayed away from him in the office.  Others were intrigued.  All still kept their distance.

Hayden was alone at work a lot, until Liam decided to sit with him one day at lunch.

“Mind if I sit with you?”  Liam asked that day.

“Sure, I guess my days of hoarding seats are now over.”

Both Hayden and Liam laughed.

Liam liked Hayden immediately.  They talked about everything. Hayden finally asked the question that was on his mind.

“Why did you sit with me?”  

“You looked like you needed a friend.  I need one too.”  

“Jai, do you have your wallet?”  

“Riley you’re worse than Mom.”  

“Well if you want to have a drink, they’re going to card you.  No one will believe my baby faced brother is twenty one without seeing your license.”

She pinched Jaiden's cheek.

"God you are Mom!!!!"

"And don’t be afraid to talk, Jai.  You cared about him too.”  

“Okay Riley.”  

When they arrived at The Ruby Apple, they were the first to arrive.

“Sal, can we get our usual booth?”  

“Sure sweetheart, it only seems like yesterday was the last time all you all were here together.”

Riley slid into the booth  glancing at all the pictures on the wall.  The Ruby Apple had been one of Nico’s favorite places, and their group of friends were regulars there.  They had their own booth.  And there it was, a picture of the group together celebrating Nico’s birthday, the last one he had with the group.   Nico had put on two birthday hats on his chest, and looked like Madonna when she wore that  cone bra in her music video.

  He was sticking his chest into Riley’s face, and everyone was laughing.  Everyone filed in, that was in town.  Drake, Max, Taylor, Liv, Bert, Savannah, and Kai.

“Where’s Hayden?”  

“He decided he would stay in tonight.”  

"He knew he was welcome right?"

"Oh of course Ri, he knew."

“Sal, can we…..”

“Loaded nachos for the table and your first round?”  

“Yes.”  

“Let me see Super Boy’s id.”  

Taylor laughed.  “That’s funny.”  

Jaiden handed over his driver’s license.  

“I’ll have my waitress bring your stuff over."

A few minutes later a young woman walked over to the table.  Jaiden sat up straight.

Riley raised an eyebrow.  

“Mia!!”  Kai screeched.  “What are you doing here?”

“Working, I pull some shifts here when we’re not on the food truck to make a little extra money.”

Jaiden kept staring at her.  She smiled at him.   She passed out the shots.  It was Nico’s favorite.  Baby Guinness.

“It looks like I have one extra.  I’m sorry, I’ll take it back.”  

“No leave it.  There was supposed to be one more.”  Riley said with a sad look in her eyes.  

Mia left the shot.  “I’ll be back in a few with your loaded nachos for the table.”

“Let’s do this.”  Drake commented. “Everyone hold your glasses up.  Only for you would I drink this weak ass shot for, because you know I’m a whiskey man.  And because of that, I know you are smiling down on all of us.  We fuckin’ miss you, and love you Nico KH. Cheers.”

Everyone clinked glasses and  downed their drinks.

“That’s not weak!”  Jaiden coughed.  

“Says the twenty-one year old that’s had more cough syrup in his life, than actual liquor.”

“Taylor God! He’s your brother, why do you have to be so ruthless?”  Bert laughed.

“You act like you just met me.  You  know this about me. My sensor is perpetually broken.”

She slid by Jaiden.  “I’ll be right back.”

Sal stopped her.

"Riley, I'm so sorry about the number of shots, I wasn't thinking."

"It's alright Sal."

Riley went into the bathroom to compose herself a little bit.  She wiped her eyes and touched up her makeup.  She felt it a victory she hadn't cried today. She sighed walking out of the bathroom when she saw him.

Liam was sitting in a booth alone, reading a book. Not a kindle, an actual book.  Riley smiled. She didn't know why she found it so endearing that he was reading an actual book, and chuckling to himself.

"Liam?"

He looked up at her.

"Hey!"

"What are you reading?"

"It's called The Greek Meet. It's absolutely hilarious."

"Isn't that a movie?"

"It is, but oftentimes the books are always better than the movie versions. The author was consulted on this one, it's pretty close to the book."

"Good deal! Are you alone Liam?"

"Yeah, but I'm fine Riley." He smiled at her.

"Liam…."

"I'm used to it." He reassured her.

His words stung Riley's heart.

"What happened to you Liam?"

"I was sick a lot as a kid.  I spent a lot of time alone in a hospital room."

"Come sit with us Liam."

He shook his head no.

"It's okay Riley. I'm fine really."

"Please?"

He glanced up at her.

"If you insist."

Liam followed Riley over to the big booth full of people.

"Who's this clown?"  Drake asked.

"Drake don't be a Taylor."

Everyone at the table laughed at Jaiden's comment.

"I resent that. And from all people, my little brother. Really Jai?"

"It's what we do. Broken sensors and sarcasm is a love language we're sure."

Drake and Taylor  high fived each other.

Riley introduced Liam to the table as her friend.  He sat next to Riley and across from Kai.

Mia showed up with another round of drinks.

"This one is on Sal! Hey about time you showed up! You missed the first round.  Just in time for the second."

"Excuse me?" Liam looked confused.

Mia passed out the shots.

"You said there was supposed to be one more. This is him right?"

Oh God. Liam thought as he looked at Riley. They were here for Nico.

Riley stammered.  No one knew what to say.

Riley's face fell.

"Yeah! I'm always late. You know me." Liam said with a smile at Riley.

"Great! I'll be back with your Nachos."

Drake gave Liam a nod of approval.  He had earned respect at the table.

"Come on then let's do this before the damn alcohol evaporates. You too Liam."

Everyone held up their drinks.

“You know we got more people in this booth this year without your big ass head in the way?  We still miss you though. Happy birthday in heaven.”  

Everyone drank their shots.

“Softie, your emotions… “  Maxwell nudged Taylor.

“I am NOT SOFT!!!”  You know this about me Max."

“So how was it?”

“Not terrible. Actually, I liked it.”  

Mia came back with the huge plates of Nachos.

“Yasssssssssssss!!!” Maxwell screamed.

Riley looked at Liam.  “Thanks.” she whispered to him.  

He winked at her.  “No problem.”  

Mia refilled the waters on the table.  

“Can I get a coke?”  Jaiden blushed at Mia.

“Sure sweetie, I got ya.”  

“Somebody’s got a crush on the cute waitress.”  

“She’s nineteen.”  

“How do you know that Kai?”  Riley asked.

“She runs my favorite food truck with her dad.  You saw the cute shirts.  Pops on the Go.  That’s Pop’s daughter Mia.”  

“She’s even made her uniform a little spunky.  She stands out from all the other waitresses.

“And not to mention her pink chuck taylors.”  

“Her what?”  Jaiden asked.

“Jaiden her shoes.”  

“They’re converse.”  

“You’re so young. But you know what we’re going to help you.  We’re feeling inspired.  I feel like Nico would help you out. Nico KH was a great wingman. We’re going to be your wing people tonight.”  

“Kai you’re up.”   Drake said.

“Here’s your coke.”   . “Thank you.”  Jaiden’s cheeks were bright red.

“Hey Mia?”  

“Yeah Kai?”

“Between Pops and here, how in the world do you have time for a social life?”

Mia laughed.  “What social life?  The most social I am right now, has media behind it, or talking to my customers.”  

“You mean to tell me as adorable as you are, you’re not seeing anyone currently?”  

“No, not right now.”  

Kai glanced at Jaiden and winked.  

“Can I get you guy’s dinner orders going?”

She paused.  Jaiden was just staring at her in awe saying nothing.  

Riley hit him.  “Jai, she wants your food order!!!”

“OH!!! Can you come back to me, I’m not sure yet.”  

Taylor made the sound of someone crashing and burning.

“You’re going to hell Taylor.” Drake said.

“With the way you drink whiskey, Drake, you're gonna be there first. You can save me a seat in the lake of fire.”  

By the time it was Jaiden’s turn to order he still looked indecisive.

“What’s your favorite thing on the menu?”

“My favorite is the tofu burger with carrot fries.”  

Drake made vomit sounds.

“Seriously?”  Jaiden asked.  Yeah he wasn’t going to attempt that one for a girl.

“Um no.  Get the Monster bacon burger with loaded fries.”  

“That sounds really good.”  

They enjoyed their dinner.

Mia passed out all the checks.

Riley grabbed Jaiden’s.  

“I owe you dinner.”  

She took his.  She smiled when she opened it.  

“You might want this though.”  

On a little separate piece of paper was Mia’s phone number.  

Jaiden smiled when he looked at the digits written on the piece of paper.  

He picked up his phone.

Drake snatched the paper away.

“Don’t you text her yet!!!!!!”

“Don’t play games with her.”  Savannah  said.  All the women at the table nodded.

“He’s not supposed to text right away. Makes him look over eager.”  

“Um he is eager.  Let’s be real.”  

“Are you staying with me tonight Jai?”

“Do you mind?”  

“Nope, you’re a little wobbly, you’re coming home with me.”

“If that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black.  You too Riley.”  

“I can walk you guys back if you want.”  

“Thank you Liam that would be great.”

Liam waited for Riley and Jaiden outside.  

Drake approached him.

“You know that was really nice what you did for her earlier in there.  None of us knew what to say without hurting her.”  

“Not a big deal,  I was only trying to help make an awkward situation… less awkward you know?”

“Riley is like a sister to me.  She’s been through a lot.  If you break her heart, I will break your face. Am I clear?”  

Liam swallowed thickly.  “Crystal.”  

Drake slapped Liam on the back when Riley came up.

"Nice seeing you Liam. Remember what I said!"

Liam, Riley, and Jaiden started walking to Riley's apartment in silence.

"My feet hurt." Riley grumbled.

"C'mon Ri."

Jaiden crouched in front of her.

She hopped onto his back.  After a few blocks Jaiden’s pace really slowed.

Jaiden grumbled. "I'm not going to make it."

He put Riley down on a park bench.

"My feet still hurt.”

"Do you trust me?" Liam inquired.

"Within reason, why?"

"This is why."

Liam effortlessly picked Riley up carrying her over the threshold.

Riley wrapped her arms around Liam's neck.

"I feel like a princess." Riley giggled still a little tipsy.

"No Riley, you're a Queen."

"Queen Riley. That's pretty nice."

Riley rested her head on Liam's chest, hearing his heart beat steady in his chest. It lulled Riley right to sleep.

Liam tried to pass some knowledge on to Riley’s younger brother.

"You know Jaiden, I agree with the ladies about Mia. If you want to get to know her better, text her. Don't wait. She seems like a really sweet girl."

"Is Riley snoring?"

Liam glanced down at Riley again. Her head was nestled right next to his heart.

"She's out like a light."

"You like my sister don't you?"

"What's not to like? She's amazing!"

"Riley is not going to forget him, Liam."

"I'm not asking her to. I'm just hoping she will open her heart to me."

"It's the same thing."

"It isn't. I know I can't replace him. There is a part of her heart that will always be his because of the way she lost him. I'm not asking her for that. I don't want that part of her. What I do want is the chance to make her happy, her to give me a chance to. And we could find a happy place together, her and I ."

He glanced at Riley. She snorted, waking herself up. Jaiden was laughing, Liam was trying hard not to. He just thought she was so damn cute.

"Was I snoring?"

"No, not at all Riley, you just breathe heavy."

"Where's your key? We're at your place."

Liam put Riley down at her door. Riley fished in her purse for her keys.

“Want to say hi to your buddy?”  Riley asked.  

Hell ya I do!”

Chance ran up to Liam once they got inside the apartment.

“He really likes you a lot.”  

“Yeah no one else matters when Liam is around.  Don’t forget who feeds you every day twice a day Chance.”  

“I think it’s forgotten.”  Liam chuckled.  

Liam saw Jaiden get excited as he looked at his phone.

"Mia just texted me back!"

"I'm so glad you didn't listen to Drake."

"Yeah I listened to Liam."

"What about your sisters or all the other women at the table."

"I am the great and powerful Li. Wise beyond his years. " he said with a wink.

Riley rolled her eyes.

The next morning Riley woke up with a headache.  

“Ri! Where’s your sugar?”  Jaiden called through the door.  

“In the sugar bowl on the table.”

Riley groaned grabbing her head.

“Ugh.. Baby Guinness, you are not my friend.”  

Riley settled back into bed and closed her eyes.  She heard a soft mumble and the bed settled next to her.  

