#Man sv has solid characters

[agentc0rn]

Another Pretty Long Character Analysis: Kieran and Nemona - Strength

disclaimer: not claiming this to be objective, just another writing piece full of thoughts done for fun because Kieran is such an interesting, in depth character ever

Okay so I mentioned this in my older post about kieran being the foil of nemona and their shared struggles with being at the top, socially excluded, and how strength as social arbiter displaced them in social settings. Like Kieran, Nemona became overly strong that no one wanted to compete and keep up with. Her passion is misread because of that plus the top statuses she holds as a wealthy multi-talented, high-achieving student. She is a good person and true to herself (her naivety to social cues perhaps is because of her lack of social connections with others). She means well and just want someone to battle with their efforts no matter the outcome and enjoy to the fullest. Battling is her expression of self, her way of enjoyment and connecting with others. Kieran is alike to an extent, with his strength already at a high level (stated by Carmen in the beginning), and his joyous expression seen during our first fight. This is supported by the fact as stated by Drayton how Kieran had fun battling pre-Teal Mask. These two rivals' love for battles run parallel with each other!

However, Kieran's transition reflects a common mindset that artists, athletes, musicians, etc. all resonate with: competitiveness + measure of worth in the things you like the most - you have to be good at them. I feel this strongly as well with art being my major source of passion - I pressured myself into thinking I had to be really good at it and not enjoy for the sake of doing it regardless of skills.

Battling was not only something Kieran liked doing, it was his main source of confidence and self-esteem.

We see that clear in Blueberry Academy, in dialogues and student culture, competitiveness is high, demanding, and brutal. Kieran may have internalized the idea, provided with his insecurity of weakness and his goal to become independent and reliant. Seeing that we were able to defeat him and sister with ease, he grew to admire but also envious of our esteemed strength, how our power seems to be favored by luck (having speical mons like Koraidon), inducing him to believe that if he worked hard, he could get to our level too. To add further, his lifelong admiration of Ogerpon supports his motivation and his aforementioned desire to be stronger. He wanted to be strong and cool as the ogre, not caring what others thought.

What I find interesting is how Kieran and Nemona handles their way of battling with us. Nemona guides you through the journey while challenging herself to learn in new ways - she restarts her journey essentially. For Kieran, even though he has experience, he struggles with the losses against us (confidence issues and again, aside our MC Role, there is some skill difference given that we fought the titans, area zero mons, team star, and gym leaders). He does change up his tactics, but ultimately does not see victory. He ends up restarting in a way back at BB academy. As a result, Kieran becomes more isolated throughout his training arc and his domination in the league. Him strictly calling out others for slacking inadvertently turns him into the fearsome "oni" figure that he idolized and thus earns him an unfavorable reputation as the president (similar status with Nemona) of the League, for instance, a dialogue between two students mentions how how ever since he became champ, the League club became less fun....Despite the contrast of tensity in these circumstances, Nemona is misunderstood in similiar manner with Kieran.

If memory serves correct, Nemona really gets into the battling mood and sometimes forgets about hers and others' limits, but does acknowledge them given a few instances when she does not battle you. Whereas for Kieran, once he entered the extreme zone, he fully devotes himself to strength at the cost of his mental, social and physical well-being. He discards his limits, giving everything he has got that ultimately eats him from the inside. The final scene when he reacts to losing may also show not just his struggle to grasp reality but a literal side effect on his health (no sleep = poor mood, poor thinking)

He desperately clings to the idea that endless training would grant him the guaranteed chance to beat you ("I know I am making the right choice") and no longer enjoys battling. Battling became a constant test of worth, the last and only means of proving himself. Even though he did become stronger, it drained his health, energy, sanity and reputation. Again, in an ironic way, he really became the oni (self filling prophecy).

at the end however, when we reach out to him to be confident in himself, that we needed his help, it gave him that confidence boost. We all believed in him - he really needed that support. Maybe seeing terapagos going berserk had him gain self awareness that he was like that too and how that caused harm to not only himself but to others.

One small thing to point out that he is like Terapagos in a way. Both are small, secluded and strong lads who end up going wayhire with their mass power.

Not to sound corny but I really felt Kieran’s frustration about losing. I was competitive too but soon let go of that. It’s fine to improve yourself but doing that to be better than others as your main reason can really cause burnout. Anyways this is a disorganized list of thoughts I wanted to share but if you read it the entire thing I really do got to say thank you for taking the time to do so.

EDIT: fixed some grammar and stuff because this was just a run-on draft lol

[pkmnomegaverse]

Do you have any Scarlet/Violet ships (or even just ship ideas) for the Omegaverse yet?

Answering this a year and a half later but so it goes sometimes.

Basically, while I’m still leaning towards not adding any fankids for Paldea until one of the kids smacks me from the void and forces themselves and their potential friends into existence, good fanart has convinced me of the SV ships I would lean towards.

Main Ship which is canon king is Florian/Kieran. I was all set to go with Arven and the protag, but as soon as the second part of the DLC gave Kieran an edge, it was over. Instantly sold. Love that kind of dynamic where one of the characters has the potential to be mean/unhinged. So yeah, they’re def endgame. Omega4Omega most likely. Since I do prefer Florian as an omega over an alpha. And while I would be willing to go either way with Kieran, the next ship is why I lean omega for him too.

While I overall prefer Kieran with Florian, fanart has made me like Drayton/Kieran as well. Like a lot. So that’s a thing that I waver about. They’re probably fucking during the events of the second DLC. Or at least around that time period, some kind of a relationship between them starts. But I know myself too well and the low hanging fruit there is surprise accidental pregnancy between them. Because I think the drama and potential fallout would be fun. Would Drayton feel forced to step up and take responsibility? Would his grandfather make him take responsibility? Would that even be something Kieran wants since their relationship was meant to be purely physical and not emotional when they first got involved? And then throwing in Florian and how he and Kieran resolve things just further complicates things.

I have mused on a three way route between them if I end up getting too attached to Kieran/Drayton, since I think Florian/Drayton could be fun as well. But really that’s lower priority to figure out since it’s only once the hypothetical Kieran/Drayton fankid maybe becomes concrete that the ball starts rolling. If I can avoid making that kid, than I don’t have to decide anything with them.

Any other ships past that are much lower priority. Hassel/Brassius are really good and for sure endgame. My fav normie ship from this game. Since they’re Old Man Yaoi (really Middle Aged Man Yaoi but hush), I’m not sure if I’d make a fankid for them. The vibe I get from them is they’ve been together for a while, so I feel like they would have had a kid together already if they were going to have kids. But as the kid clearly doesn’t exist in the games, I guess they’re a childless couple. Who knows though, I like them enough they’re the next most likely duo I would feel compelled to develop. Hassel is for sure an alpha. Brassius I can see going either way but low hanging fruit says to make him an omega. Although narratively I feel him being a beta would fit best. Both the kind of partner Hassel’s family would disapprove of the most (since if he were an alpha, at least he would maybe be someone impressive, for all that they would still view the relationship as a disappointment) and would also double as to why they don’t have children. No risk of accident baby so something they just never got around to.

I kind of flip flop between Rika/Geeta and Rika/Larry. But then I also kinda like Larry/Grusha. Some combo of that will probably be what I go with. For most of the other characters in general, I don’t have solid ships that stand out. I do like Arven/Florian, but since Kieran is too powerful and beat out Arven, I might make Arven/Juliana the fallback ship. But then Juliana is good with Nemona too. But also Nemona/Penny could work as a pair the spares so I’m sure I’ll combo that group together somehow. Depends who makes the most interesting fankids.

And past that I got nada. I’ve seen enough fanart of various other combos of characters where there’s a lot of other ships I don’t mind, but I don’t feel strongly enough to comment on them as having potential for me to endgame. If they happen they happen. But really I wouldn’t add any of them until I’m able to figure out the final situation with Florian’s family.

[nyaagolor]

Nemona Team Tweaks

So while I may be ride or die for Nemona, she actually has one of my least favorite teams in SV. Figured it would be fun to talk about my thoughts on how her team was constructed, the finale of Victory Road, and my hypothetical tweaks for her team. All under the cut bc these things get long :)

While I love Nemona as a character, I don't feel like her team quite lives up to her personality in a sense. Unlike Arven and Penny, there doesn't seem to be a clear theme to her team-- or maybe there is and i'm missing it? Either way, Penny's team is a complete gimmick so revealing it all at once makes sense, and you get to watch Arven's team build over time and add to the really solid and obvious food motif. Technically you see Nemona build her team too but she adds so many seemingly random pokemon last minute that I'm just ??? ok nemona

The second issue I have with Nemona-- and the end of Victory Road as a whole-- is that they do absolutely nothing interesting with Tera Types. The gyms set you up beautifully to learn all about how fun and interesting tera types can be, but then you get to the Elite Four + champion(s) and suddenly everyone teras into the same type. It feels like a bizarre way to end things

anyway, here's the team and some reasoning behind the picks:

First, I wanted to center her team around the theme of friendship, specifically her friendship with the player. All the pokemon she has on her team are either representative of her friendship with the player as told through dialogue throughout her story OR evolve via friendship / smth similar