Riley opened her eyes.  She rolled over finding Liam sleeping in the bed next to her shirtless.  

What the Fuck.

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[oveliagirlhaditright]

Are there any shippings / pairings you like that you would classify as rareships or rarepairs?

Uhh... Not that much, I don’t think? At least not labeled like that. It’s boring to a lot of people... but most of the time, the canon will write a pairing so well, that I can’t imagine them with anyone else and don’t want them with anyone else. So that’s why I’m usually a canon shipper.

Though I have to say... sometimes canon pairings are hated by the fandom so much, that I almost feel like they’re a rare pair.

I used to really ship Joshyme in the The World Ends With You fandom (which is def a rare pair)... even though they don’t even meet in canon. I had a friend hyping the pairing up to me before I even played the game, so I went into it looking for reasons Joshyme would work and actually found some. But I 100% doubt that was intended by the creators. Though I probably don’t ship them romantically anymore, but do still love the idea of a friendship between them. Just because there’s probably an age difference between them, I don’t ship them anymore. When I originally shipped them, I heard Rhyme was thirteen and Joshua was fifteen (and in my stories, I always shipped them in the future: after Rhyme was eighteen), but now I don’t know if that’s right. It may be way worse. There’s also a good chance Joshua’s gay (or at least bi), so...

In the KH fandom, I’ve shipped Ventus and Naminé (partly because of the aforementioned friend, who wrote my favorite fanfiction in the entire fandom and it was about them), Vanitas and Aqua, and Vanitas and Naminé, and they’re rare pairs. Other ones, too. But those are the main crack ships I used to be into for KH. Now I don’t care for them much anymore. Like, I barely look up stuff about them.

And I’m sure there are more I could think of, if I really stopped to think. I know I’m pretty much okay with shipping any of the main five girls from Madoka together.

Are Bloom and Stella from Winx Club a rare pair? IDK. Because over the years, in seeing how unhealthy Bloom and Sky are, I kind of prefer that. But I don’t hate Bloom/Sky, and still like them. And I still adore Brandon/Stella.

I think I could maybe ship some rare things in Buffy now. Like, I’ve made a few posts about AUs for Buffy and Ford, and Buffy and Owen. And the comics have somehow really made me ship Buffy and Willow, even though they were going on about how great their friendship is--which I do appreciate, because I think friendship doesn’t get the time in the lime light it deserves, when I actually think that’s the best/purest kind of love, since you just love this person selflessly--but it somehow made me ship them. LOL

I probably ship some rare pairs in Twilight now, like Alice/Bella and Edward/Alice.

I shipped Will and Alice in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (one of the few times I didn’t ship the canon pairings). Though I also appreciate them as just friends (which they actually are).

I shipped Jon and Daenerys for years, thinking it was a crack pairing... but then it became canon in Game of Thrones--and I was so happy!--and then I wished I hadn’t. Now I think it will happen in the books, and I’m just hoping/praying they don’t let me down there, like show!them did.

I shipped Stefan and Elena for five seconds in the Vampire Diaries books, but switched over to Damon and Elena pretty fast. She ends up with Stefan in the books... though I doubt it’s rare for fans to have wanted her with Damon instead. And funnily enough, she does end up with Damon in the show, but they made Damon so irredeemable there, that I actually wish she hadn’t (and I think feeling that is rare). Though I don’t know for sure. I stopped watching the show pretty early on. I’ve just sort of decided this from posts I’ve seen about it. Also, the books and TV show are night and day and two completely different things. And I should mention that I really don’t care about the Vampire Diaries at all anymore. Not the books, not the show, nothing. I guess I’m just listing this because I’m a perfectionist. 0.0

I invented the crack pairing of Zidane (Final Fantasy IX) and Naminé (Kingdom Hearts, of course), and it still holds a special place in my heart for some reason.

And while if I had to choose, I’d be a Tenchi/Ryoko fan from Tenchi... I also love Ayeka and Tenchi/Ayeka, and wished they got more content and respect.

Oh! I feel like I’m the only Dark Angel fan who actually likes Zack and the one-sided Zack and Max relationship. I sort of prefer him and that ship over Alec and MaxAlec. But Max and Logan wins everything.

If it’s written a certain way, I can get down with L/Misa, Light/Misa, or the three of them together, moreover. It’s hard to do, but I think it can be done.

[jeremy-ken-anderson]

FFXV First Impressions

Impressions So Far (something like 2 hours in):

That opening scene of pushing the car was Actually Clever. It was trying to be clever, but if you succeed and ARE clever “trying to be clever” is allowed!

Running across open ground is a little boring. Definite “Open World-itis” there. They tried to mitigate by including fast travel back to your car. It...sort of mitigates it? But if you’re willing to shrink player perception of the space by including fast travel, then you should show less space and have more space implied.

Night is legit scary. One of the characters mentioned you needed to get in by dark because demons come out and I’m like, “Sure, but I’m an adventurer. Isn’t fighting demons my thing?” That night: I’m running around looking for a hunt target and the asphalt on the road in front of me starts boiling and then up pop a pair of red eyes (literally that’s all you can see of this thing if you’re not standing within 10′ of it). It’s an Iron Giant, and it is level thirty. At this point I am level three. I run. I run immediately and two of my friends still nearly die. I love how they handled night.

The conversation engine needed more time. It’s neat, and a lot of it is good, but it’s not good enough and like human face art it’s gotta be really great to fool humans because we’re used to focusing on it. Two hours in I’ve already hit two or three uncanny-valley type moments where people repeated lines - not just barks but whole conversations. When it’s barks it’s a person having a catch phrase. When it’s a conversation you’re suddenly watching Groundhog Day.

There are parts of this that remind me of the hashtags in KH3 - this weird and too-visible desire of the designers to incorporate some aspect of modern society and its relationship with media but it’s fallen apart because the media isn’t old enough (or the designer not prescient/deep enough) for the designer to conceive of how it really plays out, what it really means in a fantasy space. The mix of having digital GPS yet needing to get rumors about where stuff is on your local map from the local diners is...a weird choice.

When i realized you could mix any ol’ piece of junk you found lying around with your magic to make better magic? Yeah, that’s pretty hot. I wish the system had a faster cooldown for spells (As it is, spells are basically grenades you have to construct yourself before battle, using resources you only find in a couple locations - magic mining nodes, basically - plus whatever physical stuff you wanna combine with them. The magic nodes recharge daily, but you can only make 3 spell-grenades per grenade-slot and only get 4 grenade-slots as far as I can tell). Noctis, your main character, has MP, which should be WP because it’s used exclusively for Warping, at least so far in the game. Personally I think having to spend longer crafting a spell and then being able to use MP to cast it would be rockin’. Like, I would sit there farming up every possible combination of items and spell energy to fill out my spellbook. You could have crazy spells that use 3/4 of your mp gauge, and then you have to duck behind a rock to recover like a proper black mage would have to do and just...I don’t know, I had a similar response of “This was almost as awesome as the magic system I came up with just now that I haven’t tested” back when FFVIII came out. Who knows if my idea for a magic system would actually be any good in practice. It certainly feels good in my head, and frankly I appreciate how close this one came to awesome because this feeling of speculating about the one change to fix everything is really fulfilling for me.

I like the fact that there’s treasure points on your map, and food points on the map, and mining points on the map, but then every now and then you find something valuable that isn’t on the map. It makes wandering around feel just a little more rewarding - It’s better than the fast-travel system at making the open world feel like an okay decision.

I like how wide the range of survivability is! I ran from that level thirty Iron Giant, but I did a level ELEVEN hunt while I was still level THREE. Playing the fights well clearly matters.

I also really like the system for wounds! Basically you have a third score. Normal games have Max HP and Current HP. This game adds in “Current Max HP” which can be between the two. If you get knocked to 0 Current HP your character’s seriously injured and you’re literally limping around hoping for one of your buddies to heal you or trying to get out of immediate danger so you can drink a potion (or trying to limp and drink both at once). While this is happening your Current Max is bleeding out. Let’s say you had 100 max hp and you bleed down to 90 while you pull a potion out. A potion heals you by 50% of your actual Max (so, to 50) and if you can catch a breather out of immediate harm’s way you’ll quickly recover to 90, your Current Max HP. But you won’t recover to 100. Outside of combat, your Current Max rises by 1 every 3-4 seconds until it hits your actual Max HP. This makes it possible to get attacked again when you haven’t really recovered from the last fight, which...isn’t a feeling you get in a lot of these games, especially ones that have regenerating health systems as robust as this one. Just two hours in I’ve already had some really tense encounters where things started going really wrong for me and I pulled out of it but it built that sense of being winded, of being really rattled by the fight, in a way that doesn’t tend to happen.

I think Youtube videos about the game have already said this but I really like that you make your own photo album as you play. By the end of the game you’ve literally got the 200 most meaningful moments to you in that album, or at least your favorite pics. It’s just brilliant, in terms of making a retrospective of stuff that made the game great for you, personally, as the person who played this playthrough of their game.

The food looks delicious, and I’m precisely as disturbed by how much I want to eat it as various people are by how sexy they find cat versions of people in the new Cats movie. There’s one part of my brain that is telling me that it is cartoon food and not real (and that some of it, like the mystery lunchmeat “sushi,” would likely be Super Gross if you could smell it) and it is correct but is also incapable of shutting up the part of my brain that finds the same fake food appetizing.

The collector in me is starting by buying all the skills that grant AP. I have doubts as to whether the game is long enough that I’ll recoup the investment. Like, the one that makes it so Big Catches grant AP costs 99 AP. I think it makes them give 2 AP. Am I actually going to fish up 50 Big Catches in the fishing minigame? (It might even only increase the AP gains by 1, so I’d have to fish up a hundred to profit.) Well fuck it, I know I’m gonna buy every damn skill on every grid anyway so I might as well start with the ones that speed up that process, no matter by how small a degree. The camping and food ones, at the least, were no-brainers.

I have trouble telling the main characters’ voices apart. Say what you will about how dumb Donald sounds in Kingdom Hearts 3, but if Sora, Goofy, Donald, Kairi, King Mickey, Yen Sid, Axel, and Riku were all having a conversation there is no point where you’d be confused about who was talking even if your eyes were closed the whole time. The voices and speech patterns are as recognizable as the silhouettes, in the KH series. Not so much, in FFXV.

I love the way Prompto moves in combat. He is literally always tripping and scrambling to get back up. Seriously, if you have the game play the training session so you can see his move cycle in detail. He spends like half of it with at least one hand on the ground, and I just love it. It’s so dynamic, so expressive, so goofy, so immediately endearing. And then you think, “Wait, we armed our derpiest party member with a gun? What is wrong with us?”

[darkzeruda1214]

The Destiny Trio as Pokemon Trainers??

Oh… whoa,

Sorry. That was one of the most random questions I’ve ever gotten. But at the same time really interesting. I do like Pokemon, I grew up watching the show when I was younger. And still a fan of the show and games today.

Now I won’t deny that your question left me thinking. What kind of Pokemon would the Kingdom Hearts characters would have. I’m not 100 percent sure what Pokemon team the characters would have. But I’ll give it my best shot

Now I will have to modify your question and might split it into three parts (for the three trios) if I ever get back to going on it. Not sure if I’d be able to write it for organization XIII (Or the Disney characters... I’m sorry, but Disney and FF characters will have to strictly stay out of this one). 

I don’t think all the KH character would all get a full team, but I’ll try to think more into it.

However, I do believe that they would all get at least 3 Pokemon with them. (But again I do have a hypothetical team for all the trios) But for now I will only focus on the Destiny Trio and a brief explanation as to why I gave these Pokemon to them alone.

I did make a couple of ground rules before I started, one being, that neither of the characters would share the same Pokemon, regardless if one is evolved and the other is still in the first stage or so.

So let’s say I gave Sora a Gardevoir and Riku a Gallade. Since they are both from the same Pokemon line, regardless of different evolutions and are of different genders, they would counteract with each other (and while it would make sense, make the challenge way too easy). So I would cancel that.  

Also, like I said I gave myself a challenge, so there are no starters. And absolutely. No. Legendaries.

*But since region starters are a primary Pokemon that every trainer has to get at first, I decided to add a “hypothetical case” if I were to give them a starter. (And as an added bonus, each starter has to be a different type, so if I give character B a fire type, character A and C must be EITHER water or grass). Just an extra challenge for me.