Midday Lycanroc -> Dusk Lycanroc: I like Nemona's Lycanroc because dog = man's best friend and Nemona is the player's bestie, but also it serves as a hazard setter. I'm pretty sure she is the only person to use hazards in this entire game, and the stealth rock was such a pain when I battled her that I feel the need to keep it. As for why I'm switching it from midday to dusk, I think the orange color matches her eyes... and her ability would be Own Tempo if she had one! This pokemon appears in the third battle just like in the games

Orthworm -> Paldean Tauros: Adding this here with a minor caveat that it would also require some extra dialogue. We see her using this pokemon in the intro which implies it's on her initial champion team, but I think she should state this outright during her dialogue with the player, explaining how this is her precious partner and one of the strongest pokemon she's ever battled with. This pokemon ONLY appears in the final battle, and because we know this is one of Nemona's previous aces, we can show through her team how she's pulling out all the stops against you and finally bringing her all

Dudunsparce or Cyclizar: Tbh i'm actually not sure about this one, I feel like it could go either way. A three-segment Dudunsparce could symbolize Nemona being able to (seemingly effortlessly) achieve things that others only dream of, but a Cyclizar is a better parallel to the player and symbolizes Nemona's connection with her pokemon and the player. They're both normal types which means there's still a fighting weakness, so honestly either could work. Still on the fence about this one, but either way it first appears in the fifth battle (either weaker or unevolved) and then at full strength in the final.

Goodra -> Palafin: The fact that no one in the game uses a Palafin is a goddamn crime and I intend on correcting it. Plus, it fits with her new friendship theme quite well! I know the AI would butcher the use of this thing but it's the thought that counts. Much like Goomy, Finizen would appear in the fourth battle with her, but doesn't evolve until the final fight. The form change serves as a fun surprise for unsuspecting player!

Pawmot: No changes here-- Pawmot is a perfect pokemon for nemona. It's introduced at a great time in the second battle, fits her theme of friendship and caring for others with Revival Blessing, and even has her hair!

Starter: I wouldn't change anything about this pokemon EXCEPT for the tera type. This time, she teras into the type strong against your starter-- it serves as a bookends from your first battle with her to your last, and shows that she isn't holding back against you anymore. You're TRULY battling her at the peak of her strength and she isn't fucking around this time

aaaaand that's about it! This team wasn't made for balance or to be an especially hard challenge (since Paldea is easy as hell anyway) but just to add a little more oomph to her team in terms of themes. If u have any ideas on how to change her team lmk I like hearing other people's takes on it too :)

[gaydiation-poisoning]

Okay we all deservedly shit on Scarlet and Violet for so many reasons

BUT CAN I GUSH ABOUT HOW THIS GAME HAS THE STRONGEST CAST OUT OF ANY OTHER MAINLINE GAME

Most other games have one or two standout characters that really shine, but holy shit I legit don't think I can pick a favourite SV character cus they're all just SO SOLID AND CHARMING

I love Nemona's AuDHD swag, Penny's genuine love and devotion to her friends, Arven's story makes me fuCKING CRY, AND GOOD LORD I WOULD DIE FOR CLAVELL

And that's not even getting into the new characters in the DLC Kieran and Carmine holy shi

Basically tHE WRITING IS SO GOOD MAN THIS GAME DESTROYED ME

[zehecatl]

rec post for @f-eef that got too long for its own good, and is now just. a general rec post i guess

(as of writing, today is the steam summer sale! writing this before that goes live, so no guarantee everything on here is on sale, but! most of these are older games, so it’s likely. keep them in mind~)

- Iconoclasts my absolute favourite game, ever (along with OFF, but shh), if you check out one game from this list, let it be this one. it’s a genuinely almost flawless package, with gorgeous pixel art, fun gameplay, a really good story, and a cast of characters i just. adore. it’s so so so good, and three years later, i’m still not over it

- The Binding of Isaac so there’s this genre called roguelikes, wherein the whole gimmick is that, when you die, you gotta start from the Very Beginning; and the ‘point’ is getting better and better at the game, until you win! it’s super easy to just, play a few runs (they generally don’t last that long!), and then go on with your day, so it’s a really fun game to just waste time in, if you just wanna chill with some game. and, in my personal opinion, Isaac is the best roguelike game, with so much stuff to unlock, a whole slew of items to play with, and so much content it’s kind of unreal. i definitely think the DLCs are worth picking up, but it’s mostly for more content than like. actually being necessary

- Terraria it’s minecraft, but 2D. unlike MC, it’s got a bit of guidance, which i personally prefer, with bosses to fight and such. an absolutely BLAST with other people too

- A Hat in Time a 3D platformer, ala Mario, that’s just. super charming. it’s also really fun to play. i haven’t actually played the DLC’s, since i played it way back, but i’ve heard good things about Nyakuza Metro, which does look super slick, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