Also, one Eeveelution since Eevee has the ability to change it’s type when it evolves. And I think everyone has a special type of personality that would fit them well with a certain element.

Also I’m strictly sticking with Gens 1-7, since Pokemon Sword and Shield hasn’t been released when I wrote this.

With that said were we go with the Destiny!

...

Sora

Starting with the one and only protagonist in the majority of the titles, I think it’s only natural I only start with our little cinnamon bun. His type of Pokemon team was a little tricky to come up with considering his easy going personality. But I think I managed to get a stable kind of team. I don’t think realistically he would be very balanced out in types, but since I based the type of Pokemon they get from personality his a little balanced here.

So the main three Pokemon he could possibly have would be:

Eevee

Klefki

Litleo

Okay. Okay. I know I said Eevee was a hypothetical case for everyone, but I’m gonna have the bend the rule slightly once because of the reason behind it. Now as far as why I gave him these three is simple. As for Eevee’s case, since the beginning of the game Sora has been rather classified as this “normal boy.” As stated by Xehanort, mentioned in KH1 and even by Nomura himself. He was just a normal boy so people would be able to relate to him.

So Naturally Eevee stuck with me (not because his hair and Eevee look pretty similar in a sense) but also because Eevee is known as the evolution Pokemon. And as you all know, Eevee can evolve into any Pokemon type (currently only 9 types at the moment when I wrote this analysis). And Sora has shown time and time again to shape his own destiny by his own hand and choices. Despite being that “dull, ordinary boy.” So to me Eevee was the best option.

Again, I know I wasn’t going to add Eevee other than a Hypothetical Pokemon, but I think Sora earned the spot to be the exception because of what kind of character he’s portrayed as.

Now as for Klefki, the answer is obvious. Sora’s the first character to show that he has a Keyblade when the games first came to existence. And while Klefki isn’t exactly one of the most strongest Pokemon it is a good support Pokemon. And to me that really “speaks Sora” because of “his friends are his power” and how much he supports his own friends.

So maybe not a powerhouse, it still speak reflects Sora’s character.

Litleo has a few reasons why he’s on Sora’s team, and namely because of a certain Pride Lands exploration. But also just in general because I’ve always seen Sora having fire as favorite magic spell. So naturally fire would be a good Pokemon type for him. (Also it doesn’t help that in monster’s inc he’s a cat-based monster and the Simba summon is fire based, so...)

Now as for the rest of his team in this hypothetical case scenario:

Lucario (He’s a fighting steal type, which also reflects on Sora’s character and Keyblade)

Pidgeot (His name means sky in Japanese, it would be criminal for not for me to give him a flying type. But also I think Sora would like to have a Pokemon to fly once in a while and I think Pidgeot fit’s the glove)

Lapras (A certain Atlantica incident inspired this one. But also Lapras is shown to be large enough to carry it’s trainer across water. And in a sense that would also be Sora since he doesn’t have trouble to carry extra weight to help his friends) Also Lapras is adorable and so is Sora.

(The starter I think he would more likely get would be Charizard) (And he already has normal Eevee, so…)  

…

Riku

This one was a bit of challenge for me to figure out, but in the end I managed to get something in. I’m not 100 percent happy with this team, so if you might think that there are other Pokemon who fits him better, I understand why, but this is what I got.

The main three he would call upon the most would be:  

Zoroark

Lycanroc (dusk form)

Aegislash

These three Pokemon spoke a small little story to me when I put them in that specific order.

Zoroark was the first Pokemon that came to mind when I thought about Riku’s team. The majority of the time we see Riku’s he’s struggling or is using darkness to help him win his fights or get an advantage. So there’s no way I wouldn’t give him a dark type I think Zoroark made the most sense. Not because it’s solely a dark type, but also because it’s an illusion fox.

And while not cannon to the game (at least to my knowledge) the anime has shown that Zoroark has the ability to transform into people. And to other Pokemon. And that’s what happened to Riku, whether he wanted to or not, when he used the powers of darkness Riku turned into Ansem seeker of Darkness. And to me that spoke a nice Pokemon for Riku to have on his team.  

Now as for Lycanroc (more specifically dusk form), Riku also came off to me as this “lone wolf” kind of character. And yeah sure there is Mightyena, and let’s not forget Lycanroc’s midnight form. I felt that while Riku did have darkness, it’s not too much to the point his entire team would be all dark types. And so we get to dusk form, for one the reason I gave him Lycanroc is because it’s a rock type which coincides with his name. Because Riku means land.

And while I do like the midday form, since it looks more a like a wolf, the Midnight form suited his style more. But at the same time, I didn’t want his team to solely reliant at the night. And so we have his dusk form. And Dusk Lycanroc speaks a lot of Riku’s transition from the darkness to the light. Because he chose neither light nor dark. But the road to dawn. Which to me felt like a mixture of both. (Heck his Keyblade is called “Way to Dawn” which has a combination of both light and darkness) And closest we got to in between was Dusk form. So I think it worked the best.

(Also Riku spent a good amount of time in Twilight Town, so…)

When it came to Aegislash, I will admit that it could be either one of the evolutions. But knowing Riku he would want to max out his entire team to reflect his strength. So the conclusion why I came to Aegislash is to continue the story, when he first started out as darkness, he soon came to the light but was still influenced by his past. So when he finally overcame that he started to fight against it and for what is right. And to me, I think the best way to demonstrate that was Aegislash because it’s a sword. And normally when I think of a fighter of good, I normally (stereotypically) think of a knight in shining armor. And the Pokemon that fit the category the best was Aegislash. And to me it finishes the story of Riku’s arc in Kingdom Hearts (or in this case, in the AU Pokemon)  

For the rest of his team, well might not be the best choice I figured it could be like this:

Gyarados (Gyarados is a Pokemon of both intimidation and hard work, in order to get Gyarados, either you have to beat it, or struggle to evolve a Magikarp. And Riku fit’s that bill pretty good IMO. Also Riku can be intimating if he wanted to).

Garchomp (This is mostly because I feel like Riku would have a dragon type, I know Salamence might be a choice. But I think Garchomp eased into the role mostly because of it’s design as well as being a ground type, again fitting to Riku’s name)

Sawk (Okay… I’m not going to lie, I’m not 100 percent sure about Sawk. There are other Pokemon that fit’s the fighter type better. And since Riku is a fighter, I wanted to give Riku a fighting type. In the end I just chose Sawk because of it’s color design, because Riku wear predominantly blue in KH3)

(The starter I think he would most likely get is Greninja) (Eevee would no doubt be Umbreon)

…

Kairi

Kairi was sorta like Riku, a little difficult to decide, as many of the Pokemon I thought would be nice also seemed… too redundant. I tried to limit the amount of Fairy types since that’s the closest we’ll get to a light type in Pokemon. But since Kairi is a princess of Heart naturally she would have more light compared to others.  (I wouldn’t be surprised if she had an all out Fairy team, but again I needed to give her something a little more realistic).  

So in the end I thought her main three would be:

Floette

Milotic

Meowstic  

The reason I didn’t go for Florges is mainly because I think Kairi would care little to evolve her Pokemon for power. I can see her be a bit of a strategist and Floette could provide a good amount of advantages. Also biggest reason I gave Floette, because one: Fairy type. And two, it’s a flower which goes pretty well with her Keyblade.

Milotic was sorta an easy pick because of Kairi’s name meaning ocean. And Milotic is a really pretty Pokemon. I can easily imagine Kairi wanting to join showcases or Pokemon Contests. And just in general it could also represent Kairi and the sign of strength. Despite not looking much, she can grow into something much more than just something simple and dull. (Though… it’s debatable after what happened in kh3... But that’s not the point right now!)    

As for Meowstic, it doesn’t really matter what gender Kairi would get, because I sincerely doubt she would care about that. But I think the female version would be more likely on her team, knowing how it’s typically girls with girls sort of deal. But beyond that, the reason I gave her Meowsitc has to be because it’s a psychic type. For as much as I can tell Kairi has been surrounded in and has magic, and the closest we’ll get to a magic type is psychic type. And while I know there are other Psychics that fill the role. I think Meowstic isn’t too much of a bad choice. That and it’s a cat, and there is a theory that Kairi is a chirithy just like Riku is a dream eater for Sora. So, I use that to help choose her Pokemon.

I think Kairi would definitely have the least amount of Pokemon compared to everyone else. But hypothetically for a full team, I thought this would work:

Ninetales (Alola version) (during my gameplay I noticed that Kairi used a lot of ice spells, so I figured that might be her favorite element in magic. That and Ninetales is really pretty in design and I figured it would be a nice addition on Kairi’s team).

Emolga (The biggest reason? Emolga is freaken adorable, and I know Kairi would have other cute Pokemon, that and it doesn’t evolve, which… sorta fit’s Kairi… but also I think Kairi would be interesting to see Kairi have an electric type that isn‘t Pikachu) that and I think someone else would more likely have Pikachu on their team 

Arcanine (I’m sorry, but no one can tell me otherwise that Kairi would not have a fire type. Despite her nature she has shown to be feisty and can get riled up. And honestly I wanted to give Kairi a Pokemon that does look pretty strong since the rest of her team has an appearance of fragility ~even though the Pokemon themselves aren’t~ I wanted to give her something that would show her fighting spirit too)

(The starter I think she would most likely get is Chikorita, unlike the others I don‘t think she would evolves hers. At least not beyond Bayleef, I feel like Chikorita would be comfortable being in it‘s first stage).

*The other starter that I feel would suit her as well is Fennekin. But her Keyblade is mostly flowers so I felt the grass type held a little more influence in what starter she would get

(I’d be an idiot to not give her a Sylveon)

...

And that’s pretty much it, I actually had a lot of fun writing this, and honestly I think I might do the others to. Also, please consider that this was done for fun and not meant to be taken seriously. I understand that others will have different views and opinions. And that’s totally fine, I see no harm in it at all. In fact I’m really curious,

What Pokemon teams do you think these character would have? I’d love to see what you all have in mind

That’s all for now, thanks for reading

[kulvefaggoth]

HI THIS IS YOUR LOCAL GARBAGE GAY BOY AND HE WANTS TO VENT ABOUT KINGDOM HEARTS

A couple of days ago i had an enligtening talk about my favorite hot garbage series with a mutual and i kind of ended up realizing i had a lot of pent up stuff about it that i never really let out

While i did vent a little already i feel like i need to put this really out of my head because it’s been consuming me in a way. And since this site is designed for just screaming random stuff into the void i wanna take advantage of that for once

Now first and foremost this is meant as a very personal thing. This is not an elaborate critique or a well thought work. This is a vent and i want this to be read as a vent by a gay with a lot of feelings about video games. ESPECIALLY about Kingdom Hearts and some stuff about KH3. 

Now let’s get to the meat of this course of mind screaming

I’ve been into Kingdom Hearts for a very long time. The first game i played was Kingdom Hearts II (the original KH was kinda hard to find here for some reason) circa 2005/2006. Bear in mind i had no idead what KH was. Game advertisement wasn’t (and still kind of isn’t) a big thing here in Brasil specially if you were a poor kid like me. Hell consoles were pretty inacessible to most of the people i was close with and me and other 2 kids must’ve had a PS2 in the same time frame. The main way you would know about new or cool games was through word of mouth or recognizing brands like Castlevania and Mega Man. 

But i was always kind of a freaky little avant-garde child which meant i ended up having a very different taste from most of the people around me. I had like 1 other friend who had actually played a Final Fantasy around let alone something like Shin Megami Tensei for an exemple which i also didn’t even knew was a thing. And i’ve always tried to find something new. Something that gave me some new experience. I’ve ended up playing a lot of more niche games like Drakengard and the Atelier Iris games (god i still love 2 and 3 a lot) and it was this mindset that eventually led me into the game that had a bunch of random anime kids and disney characters in it’s cover.

To say that i was confused by KH2 is an understatement. I knew absolutelly nothing about the previous games. Who is this “Sora”? Who was the red haired man? Why the fuck am i fighting with a giant key? Again what the hell is up with the Disney characters? Also bear in mind i must’ve been 9/10 yo brazillian kid whose entire english vocabulary came from video games and a couple of songs. Some stuff wasn’t even the plot getting dense it was just me not getting the actual language. 

And yet it’s also an understatement to say the i fell very deeply in love with that weird little game. The combat was great. The plot had SO MUCH DRAMA and i knew only about 1/3 of what was happening at any given time. Keyblades where fun and ridiculous. Demyx was a bitch.

As soon as i’ve finished KH2 for the first time i used what little internet i had back then to learn more. I found out there was a game for the easy emulated GBA. It kind of sucked but it was more Kingdom Hearts. Being unable to locate a copy of KH1 for a while i did the only thing i could actually do: i’ve played and replayed KH2 to exaustion. I did most of the stuff except a couple of the minigames and gummy routes because they where boring. The feeling of learning how to fight against Sephiroth, mastering his moves and eventually being able to beat him with a Kingdom Key in proud was a big moment for me. Beating all the Hades cups felt great.

About a year later i was able to get a copy of KH1 and by this time Re:CoM was out so i got that too. Played both of them throughly even thought KH1 clumsy mechanics kick my ass to this day probably.

Then another year passes i hear two new games where coming out... to consoles i didn’t own and honestly i couldn’t justify the cost of to my parents. I was pretty bummed but still i kept getting invested. Hell i was already balls deep into this series and only dreamed of how it would take off in the future. I even remember kind of writing a “script” for a sequel that i tried to make with two other randoms in RPG Maker. Never went anywhere and i know in my heart it sucked but still. That was how into this i was. The prerelease hype for Days was killing me even. Member XIV? How?

Also side note: to my edgy ass 12/13 year old self the idea of playing as Organizattion XIII was literally a dream. 

Days came out and if you where like me in the good old days of youtube videos that had like 5 minutes at max then you know that video game let’s play were almost impossible to do. I had to get a LOT of info from second hand about what actually happened in Days. Then i ended up getting a “decent” pc and was able to emulate it with absolute WORST frame rate. Still it worked and i was able to know what was happening.

But BBS was a completly separate beast. PSP emulation was basically non-existant when it came out so it actually took me a couple of years to actually play it. I had a friend that had a PSP (and that to this day i feel only got a PSP because i kept raving about it having both a KH game and a Final Fantasy fighting game on it because he was 100% that little shit but that is completly besides any point) and of course he couldn’t lend me because it was pretty expensive around here and that’s a very useless tangent.

Anyway time passes as it must and just as Sora fell deeper and deeper into the realms of sleep i too fell into as much Kingdom Hearts stuff as i could. The complex theories, the AMVs (GOD the AMVs), the plot summaries for games i didn’t play, all that good shit. So for years i’ve built within myself this... tension i shall call. The grand plot momentum that mr Nomura seemed to be building. The misterious indentities the hinted at hidden plots. The nature of stuff that seemed very vague and opaque. And as the new games where released it seemed more and more that they where building blocks into the grand prize: Kingdom Hearts 3.

Now here’s the thing. I don’t 100% agree of the narrative that we waited “13 years” for KH3. I think if you where actually a fan of the series back then then each game in it’s own way seemed to be it’s own event. With that i want to say the while we ALL waited for KH3 for me at least it seemed it needed time to build up. 

Now here’s the thing. Between BBS and DDD being both in consoles i didn’t own and me getting an Xbox 360 (PS3 prices where absolutelly INSANE here) i seemed to drift a bit away from KH. While before i waited for new game releases with baited breath i now found myself very blasé about DDD. I was getting used to it i guess. Also high school came and a lot of stuff started changing. KH felt like a bit too connected to my childhood too i guess. I was still a fan and still loved it to death but KH ended fading away a little for me even if it lighted a fire in me when people talked about it. This must’ve been around 2010.

I think it wasn’t until KH3 was formally announced that it all came back to me. The drive to find and consume and engage with as much of KH lore and theories as possible. Also i didn’t really get into “proper social networks” as a whole until 2012/2013. Weirdo i know. By then consuming these thing was a lot easier. Internet was a lot more acessible. I could just open up a tab of a KH wiki in my phone and read away from there.

And there was this rush y’know. This thing of finally seeing a finish line. Not that actually expected or even wish for KH to end but it was KH3! The big one! And remember the tension i’ve mentioned earlier? It was always kind of present and it ended up skyrocketing during this period. I was already knowledgeable about KH but during this time i was almost a goddamn lore master. I knew the whole gig inside and out. Even the weird shit from DDD. The stuff they added to the collections just kept it going too. As did X/UX (which in my grand KH tradition i too didn’t play but i think most people feel me here).

All a big ball of complex yarn and plot and madness that would SURELLY burst with KH3. After all this time all this tension it would come. Release. Answers.

But to me that was the aspect in which KH3 failed.

Now don’t get me wrong i actually like KH3. Quite a lot. And Nomura did apparently tied up a lot of arcs. The lost are found and saved. Piss Grandpa Xehanort is dead.

But it didn’t release my tension. It didn’t burst it into the magic fireworks and ecstasy. The tension is still here. Hell the tension seems even stronger now.

And a lot of it has to with how KH3 seems to still be hiding so many fucking cards from us. Literally in one case. It was a vague feeling of unceartainty before but when i came through the Sleeping Worlds theory it just RUSHED onto me. The story doesn’t feel complete.

Now this is not the same as FFXV. I have a couple of... harsh opinions about it and it’s plot and story are front and center on the list. That story was absolutelly unfinished but not in the same way. To me it feels like Nomura just HID parts of the story. We are not getting the full picture. A lot of shit is really really REALLY weird. I’m still not over Riku’s sudden haircut.

But here’s the real gag to me. Nier: Automata gave me the same feeling the first time i played it. But then i came upon route B. And then Route C. and that’s when the TRUE game showed itself. Nier kept a lot hidden but it was hidden within itself. If you just keep playing you actually can access those hidden parts and eventually you reach your true goal. The actual ending. An ending so final that you might even like giving up your save data to help somebody else achieve it too is the only true option.

Yet KH3 has no such crowning grace. At least not for now. And that’s half the reason i made this. 

KH3 feels incomplete but in a way i could really love if the game eventually completed itself. Reading the Sleeping Worlds theory i was like “omg this makes VERY much sense. but if it makes so much sense why isn’t it in the game?”. And then it clicked. DLC. It’s 100% possible the actual plot may come as DLC. 

But an even darker thought crossed my mind and it’s filing me with actual rage: This is meant to be another game. This is the Powers That Be (Nomura, Disney, Square-Enix, take your pick...) unaturally extending this “Saga” beyond it’s ending point. If it does turn out that KH3 had some dream hijinks going on then it was 100% possible and BETTER to include that in the actual game. But since KH is known for having so many side games what is the harm in doing another right?

Well you harm the integrity of your plot. I know we say the plot is hot garbage but come the fuck on that is what is holding us here. Or at least it’s what is holding me for so long. Setting up another saga is absolutelly fine but breaking away for you ending like this is even worse. How? Why? The why is probably money but still.

Or maybe KH3 is just meant as that. There is no twist not weirdness. Maybe all that is by design y’know. 

This is long enough already. I’m tired. I started writing this at 2:30 am. It’s about 4am now. I slept very little last night.

This is a big colletion of nothing i guess. Not even sure it helped me. Oh well.

[minijenn]

As per usual, feel free to send me a PM through any of the above channels to request yours! Also, bear in mind that all payments will be processed over PayPal and that for most of these (outside of comics and full pieces) must be paid full price up front before I will start working on them. Also generally all prices are negotiable but I will uphold to the above prices mostly (though the line is blurred a little for the bigger projects)

As for what I’ll draw, basically here’s that list:

Art Commissions

Ok, so I should also make it pretty clear that all these prices are negotiable, depending on what your request is (and how complex it is) As for what I’ll draw, basically here’s that list:

Universe Falls stuff (regular, AU, hypothetical stuff, you name It and I’ll pretty much do it (with some exceptions of course)

Stuff for these fandoms:

Gravity Falls

Steven Universe

Owl House

Amphibia

Infinity Train

She-Ra: Princesses of Power

Kingdom Hearts (extra cost, see above) (also includes Keys to the Kingdom based art)

Legend of Zelda (extra cost, see above)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (extra cost, see above)

Disney (Any of their animated movies fit, also Pixar)

Other Nintendo franchises (Mario, Animal Crossing, Metroid, ect.)

(anything outside this stuff… I’m not very likely to have any talent in drawing, so be aware)

Expect pretty much anything to be in my usual styles, as seen above, unless you have a specific request for a different style (which could cost a little extra, depending on how challenging it is)

Expect pretty much anything to be in my usual style, as seen above, unless you have a specific request for a different style (which could cost a little extra, depending on how challenging it is)

^^^ With the exception of KH/Zelda style stuff as I use a different art style for these fandoms, which you can see examples of here (for KH) and here (for LoZ); 

KH/Zelda sketches: base price + $2.50

KH/Zelda colored: base price + $4

KH/Zelda sketch dumps: base price + $8

Kh/Zelda comics: base price +10

Kh/Zelda full piece: base price + $15

For fusion requests, I’ll basically do combos of any characters, but the max number of characters I’ll combine at a time is 4

The most characters you can request in a colored character sketch is 6 (there is no character limit for uncolored)

The most sketches you can request in a sketch dump is 12

Short, colored 4 panel comics are $42 base, with $10 for each additional 4 panel set after the first

I will draw character death/blood/violence/gore/ect but not in an explicit manner

Here’s what I won’t draw:

NSFW (like at the very most I’ll draw a kiss tbh)

Ships I don’t support (and if you ask for one of these, I’ll let you know if I won’t go for it)

Fandoms/crossovers I’m not familiar with

I do reserve the right to reject or accept requests based on personal reasons!

Writing Commissions (New!)

Ok, so this time around we’re gonna be trying something a little bit different in that I’ll be taking writing commissions too! These are pretty much only gonna be for drabbles and oneshots and the prices are as follows: 

$10 per 500-1000 word drabble 

$20 per 1000 word oneshot

+$5 per every 500 words over that base 1000 (max I’ll do is 5000 words)

As for the kinds of writing commissions I’ll be taking, basically any theme/AU/prompt goes, but keep in mind I’ll only be writing for these three things:

Universe Falls (this includes all of its AUs)

Kingdom Hearts/Keys to the Kingdom (includes AUs as long as I’m familiar with them/comfortable writing for them)

Legend of Zelda (any game/includes AUs)

And as for the rules of these writing prompts, they’re as such:

I won’t write any sort of porn/smut/lemon, other gross stuff

I won’t write for any ship I’m not familiar with/comfortable with

I won’t write anything with any non-canon OCs in it, sorry fam, they’re yours, not mine

Any and all tones are allowed, from teeth-rotting fluff to the angstiest of angsts

Be as specific as possible when requesting a writing prompt, just so I can make sure I’m giving you what you want (i.e. include a brief blurb of a plot you want me to tackle, or if you don’t have one in mind, a quote or a prompt works too! Heck, even just a character interaction you might want to see me take on is fine)

Lengths are negotiable, everything here is by a case by case basis 

Again, I do reserve the right to reject or accept requests based on personal reasons!

Feel free to forward any questions you may have my way! As mentioned before, please send commission requests via PM please! I’m really looking to see what you guys come up with this time around, so let’s have at it!

[skywllker]

i was tagged by @wintersrgeant (thank you and sorry for a very late response)

Rules: Complete the survey and say who tagged you in the beginning. Tag people to do this survey. Have fun and enjoy!

i tag: @jynersso @poedamxron @bradleeyjamess @reysrogers​ @emmastoncs​ (if you want to)

1: Are you named after someone?

yes, my name is mentioned in a song from my mother’s favorite band oh my god she was a fangirl like me too

2: When was the last time you cried?

i cried few days ago watching moana it’s beautiful

3: Do you like your handwriting?

sometimes yes, sometimes i want to burn my notes

4: What is your favourite lunch meat?

i don’t have anything in mind tbh

5: Do you have kids?

not yet, but i hope sometime in the future because i love kids!

6: If you were another person, would you be friends with you? 

i think so because i care too much?

7: Do you use sarcasm?

sometimes!

8: Do you still have your tonsils?

yes, this is a weird question wtf

9: Would you bungee jump?

HAHA ABSOLUTELY NOT i hate heights

10: What is your favourite kind of cereal?

koko crunch is still a thing right

11: Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

nope, i’m a lazy af 

12: Do you think you’re a strong person?

haha no

13: What is your favourite ice cream? Ever, ever?

chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

14: What is the first thing you notice about people?

their smile and way of talking

15: What is the least favourite physical thing you like about yourself?

my oily face ugh and my nose

16: What colour pants and shoes are you wearing now?

dark grey pants, no shoes i’m at home

17: What are you listening to right now?

i want it that way (Backstreet Boys) - MAX, Alyson Stoner, KHS COVER

18: If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

pink or blue? idk tho

19: Favourite smell?

oranges/lemons? love those.... baby oil and powder too lmao

20: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?

my best friend

21: Favorite sport to watch?

i don’t watch sport but volleyball looks fun

22: Hair color?

dark dark dark brown

23: Eye color?

dark dark dark brown lol i’m so boring

24: Do you wear contacts?

i hate contacts, prefer glasses

25: Favourite food to eat?

cheeseburgers!!!!!!! french fries!!! and eggs

26: Scary movies or comedy?

scary is fun

27: Last movie you watched?

moana

28: What color of shirt are you wearing?

i own mostly black shirts, so.... black

29: Summer or winter?

winter because i live in the equator and i really hate the weather 

30: Hugs or kisses?

HUGS!!!!!!

31: What book are you currently reading?

not reading anything currently

32: Who do you miss right now?

my family because i live so far away from them now and i miss them so bad

33: What is on your mouse pad?

i don’t have mousepad

34: What is the last TV program you watched?

does this include tv series? then legion, because i don’t really watch tv anymore since it’s full of shits

35: What is the best sound?

sound of waves at the beach, so calming

36: Rolling stones or The Beatles?

can’t pick one sorry

37: What is the furthest you have ever travelled?

Lawu, it’s about 600 km from my home, i never even left the country my life’s boring

38: Do you have a special talent?

does not getting fat count? lol

39: Where were you born?

kebumen

[shada-was-in-the-area-and]

all odd numbers

i’ll play ur game, nhi, if this is really u

3. Who did you play with as a kid?

My family, mostly! My friends weren’t really into videogames in elementary school; I was a lot more active back then. Coming into middleschool and the first half of highschool I had like two friends. I was, for the most part, a Solitary Gamer.

5. Ever use cheat codes?

I used a Gameshark once, but other than that I never knew the codes because I never went on the internet to look for them.

7. Any games you have multiple copies of?

this sounds like a waste of money and i’ve never done it because i thought it was a waste

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?

Just acquaintances

 13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?

I’ve never played Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. Fire Emblem. Animal Crossing. Harvest Moon. Etc.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?

Man...it would either be Mega Man or Kirby.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game?

nah

19. Favorite handheld console?

My Gameboy SP never did me wrong.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?

I honestly don’t know? I don’t think so? Most of the things I didn’t like as a kid I still don’t really like, because my tastes are stagnant.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?

I maxed out the hours on Pokemon Emerald

25. Were you ever an arcade game player?

With the exception of the Donkey Kong Machine I mentioned in the last ask, I wasn’t an arcade player! I’ve played arcade games, just on other consoles.

27. Game that makes you rage?

i’m not really a rager. i’m a calm, tranquil gamer.

29. What is your gaming set up?

computer, bed, mouse

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?

From prolonged use, yeah! But I’ve learned to take breaks/get used to it.

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?

I still to this day have no idea how you get these

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop?

I never have! Gamestop is like the only gaming store i know.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?

NOPE HAHAHA

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?

It doesn’t need one, but: Ghost Trick.

Half-Life 2, just so my suffering can end.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into?

I’ve never really been into JRPG’s, and I can’t see myself getting sucked into them anytime soon. You’d think i’d be into them, but i’ve never ever been a fan of the genre. This includes KH and more Square Enix stuff. My biggest JRPG experience was Super Mario RPG, if thats any indication.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?

literally every day of my life

45. How are you at Mario Kart?

i’m really good at Double Dash

47. Do you like competitive games?

I don’t mind them! It really depends on my mood going into them. Sometimes I have a lot of fun playing competitive matches, other times I get spooked to use voice chat. Recently my take has kind of soured. I had a couple bad Overwatch Games and have been kinda tenative to use the mic/play since.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?

i always go for rogue because im a predictable asshole who wants so desperately to be cool

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?

pokemon, easily

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?

I am fine when DLC is actual, bonus content like Epilogues/New Routes/Prequels. But if DLC is something that should have been in the game at launch, it makes me kinda “:/”

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?

I have played the sims once. I accidently blocked my SIms access to the bathroom, didn’t know how to fix it fast enough, and they all shit themselves. I closed the game and never played again.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements?

I try and do this with most games nowadays. I did it with Robobot and most Kirby games.I recently did it with Pokemon Moon, which was, an achievement.

59. Do you play any cell phone games?

Just basic ones like Tetris, Scrabble, and Pocket Morty’s

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever

I can’t part with games, and overall have a bad habit of keeping everything.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament?

Nope! Almost went to a tournament, but passed.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file?

I used a Game Shark on my cousins Pokemon Emerald so he could get me a bunch of Mew’s/Duplicate my main party. IDK what it did to his save file, but i have a lot of Mew’s now.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?

There’s this one part in Powerpuff Girls: Him and Seek where you have to break Mojo Jojo out of jail. He breaks the fourth wall in the beginning asking “You. Yes, You! The one with the game!” to help him out. It freaked me out so much at first but then I started to play the part of evil sidekick to Jojo. It turned me.

There was a time where Me, my Mother, my Cousin and my Uncle were all playing Double Dash. My Uncle never wins and for the first time ever, on Daisy Cruiser, he was going to win. I was in second, and fired a Bowser Turtle up the stairs, and it richoeted off a certain angle that knocked the shell directly across and into him. Then, when it bounced off the wall on the other side, it went in the same trajectory and hit my Uncle again. It proceeded to hit my Uncle for five turns, allowing me and the rest of my family to cross and for him to once again come in fourth. I think I almost died.

I used to RP a bunch of stories with my Cousin in Smash Brothers. We would pick a character, put the time of infinite and make up stories. We did it with Simpsons Hit and Run too.

I have a lot of good memories of forcing my Uncle and Mother to play COD with two kids who were margainally better than them.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made?

Ghost Trick

Ghost Trick, Ghost Trick, Ghost Trick

For the love of God, buy Ghost Trick. Watch a playthrough. Do anything. Ghost Trick is a diamond in the dust, left behind but still so glamarous. Ghost Trick. It’s Ghost Trick. Play Ghost Trick.

[instantdeerlover]

The LA (Takeout) Dinner & A Movie Guide added to Google Docs

The LA (Takeout) Dinner & A Movie Guide

Dinner and a movie is a timeless combination. And while you can’t exactly head to a theater, you don’t really have to - there’s plenty to watch at home, and even more to order for delivery or takeout (how’s that for optimism?). So we’re here to make sure you’re doing dinner and a movie right. Below, you’ll find our picks for great delivery, and which classic movie you should pair it with. We’ll be updating regularly, but for now, here are 30 combinations to keep your quarantine nights feeling fun, and hopefully, just a bit more normal.

Oh, and hey, we went ahead and started a Letterboxd account (tbh, we’re not really sure what to do with it). But if you’d like to see what we’ve been watching lately, give us a follow!

   Featured In The LA Socially Distant Summer Guide Everything you need to enjoy some semblance of summer. THE SPOTS  Jakob Layman The Old Place $ $ $ $ American ,  Steaks  in  Malibu $$$$ 29983 Mulholland Hwy

Movie Pairing: The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (HBO Max)

“What kind of restaurant pairs best with a two-hour-and-forty-minute, semi-transcendental art-house Western starring Brad Pitt? The Old Place, of course - mainly because this sepia-toned saloon and steakhouse up in the Santa Monica Mountains feels like the kind of place where you’d find Jesse James drinking at the bar. During the late 1800s (when James was still alive and kicking), it was a general store and post office. In the 1970s (when Pitt was a teenager), it became a hangout for outlaw actors like Steve McQueen. And now, after a lengthy closure during the pandemic, it’s open for outdoor dining and takeout, too. Not only are their huge, oak-grilled steaks fantastic, but the drive up to Cornell is as breathtaking as the cinematography in the film - shout out to Roger Deakins - and, on occasion, it can also take two hours and forty minutes to get there.” - JM

 Kuya Lord $ $ $ $ Filipino  in  La Canada Flintridge $$$$ 4526 La Granada Way

Movie Pairing: The Cabin In The Woods (Hulu)

“I want to say that Cabin In The Woods is one of the most underrated horror movies of the last decade, but that wouldn’t be fair - it’s not really a horror movie. It’s a horror-comedy-sci-fi-camp-thriller-think-piece and a true roller coaster of emotions from start to finish. And the only way you’re going to get through it is with some comfort food - the kind you can only get at Kuya Lord. The Filipino pop-up is run by a former Bestia sous-chef out of his house in La Canada-Flintridge, with a rotating menu that includes everything from blue prawns to Filipino-style BBQ chicken to the best pancit we’ve ever eaten in LA. Trust us, you’ll need all three when the giant hand comes out of the ground at the end. Sh*t, did I give too much away?” - BC

 Holly Liss Button Mash $ $ $ $ Bar Food ,  Fusion  in  Echo Park $$$$ 1391 W Sunset Blvd

Movie Pairing: The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters (Prime)

“The best documentaries are the ones that turn an extremely specific subject - like gamers questing after a high score - into a story about human nature. That’s exactly why I love King Of Kong, a 2007 doc about two gamers obsessed with Donkey Kong. To go with this strange and incredible film, you’re going to want takeout from Button Mash, which is food meant to be eaten while watching people set high scores in their Echo Park arcade. Trust us when we say their fried tofu balls, tangy chicken wings, and dan dan noodles taste just as good at home as they do next to a pinball machine.” - BK

 Gold Land BBQ $ $ $ $ BBQ  in  Culver City $$$$ 12430 Washington Blvd.

Movie Pairing: Miss Juneteenth (Prime)

“Nothing moves me to instant, body-wracking tears quite like seeing a mother/daughter relationship on screen. And while there are plenty of reasons why that might be, this is neither the time, nor place to unpack that (it’s Tuesdays at 7pm). So let’s just stick to Miss Juneteenth. Part coming-of-age story, half slice-of-life drama, this tender film explores the intersections of motherhood, poverty, and the all-too-real “This is your dream, not mine” movie trope. Plus, the lead character works in a BBQ restaurant, so in addition to becoming painfully aware of how long it’s been since you’ve talked to your mom, you’ll also be pretty hungry. Place an order at Gold Land and get The Rambler - this giant sampler of house-smoked tri-tip, roasted chicken, sliced linguica, and Southern sides is so hearty and comforting, it’s essentially the food version of a maternal embrace. Oh, and call your mom back.” -KH

 Tacos 1986 $ $ $ $ Tacos  in  Downtown LA $$$$ 609 S. Spring St.

Movie Pairing: Have A Good Trip: Adventures In Psychedelics (Netflix)

“This new Netflix sorta-doc is basically just Party Legends with a bigger budget, as a bunch of celebs (Sarah Silverman, A$AP Rocky, Sting, etc.) narrate animated versions of their greatest psychedelic experiences. Is it good? Not really, though if you enjoy the occasional spontaneous flashback, I can’t recommend it enough. And since a whole lot of the film deals with mushrooms, do yourself a favor and order Tacos 1986’s hongos tacos. Served on a handmade corn tortilla, the mushrooms are perfectly sauteed and seasoned, then doused in a tangy salsa ranchera I’d chug a gallon of. Are they psychedelic? No, but they are available for takeout and delivery, the latter of which might come in handy if the thought of leaving your couch terrifies you.” - JM

 Brent's Deli $ $ $ $ American ,  Deli ,  Eastern European  in  Northridge $$$$ 19565 Parthenia St

Movie Pairing: Italianamerican (The Criterion Collection)

“Whenever I need a quick, easy, straight-to-the-system jolt of comfort, I turn to two things: Italianamerican and Brent’s Deli. The first follows a (then) 32-year-old Martin Scorsese as he interviews his parents about everything from post-war Italy to the family’s famous meatball recipe. And while it’s fun to see his childhood home (and to watch him squirm while his mother chastises him), what’s really great is his parents’ banter - relentless, borderline-mocking, and always full of love, it’s obvious that these two have spent a very full life together. Pair this with the pastrami Reuben sandwich from Brent’s Deli (which is served on rye and can be made with curly fries), and you’ve got a one-way-ticket to serotonin town. Both their Westlake and Northridge locations are available for takeout and delivery, call (805) 557-1882 or (818) 886-5679, or find them on various delivery platforms.” -KH

 Casa Vega $ $ $ $ Mexican  in  Sherman Oaks $$$$ 13301 Ventura Blvd

Movie Pairing: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Starz)

“Two iconic LA Mexican restaurants are featured heavily in the last act of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. El Coyote, the spot on Beverly where Sharon Tate had her last meal, and Casa Vega, where Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth (Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt) have a meal the same night. One where they get absolutely hammered. So I suggest ordering an enchilada house platter to go along with the half-gallon margarita you order. It’s $30, which is roughly eight servings. I’d also suggest sharing if you want to remember the ending of the movie, which you certainly do.” - BK

 APL $ $ $ $ Steaks  in  Hollywood $$$$ 1680 Vine St

Movie Pairing: There Will Be Blood (Netflix)

“There’s no better main course for a true Daniel Plainview-style dinner than a big piece of beef from APL. This Hollywood steakhouse is certainly fancy enough for any self-respecting oil man, and they’ve got NY strip steaks and BBQ platters for takeout - not to mention brisket, fried chicken, and Cornish game hen. Whether you choose to eat them with a napkin draped over your head is entirely up to you.” - JM

 Cassell's Hamburgers $ $ $ $ American ,  Burgers  in  Koreatown $$$$ 3600 W 6th St

Movie Pairing: Camp (Prime)

“If you grew up going to theater camp like I did, Camp was a cultural tentpole and ‘Here’s Where I Stand’ is still a song you scream-sing regularly in the shower. If you weren’t a theater kid, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. Either way, this is a movie you need to be watching. For one, it boasts a 16-year-old Anna Kendrick literally poisoning another girl to get the lead role in the musical, but most importantly, it’s the perfect excuse to order Cassell’s. The classic Koreatown diner serves some of our favorite burgers and shakes in town, and that’s exactly what you should be eating while soaking in the simple, childhood nostalgia of summer camp.” - BC

Say Cheese $$$$ 2800 Hyperion Ave

Movie Pairing: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (Prime)

“While the ’80s had The Blues Brothers and the ’90s had Wayne’s World, my generation’s troupe of Lorne Michaels-affiliated white boys is The Lonely Island. And although their careers are filled with important, hyperintellectual work like ‘J*zz In My Pants’ and ‘Threw It On The Ground,’ my favorite is Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, a 2016 mockumentary starring Andy Samberg as an annoying, slightly jacked ‘Justin Bieber type.’ It’s both completely stupid and Mensa-level genius, and when I want to experience that same high-low combination, I turn to my ‘college special’ - freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano over Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli. For the cheese, my go-to spot is Say Cheese in Silver Lake, because of their friendly, non-pretentious staff, and their wide selection of specialty cheeses (which they will let you sample). For the can of le chef, I just go to the grocery store.” - KH

 Melrose Umbrella Co $ $ $ $ West Hollywood $$$$ 7465 Melrose Ave

Movie Pairing: Punch-Drunk Love (Hulu)

“Before Uncut Gems, there was Punch-Drunk Love, the excellent Paul Thomas Anderson movie that showed what Adam Sandler was capable of when he decided to, you know, act. It’s only 95 minutes long, but filled with relentless, slowly ratcheting tension (plus romance and the occasional physical altercation). So to-go cocktails from Melrose Umbrella Co. are the ideal accompaniment. My favorites are their traditional mai tai, or the Ring Of Fire - a perfect balance of mezcal, aged cachaca, Aperol, lime, habañero, and ginger. Like Sandler’s character, these tiki-style drinks are sweet, boozy, and likely to knock me out.” - BK

 Papa Cristo's Catering & Greek Taverna $ $ $ $ Greek  in  Koreatown ,  Westlake $$$$ 2771 W Pico Blvd

Movie Pairing: Mamma Mia! (Hulu)

“Is this pairing a bit on-the-nose? Of course it is. But I also watched Mamma Mia! four times in a row on a turbulence-filled flight to Asia last year, and I regret absolutely nothing. Besides, now you have the perfect excuse to call up Papa Cristo’s. The classic Greek deli/market on Pico makes my favorite Greek food in LA, and their entire menu (plus some meal kits) are available for delivery. I love their saganaki, spanakopita, and Greek yogurt and honey, but frankly, you can’t go wrong with anything. So just do what I do and over-order - you’ll need the leftovers for your fourth viewing anyway.” - BC

Lu Din Gee (Duck House) $$$$ 501 S Atlantic Blvd

Movie Pairing: The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Prime)

“There are so many reasons to love The Last Black Man in San Francisco - the incredible cinematography, the ways it weaves in complex issues like gentrification and displacement without being heavy-handed, Danny Glover. Plus, it’s a two-hour love-letter to the San Francisco I know and love. One of my favorite memories from when I lived there was when I’d walk to Irving St. with my boyfriend at the time, and we’d order all the char siu, bao, and duck we could carry, then pick it all apart with our hands while watching French bulldogs celebrate their birthday in Golden Gate Park (this absolutely a real anecdote). And while we can’t do that anymore, you can still order whole Peking ducks from Lu Din Gee, a Taiwanese restaurant in Monterey Park that specializes in Beijing-style birds, inexplicably. Call (626) 284-3227 to set up a delivery or takeout.” - KH

 Spoon & Pork $ $ $ $ Filipino  in  Silver Lake $$$$ 3131 Sunset Blvd

Movie Pairing: At Eternity’s Gate (Hulu)

“Artists tend to be a bit obsessive - we’ve learned that in a lot of movies, but especially in At Eternity’s Gate, a beautiful film about the end of Vincent Van Gogh’s life. Willem Dafoe plays Van Gogh in an appropriately strange, perfectionistic way. Watching his performance, I was reminded of Spoon & Pork’s tremendous Filipino food - they’re obsessive when it comes to perfecting pork. That’s clearest when I eat the patita, their slow-cooked, deep-fried pork shank that’s doused in chili garlic, and is equal parts crispy, salty, and moist every time. There’s something beautiful about perfection - and you’ll know it when you taste that patita.” - BK

 Masa of Echo Park Bakery & Cafe $ $ $ $ Pizza ,  Italian  in  Echo Park $$$$ 1800 W Sunset Blvd

Movie Pairing: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Netflix)

“As a Chicagoland native, I know that few movies are dearer to the people of The Windy City than Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. So lean into that fact and order delivery from Masa while you watch. The family-owned restaurant in Echo Park is run by Illinois natives and their buttery, perfectly constructed deep-dish pizza is proof. I tend to go for The Traditional (sweet sausage and mushroom), because that’s what I grew up eating, but you can’t really go wrong with any of the pies. Just be sure to throw in a manchego salad and bread pudding as well. Then sit back, embrace your food coma, and gaze in stunned amazement at how well this film holds up.” - BC

 Destroyer $ $ $ $ American  in  Culver City $$$$ 3578 Hayden Ave

Movie Pairing: Blade Runner (Netflix)

“Despite the fact that Blade Runner is set in ‘Los Angeles, November 2019,’ we still don’t have flying cars or replicants (unless you count the Kardashians). And while you could mourn society’s decided lack of technological progress, I’ve got a better idea: An order from Destroyer, the futuristic Culver City spot that actually feels like it could be in Ridley Scott’s film. They’re open for outdoor dining, delivery, and pick-up from 9am-5pm (and have an online marketplace of goods and sundries, too), which means you can enjoy dishes like raw oatmeal with a vanilla disk or rice porridge with chicken while you attempt to figure out if Deckard was a robot or not.” - JM

 Clark Street Bread $ $ $ $ Cafe/Bakery  in  Downtown LA $$$$ 317 S Broadway

Movie Paring: Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (Hulu)

“Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is a cinematic masterpiece. I cried while watching it the first time in theaters (remember when we could do that?), and I cried again while watching it the other night, all alone in my apartment. I also found myself wondering, ‘Why was that scene of her eating the bread so damn satisfying?’ The closest I’ve gotten to experiencing that uncomplicated bliss is at Clark Street Bakery. Their takeaway counter is open for pick-up and delivery, and has everything you need for watching a French love story, like buttery kouign-amann pastries, rows of crusty bread loaves, and most importantly, their Nordic breakfast plate - a massive platter that comes with a sourdough roll, Comté cheese, ham, butter, jam, and a hardboiled egg.” - KH

 Marvin $ $ $ $ American  in  Beverly Grove $$$$ 8114 Beverly Blvd

Movie Pairing: The Favourite (Hulu)

“The Favourite is all about satisfying appetites. The ones in the movie are a bit more illicit than truffles and butter (although Olivia Colman’s Queen Anne does have a soft spot for rich desserts), but Marvin’s fantastic French-ish food makes me feel like an indulgent 18th century royal. Their delivery dinners have recently included fettucini with black truffles, beef bourguignon pot pie, and rigatoni Bolognese. Be sure to order a few bottles of Burgundy, so you can get appropriately as drunk as the three fantastic leads in the film. For menus and ordering info, check out their Instagram.” - BK

 Wally's Beverly Hills $ $ $ $ Wine Bar  in  Beverly Hills $$$$ 447 N. Canon Drive

Movie Pairing: The First Wives Club (Netflix)

“Don’t fact-check me on this, but I’m pretty sure there’s a law saying you can’t watch The First Wives Club without drinking your weight in wine in the process. So, make sure you secure a delivery from Wally’s. The Beverly Hills wine bar has one of the largest (and best) wine stocks in the city, plus solid snacks like flatbreads, truffle popcorn, and charcuterie boards to keep from getting too drunk. Not that Goldie, Bette, and Diane would judge you for it - I just want to make sure you make it to the end for the dance number.” - BC

 Fish King Seafood $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  Seafood ,  Hawaiian  in  Glendale $$$$ 722 N Glendale Ave

Movie Pairing: Moana (Disney+)

“I’ve been feeling increasingly like Moana lately, trapped on an island (my house), not allowed to leave. Unlike this Disney heroine, I’m not going to get in a boat to find Dwayne Johnson and defeat an angry Polynesian god. But like her - I assume, since she was on a boat for a while - I want to eat some extremely fresh fish during this movie. Fish King, the Hawaiian-ish spot in Glendale, is the ideal place for it. In addition to serving Hawaiian-style poke, they’ve also got a great fried fish sandwich, grilled fish plates involving everything from bonito to mahi mahi, and clam chowder, all available for takeout and delivery. For more info, call (818) 244-2161.” - BK

 Steep $$$$ 970 N Broadway

Movie Pairing: Get Out (Prime)

“Yes, the takeaway from Get Out is that being a person of color in America oftentimes feels like being in a horror movie. I get that. I think it’s genius. I would have given Jordan Peele the Best Original Screenplay Oscar a second time if I could. So when Catherine Keener sends Daniel Kaluuya to the Sunken Place with a cup of tea, the correct response probably isn’t “When was the last time I had a good cup?” But if you’re like me, place an order at Steep. This modern tea house in Chinatown serves a variety of loose-leaf teas like green tangerine pu-erh, shan lin xi oolong, and spring snail green tea, as well as pre-made versions of their blacks, greens, and oolongs for those who don’t have a strainer. If you’re hungry, they also have Taiwanese dishes to go, like braised pork rice with a marinated egg and pork butter with beef broth. Order directly from their website for takeout.” - KH

 All Time $ $ $ $ American  in  Los Feliz $$$$ 2040 Hillhurst Ave

Movie Pairing: Midsommar (Prime)

“It might not include any psychedelic mushrooms, and it definitely doesn’t include a bear, but if you’re looking to recreate the bacchanal brutality of Midsommar, a Market Box from All Time is the way to go. The contents change often, but you can expect bright and bountiful amounts of fresh fruits and veggies, all of which would look great in your May Queen crown. They’ve also got baked goods (perfect for you to hide a pubic hair in, thus completing your love spell) and deluxe 12-bottle wine kits, which cost $1,500. And while that might seem like a lot, remember, your village only celebrates this festival once every 90 years.” - JM

 MiniBar $ $ $ $ Hollywood $$$$ 6141 Franklin Ave

Movie Pairing: A Simple Favor (Hulu)

“If the original trailer featuring seven different scenes involving martinis wasn’t a big enough hint for you, I’ll spell it out - A Simple Favor is essentially a community PSA for the iconic cocktail, and as viewers, it’s imperative we play our part. Sure, you could attempt to make a bad version at home, but what fun is that when MiniBar’s “Rolling Booze Mobile” can bring one to you? The answer is no fun, especially considering the tiny bar in Franklin Village makes one of our favorite versions in town. Check their Instagram for their latest location.” - BC

 Broad Street Oyster Co. $ $ $ $ American ,  Seafood  in  Malibu $$$$ 23359 Pacific Coast Hwy

Movie Pairing: Moonrise Kingdom (Prime)

“I grew up in a coastal New England town that looks suspiciously like the one in Moonrise Kingdom, and eating at Broad Street Oyster feels a bit like going home for me. The hot lobster roll should be your order here, along with some fantastic popcorn shrimp, oysters, and the Beach Burger. Plus, I’m pretty sure the restaurant was decorated with discarded set pieces from the movie. Broad Street is available for pick-up and delivery. Check out their Instagram for more information.” - BK

Azay $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  French  in  Little Tokyo $$$$ 226 E 1st St

Movie Pairing: Tampopo (iTunes)

“Heartwarming, absurdist, and filled with food shots that rival Chef’s Table, Tampopo just might be one of the greatest films ever made about food. And while it would have been easy to pick any one of LA’s great ramen spots to pair with a viewing, I’d choose to watch it while eating one of the many home-style Japanese dishes from Azay, like a breakfast set made with broiled fish, bowls of unagi, or their daily bento box. Or try the omurice, a simple staple that’s featured in one of my favorite scenes, where a gooey, runny omelet is folded over a bed of fried rice then drizzled in ketchup - which, surprisingly, is only the second-best scene in this movie that involves an egg. Check their Instagram, call (213) 628-3431, or email azay.littletokyo@gmail.com to place a takeout order.” - KH

 Osteria La Buca $ $ $ $ Italian  in  Hancock Park ,  Hollywood ,  Larchmont $$$$ 5210 Melrose Ave

Movie Pairing: Goodfellas (Netflix)

“Interested in constantly reminding your younger brother to ‘Keep an eye on the sauce’ while you alternately attempt to unload some unlicensed handguns, snort drugs, and dodge a DEA helicopter? Osteria La Buca’s new All Day Menu is for you. They’ve got family-style portions of spaghetti pomodoro, rigatoni Bolognese, and chicken parm that’ll feed up to six, plus house sauces and pastas, all available for takeout or delivery. Even if you don’t have an evening of illegal activities planned, an order from Osteria is still a great idea - and if you blast Harry Nilsson’s ‘Jump Into The Fire’ while you’re picking up your food, you’ll literally be a Goodfella.” - JM

 Birdie G’s $ $ $ $ American  in  Santa Monica $$$$ 2421 Michigan Ave

Movie Pairing: Christmas Vacation (Hulu)

“A Christmas movie? In the spring? Welcome to life in the quarantine, baby. Though the original Vacation is probably the best of the series, Christmas Vacation boasts a cornucopia of iconic moments that defined my childhood: A cat getting electrocuted, a rabid squirrel terrorizing the house, and Cousin Eddie kindly telling the neighbors that ‘The sh*tter’s full.’ And there isn’t a better way to watch this masterpiece than with a holiday meal of your own from Birdie G’s. The Santa Monica comfort food spot has a delivery menu filled with everything from matzo ball soup to noodle kugel to whole chicken in a tropical sauce - the latter of which pairs poetically with the Griswold’s incinerated turkey.” - BC

Highland Park Brewery $ $ $ $ Highland Park $$$$ 5127 York Blvd

Movie Pairing: The World’s End (Prime)

“Every time I see this movie about a fantastically epic pub crawl, it makes me want to crack a beer. Or, as the plot gets crazier and crazier, like 17 of them. Fortunately, Highland Park Brewery has their beer pick-up system down pat, and even delivers to most areas of the Eastside - check out their Instagram for more details. So I highly recommend stocking up on some insanely fresh beer (I went last week and got some four-packs that had literally been canned that day) - go for the Hello, LA (a clear, pine-forward West Coast IPA) and the America’s Preference, a crisp, dry, extremely drinkable pils.” - BK

 Gigi's Bakery & Cafe $ $ $ $ Cafe/Bakery ,  Cuban  in  Historic Filipinotown $$$$ 2200 W Temple St

Movie Pairing: The Devil Wears Prada (Prime)

“Maybe it’s the excessively appetizing frying sounds the foley artist scrounged up, or the ‘$8 worth of Jarlsberg’ he claims it contains, but when Andy’s ‘chef’ boyfriend (I use quotations here because he has an awful lot of free time at night for someone who claims to be in the restaurant industry) whips up a grilled cheese for her in their New York apartment, two things become abundantly clear: I’ve never made a grilled cheese like that in my entire life, and I need to be eating one, like, right now. But Gigi’s can actually do you one better - not only does this Cuban bakery sell one of the most perfectly pressed Cubanos known to man, but they also serve a variety of pastries like pastelitos de guayaba queso (guava cheese strudels) and their famous potato ball - all of which are still available to-go. Find more info on their website.” - KH

 Dudley Market $ $ $ $ American ,  Seafood  in  Venice $$$$ 9 Dudley Ave

Movie Pairing: The Lighthouse (iTunes)

“If you’ve got a roommate, chances are, you’re already feeling like Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse, so you might as well lean into it and order dinner from Dudley Market in Venice. Open for outdoor dining and pick-up, they put their fishing boat to good use, and every day they’re offering fresh-caught fish, not to mention favorites like their pork and clam toast and The Dudley Burger. Unfortunately, Dudley doesn’t sell lobster, which means no one will get to shout ‘You’re fond of me lobster!’ before invoking Neptune’s fury.” - JM

via The Infatuation Feed https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/guides/dinner-and-a-movie-delivery-la Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://trello.com/userhuongsen

Created August 28, 2020 at 12:42AM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

[fateother]

#05: Poison Heart Part 5

Saber followed her Master’s orders. There was something unsettling about the old woman, but Saber concluded that, after all, they were participants of a war. Such things could matter less at times like those. Saber was a woman in her twenties dressed in what one would describe as male 17th century fashion, and wielded a lance at her hip. This wasn’t so strange, seeing as her True Name was Julie d’Aubigny, also known as Mademoiselle de Maupin or La Maupin. During her life, she had grown bored. Bored of many things. Bored of being a mistress, bored of society, bored of… well, the list goes on. One thing she never got bored of though was fencing. Saber knew that it was the reason she had been summoned as a Saber, although why she had become a Heroic Spirit to begin with was beyond her understanding. Her Master, though, speculated that it was due to her rebellious streak: she had not only run away from being her father’s boss’ mistress to eventually end up an opera singer, but also duelled noblemen left and right. One time, she had kissed another woman, and fought off three men defending the lady’s honor by herself. Eventually, though, Saber had hung up her sword and ended her singing career to enter a convent, where she spent the rest of her years. Due to her peak being in her twenties, that was what Saber had been summoned as. Like the seven Masters, the seven Servants, too, had their reasons for participating in the Holy Grail War. A Heroic Spirit without a wish is rarely summoned as a Servant, and then only under certain circumstances. Saber’s wish was simple – she wanted to live a life without boredom, where she got to be more free, more accepted to be herself. That being said, though, she was half afraid to grow bored of that as well, but speculated that the Holy Grail would have the power to make sure she wouldn’t. Hours before Charlie Fairsworth and Helenah Kendall’s meeting, Saber was on her Master’s orders investigating an area where her Master had found traces of magical energy. According to Saber’s Master, it was likely that an inexperienced or novice magus had performed a magic ritual in the area. It was a chilly early morning, the sun not having risen yet. The indistrual district was empty, and Saber made her way towards the abandoned factory building her Master had pointed out as the area with traces of magecraft. Saber stopped in front of the locked gates of the fence surrounding the building. Something was off. ”Hm? Did you perhaps sense something as well, my Dulcinea?” Lancer appeared behind her with those words. Lancer’s Master and Saber’s Master were allies, which made the Servants forced to work together as well. Normally, Saber would think it a good idea, however, this particular Lancer was… well, Saber speculated that he would have made a good Berserker if not for his, well, frail old body. Saber answered without looking at him. ”As I have told you multiple times, Lancer, I am not your Dulcinea.” ”Oh, this is a horror! How terrible! A spell has been put on you, twisting the words coming out of your mouth! Or perhaps it is my mind that has been cursed? It must have been that evil wizard from last night! No doubt about it! Have no fear, my dear Dulcinea, for I-” ”Be quiet, would you? You’re too loud, and you talk too much. Not to mention, if you keep shouting like that-” A dagger struck the ground between the two Servants. ”-you’ll expose our position.” Lancer took a step back. ”Well! I shall leave you to your mission, then! For I believe in you, my dear Dulcinea! Do not worry, however, for I shall be nearby, ready to aid you and defend your honor when needed! That being said, I-” ”Just leave.” Lancer faded away into spirit form, but Saber could sense him nearby. She stood quiet for a moment making sure his presence moved further away from the immediate area, before she knelt down to look at the dagger. She didn’t touch it, of course – that would have been a bad idea. ”A warning, huh.” Saber stood up and looked at the abandoned factory building. The dagger had come from there. ”Assassin, perhaps? In that case…” Fighting an Assassin-class Servant could go either way -  if they struck from the shadows or concealed themselves, it could be troublesome. Some Assassins were competent in close combat, while it was the weakness of others. On the other end, the Saber class was considered the strongest class, but the fact that it was limited to the close quarters of swordsmanship was a drawback. Saber pulled out a small pebble from her pocket. It was a rune meant to dispel magic barriers and hidden contraptions. She had been given several by her Master. Saber took aim and threw it at the fence, which immediately lit up in sparks for three seconds. The sound of several objects made of metal or something the like hitting the ground echoed from somewhere nearby. So Saber’s hunch was right – the gate was a trap, and whoever tried to open it would most likely have been attacked with hidden daggers or knives. Saber entered the grounds, repeating the process with the large door to the factory’s warehouse. As she entered the dark building, The door slammed shut behind her. She carefully hid another rune in her hand, and readied her rapier with the other. Silence. ”Assassin, I presume?” No answer. Saber stood there quiet for a whole minute, before shouting again. ”Show yourself.” This time, she got an answer. It was weak and soft, and came from further into the warehouse. ”H-help…” Saber squinted. There, somewhere on the floor in the darkness, was a humanoid shape. The light of the slowly rising sun sipped through a hole in the roof, making the shape clearer. It was a teenage girl, seemingly roughed up. She had several cuts and bruises over her body, and she sat on the floor looking helplessly at Saber. ”P-please…” Saber didn’t answer. Instead, she threw the rune she had hidden in her free hand at the girl. She shrieked, and immediately disappeared into the shadows as the rune exploded into small sparks. ”Attacking innocent bystanders, are you?” The girl’s voice came from… well, everywhere. It echoed throughout the building, to be exact. ”The rune was designed to dispel magic. Even if you had stayed on the floor, it wouldn’t have harmed you. But, since you’re a Servant, you can’t afford to take that kind of risk.” ”So it was a ruse, then?” Saber sensed something from behind. The girls hands appeared in her vision, and in a split second Saber did not only realize the girl had appeared behind her, but also managed to make a jump to escape. She turned back, but saw nothing. ”Oh… I see. Not a lot of people can sense me. Oh, well. I was never one to hide in the shadows. I was always more of a hiding in plain sight kind of girl.” Saber sighed. ”So you are Assassin, after all.” ”And you must be Saber. Though I guess both our classes are blantantly obvious.” With that, three daggers shot out from the darkness to Saber’s left. She avoided two by swiftly stepping backwards, and the third by deflecting it with her rapier. Once again, Assassin’s hands reached out from the shadows, this time almost brushing Saber’s left hand. Saber’s thoughts flowed rapidly through her head as she avoided dagger after dagger, touch after touch. Why was she so bent on touching her? If assuming the daggers were were primary weapon, what good would touching her opponent do? She didn’t look strong enough to hold down her enemy and stab them, and that wasn’t usually an Assassin’s style. By that logic, there would have to be another reason as to why touch was important. Seeing as it was an unusual way of attacking, there would have to be something unique to the individual Assassin herself. Saber stood still and breathed heavily. ”I have you figured out.” ”Hmm? Well then, please explain.” Saber sighed. ”It’s your Noble Phantasm – the embodiment of the ultimate mysteries of a hero that symbolizes one's existence through historical facts and anecdotes.” Assassin chuckled. ”Well, that was certainly an explanation. But yes, you’re right –” Saber felt something grace her cheek, and spun around too late. Assassin had touched her cheek. ”Now, since you’re about to die, I’ll tell you.” Pain jolted through Saber’s body, and she fell to one knee. ”Visha Kanya. That is the name of my Noble Phantasm. It turns my entire body into a deadly poisonous weapon.” ”Poison…” ”Yes. And now, you are going to die within 10 minutes, 15 max. Sad, isn’t it?” ”Kh…!” At that moment, something burst through the wall. ” El Ingenioso Hidalgo de la Mancha!” The wall, along with almost the entire roof, blew away. Saber struggled to keep on the ground, and was almost hit by flying debris. As the dust settled, Lancer stood where the wall had been. Something was off with him, however. Well, at least more than usual. He stood there, almost as if in a trance, and stared at the speechless Assassin with wide, crazed eyes. ”Though ye flourish more arms than the giant Briareus, ye have to reckon with me.” Assassin seemed to snap out of it, because she said: ”Huh? Me?” Lancer plunged towards Assassin with his lance. ”Lancer, wait!” Saber called out to him, but to no avail. There was no need for Saber to be alarmed, though – Assassin didn’t have time nor room to touch Lancer as she barely avoided the lance head. She did, however, manage to grace him with a dagger. ”Hehehe… what are you, Berserker or something? Doesn’t matter though – my hands aren’t the only thing that are poisonous.” Lancer stood quiet, and Saber couldn’t help but to agree – Lancer almost seemed like an all-out Berserker. Was this part of his Noble Phantasm? She recalled hearing him shout the words ’’El Ingenioso Hidalgo de la Mancha. ”Feeling the poison coursing through your veins, right?” Then, Lancer glanced at Assassin, and plunged forward again. ”Fly not, coward and vile being, for a single knight attacks you!” ”Wh-” Once again, Assassin barely avoided the strike, and landed on a pile of debris. ”How… how are you not affected by my poison?!? Even a Berserker would… argh!” Saber asked herself the same thing, but then it hit her. Don Quijote – the man who fought against windmills, refusing to listen to any reasoning that the windmills were nothing but giants. That was Lancer’s True Name and real identity – or at least the man the story was based on. If that story, that event itself was Lancer’s Noble Phantasm, then it was no wonder he kept seeing Assassin as something else, and no wonder the poison didn’t affect him. His Noble Phantasm bended the rules, making him immune to any kind of reason close to a high-level Mad Enchantment of some Berserkers, but also immune to effects of any kind – within normal reasoning, a person would die from Assassin’s poison. On that effect, Lancer’s Noble Phantasm negated that normal reasoning, and thus negated the poison. Then, Saber realized something else. She slowly stood up, and Assassin looked at her in shock. ”Wh… what the?!? How can you stand?!?” ”Looks like… this guy’s Noble Phantasm affects not only himself, but things around him.” ”Kh!” Assassin avoided another blow from Lancer, and landed on another pile of debris. She looked at Lancer and Saber. ”This isn’t over.” With that, she disappeared into the shadows, and Saber lost trace of her spirit form. Lancer took a few steps forward, before collapsing onto the ground.

[thelongestdamnreviews]

Kingdom Hearts II

It took me about 35 hours to get to the end this time around.  I didn't 100% the game by any means.  This was also the first game to give me some slowdown in PCSX2, though it's the second game overall I've played there so that's not saying much.  In terms of difficulty, this was pretty easy, much easier than what I remember of the first KH and especially Re: Chain of Memories.  I think I game overed twice the entire time, losing to Demyx getting serious and Xemnas' final phase once each.  I picked the Dream Shield and had Valor Form the highest ranked, though I stopped using Forms during the last part of the game.

  Roxas is your typical teenager in the typical Twilight Town...apart from mysteries like something being stolen so well that the words go missing too, or reality just stopping on its own every so often.  Not to mention that Roxas summons the Keyblade...and he looks awfully a lot like Sora.  It's probably not anything important.  Don't worry, Roxas gets his own game and we'll be reunited with Sora soon enough. 

Lucky number. 

I guess I forgot to mention with the last two reviews that I didn't grow up Disney, so apart from doing my own research, I don't really have any familiarity with the Disney stories and all.  So there's no real pull for that nostalgia I guess.  I like Kingdom Hearts because it's a fun action RPG and at least I know the Final Fantasy characters here. 

It's been a few years since I last played the first Kingdom Hearts, so I might have a couple of details wrong.  Sorry! 

“I don’t feel so good...”  There, meme complete. 

True to a sequel, there's a bunch of new here.  Only a couple of worlds from the first (two) game(s) returns, and the ones that do are expanded or changed.  Like Hollow Bastion now being the town world like Traverse Town was, or Atlantica becoming a minigame world like 100 Acre Wood.  New Keyblades, new allies, new magic, new summons, new systems too. 

One big thing added is the Reaction command, where during combat (or even going up to somebody or a chest) gives you a context-sensitive prompt above the Commands menu with a Triangle button prompt.  Open a chest, Talk to people, avoid damage or turn attacks around with it--you'll be using it a bunch so keep an eye out for when it shows up.  Most battles can be finished without using them, but they're worth using.  And of course some battles require their use too. 

No thanks. 

A new Drive system lets Sora borrow the powers of his allies (removing them from combat) to power himself up in a new Form, such as Goofy enabling Valor Form to fight with two Keyblades while locking Sora out of magic use, or Wisdom Form taking Donald's power to give Sora a ranged attack and powered-up magic.  You only start with Valor but you unlock two more during the course of the game with a fourth being an 11th hour superpower if you can get it to show up.  And a fifth dud form that has a chance of showing up anytime you Drive in battle, especially against the antagonists this time around.  One cool thing about this feature is that if you trigger a cutscene while in a Drive Form, Sora's clothes will still be changed during it. 

The allies you absorb for your Forms return during cutscenes too.  Don’t think about it too much. 

You no longer are given mobility abilities during the game.  When you level Drive Forms, regular Sora gets weaker versions of the movement abilities the Drive Form uses, so Valor grants High Jump, Wisdom grants Air Slide, Final grants Glide, and so on.  I didn't see if there were any chests that required High Jump or so on, but the rest of the game doesn't really need them.  They're still nice for evading attacks at least. 

Magic still uses an MP bar, but you now enter MP Charge when it empties, where you get a full bar back after so many seconds instead of needing to hit enemies to slowly charge it up from zero.  You also have a higher Drive charge rate while waiting and entering a Drive Form fully restores HP and MP both.  Fire was changed from a spammable homing projectile to a quick blaze around Sora, and Cure now takes all of your MP, if it's 100 or 10 and still has the same effect.  Reflect can work as a stand-in for Block and creates a damaging field around Sora if an enemy hits the barrier, and Magnet can pull enemies to a point in the air for you to smack while they're helpless.  The three Forms that can use magic also change up the spells a little, such as increasing the area of effect or making them work differently altogether.  I didn't have many MP Hastes so I still had to wait a little while to get my MP back, and depending on the fight, I'd need to use Cure to keep everyone alive and I'd be right back where I was.  A system where it'd slowly regenerate on its own would've worked better for me, but I think it's a step up from KH1's system...though I liked how many casts of Fire you could get on a full bar back then. 

Limits give new meaning to the term “teamwork”. 

Each ally also has a Limit that teams Sora and that ally up for special attacks that might replace his Attack command and adds their own Reaction commands too, as well as big finishers.  Limits are timed and automatically end when you unleash the finisher, or they can be canceled manually.  Limits eat up your entire MP bar but they can be worth it if you get a bunch of hits in.  Summons work differently here too, where you now sacrifice some Drive bars and your two allies to bring the Summon onto the field.  They have a number of functions but they too have their own Limit that cuts down how long they can stay out. 

Gummi Ship segments return but this too has been expanded.  Now the screen will turn to face enemies coming from the sides or behind, and you can eventually unlock the use of two 'Teeny Ships' that can block enemy shots and have their own armaments too.  Collect medals from destroyed enemies to increase your Medal Rank and allow better Treasures to drop, and max out the Medal Rank to send your ship into a Berserk fury until you get damaged!  Ships can equip Abilities too like slowly regenerating health or pulling in nearby medal drops, to letting you take just one Teeny Ship but get the second one's maximum cost added to the primary ship's, expanding how many Gummi Blocks you can stack up there.  I honestly really liked the Gummi Ship segments and the ship I built and stuck with most of the game mostly had a bunch of guns stuck on it.  None of the rewards for the mode carries over to the on-foot segments, but that didn't really impact my opinion of it much. 

It’s kinda hard to see the screen with Berserk up, but you tear everything apart very quickly regardless. 

You fight Organization XIII this time around, a group of beings that shouldn't exist on a quest to reclaim their hearts.  Though they're unnatural abominations, they strangely look human.  They work with the Disney villains this time around, though Maleficient has her own plans counter to theirs.  She's not on your side, though.  She just wants a fancy castle to call home after you evicted her from Hollow Bastion in the first game.  Jerk.  

Music's still good.  There are quite a few new themes though worlds we've been to before have rearranged music.  I really liked the boss theme when fighting the Disney villains ("Encounter" I think?), but there really wasn't any music that I didn't like at all.  "Under the Sea" still exists as part of Atlantica's musical, but Atlantica's field theme is pretty nice this time around.  It's almost a shame you're not there for very long since there's zero combat this time around. 

Atlantica is a rhythm minigame world this time.  I hope you like singing.  Also, don’t pause during any of the songs or you’ll have to start over! 

I don't have any complaints about the controls.  I heard that the game was criticized for being button-mashy and I think it kinda is, especially given the ease that you get combo extenders.  There is at least one boss fight where you actually do have to mash the Triangle button to do damage.  I hope your controller has strong enough buttons!  You don't have Dodge Roll anymore (but Limit Form in Final Mix does), so you instead have equippable ability Guard as your defense, and you can use Wisdom Form's Quick Run/Air Slide to move quickly once you unlock it.  Each Form has their own combo animations and areas of effect and these of course change in the air, and you can also equip regular Sora with different combo finishers. 

Favorite world?  Timeless River of all things.  I liked the character designs but I really liked a nice touch done with the voice clips and sound effects--they're given a low-fidelity pass to make them sound like they're coming out of the speakers on an old TV!  Least favorite world?  Port Royal.  I didn't mind the realistically-rendered characters making the adventuring trio look out of place, but the world's gimmick is when fighting Barbossa's undead pirates, you can only damage them when they're in the moonlight and of course there are shaded areas to give them cover.  Your allies won't let up attacking them no matter what and it just made battles drag on forever. 

It’s so silly but it just slightly beats out Space Paranoids for me. 

Maybe. 

The only real complaints I had with the game were that it seemed like too often you were forced to use the world's ally in your party and there were a number of fights where you're forced to fight alone, so you lose access to both Drive Forms and Summons.  I kinda didn't like how much effort was required to level the Drive Forms too.  Valor Form at least seems the most natural because you just have to hit things, but the others take quite a bit of effort to level up, either through killing enemies or picking up Drive Orbs.  Maybe that's the price of power, but for me looking forward to Wisdom Form, it sure didn't measure up.  I didn't get Master and Final Forms raised too much.  I even used cheat codes for infinite drive meter once I finished the game, but I didn't really feel like putting in all that work. 

And, I guess the three hour introduction sequence with Roxas kinda dragged on a little too long.  I understand they were trying to make the player care for Roxas given what happens to him, but not very much happens for most of the days.  I dunno, I imagine people might want to know where the hell Sora, Donald, and Goofy are and why you're playing this copycat at some point. 

Too bad this fight isn’t playable in the original version. 

That aside, don't be put off of the game with that sequence like I was the first time around.  It's only a little under ten percent of the entire game!  And the rest of it is a lot better too!  I liked it more than Chain of Memories all right, and there's a pretty meaty adventure here.  I dunno if it'd be a good jumping-on point for people new to the series, though you'd likely be buying one of the PS3/PS4 HD ReMIXes that has the first game and Re:CoM with it, so you really should start with the prior games.  But yes, overall, I really did enjoy my time and I managed to take like 800 screenshots so I'd better go pare those down...

Final stats. 

...now I just need to get Dream Drop Distance and watch a Let’s Play of 0.8 A Fragmentary Passage, then I’ll be ready to watch another LP of KH3.