- Slime Rancher you are a slime rancher. you ranch slimes. it’s honestly just wholesome as hell, and just exudes happy vibes. mostly for running around and collecting slimes, ngl

- The Messenger really funky retro game, wherein you play a ninja on a mission. it’s primary draw is definitely in its gameplay, but there’s a surprising amount of story for this kind of genre? i honestly really just like this one. it’s neat

- Underhero you play as a cute minion, who kind of like. managed to kill the hero. and whoops, guess you’re doing his job now? it’s got that undertale vibe, though i’d say it’s less polished than it. HOWEVER, it’s absolutely lovely and it’s climax is REALLY good

- Hatoful Boyfriend bird dating sim. trust me. the ‘secret’ finale route is just. *chef’s kiss* fantastic

- Night in the Woods if you don’t mind having a very poignant sad time, oh my god, i could not recommend NITW more. it perfectly captures that period when you’re done with school, and suddenly your whole life is stretching before you, and you feel so so fucking lost, and overwhelmed and pained with it. it’s just. so good. a sadness worth experiencing 

- Shovel Knight another retro game! this one is, pretty much, the king of the genre, and for very good reasons. the first one (shovel of hope) doesn’t have much story, but the latter ones really add on it. they’re honestly just, really solid games! with funky knight characters!!!

- Hyper Light Drifter man, it’s just a masterpiece. everything about it is perfect. it’s been like, five years, and it’s still one of the very best indie games

- Tell Me Why it’s currently free for june! and it’s a story game! plus, if you like the genre, the devs got the ‘Life Is Strange’ serie(s) to delve into!

- Cat Quest honestly, i just really like this little game. the gameplay is SO much fun, and everything else is just. really charming :’)

- Yoku’s Island Express metroidvania, where you play as a dung-beetle post officer, and the gimmick is that it’s pinball-y! it’s really fun, and very cute and just an all around good time :)

- Owlboy you play as an owl boy! named Otus! and you can fly around, and there’s GORGEOUS pixel graphics, and a neat story, and just. the BEST cast of characters. it’s delightful

- Yuppie Psycho + Count Lucanor just gonna bundle these two together, because they’re both REALLY GOOD. YP is the newer one, and is therefore probably ‘the better one’, but i like them both a ton! they’re 2D horror, but i wouldn’t say they’re that spooky? though that might just be because they’re pixel games! you explore spooky place, and weird stuff happens around you. just a really fun time :)

- Angels of Death my FAVOURITE rpgmaker game, it’s main draw is, a 100%, the main characters and the relationship that develops between them. i just love it a whole lot, and it’s got that lil’ tinge of horror that i, personally, fucking adore. there’s actually an anime based on this, but i haven’t seen it myself!

- Celeste curve ball! it’s a 2D platformer! it’s really good, got a ton of accessibility features, and has like. the tightest gameplay- and, on top of that, surprisingly emotional story! 

- Bastion putting Bastion here, because it’s actually the only one i’ve properly played, but you could probably buy any of the Supergiant Games, and come out satisfied. Bastion is the oldest of the bunch, and is definitely a bit less polished for it, but i personally adore it; the gameplay probably hasn’t aged that well, but i think the story and presentation more than makes up for it

- The Darkside Detective funny point and click adventure, with great wit, and a pair of characters i kind of simply adore. it’s main draw is definitely its humour

- Littlewood very wholesome and chill farming game, that feels more like an RPG than something like stardew valley- i’d not recommend it over SV, but if you want more of SV, Littlewood might scratch that itch!

- Pony Island + The Hex absolutely adore both of these, though if i had to rec only one, it’d probably be Pony Island? they’ve both got that undertale-off vibe, though Pony Island definitely leans harder into it. very interesting plays, both of them

- Oxenfree another horror-ish game! primarily story-focused, but oh boy, what a story! i’m a BIG fan of this game, and the sequel was recently announced too! definitely worth a look if you like ghost shenanigans

- Creature in the Well wasn’t a 100% sure if i should rec this, but beside the finale boss, i really enjoyed my time with this! it’s this weird pinball inspired hack and slash, with some amazing vibes

- Kindergarten 1 + 2 they’re just fun little games okay. the 2nd is much more fleshed out, but the 1st one is really fun too

- the Henry Stickmin collection I JUST... LIKE THESE GAMES A LOT... i think you can find the old versions somewhere on the internet, if you wanna check them out first? idk, they’re fun!

- LIMBO + INSIDE personally, i like INSIDE more, but both of these are classics, and also they’re made by a danish team, and i like them a WHOLE LOT

- The Final Station i could not tell you why i like this game as much as i do, but oh my god. i love this game? it’s got a dying world, neat pixel graphics, big zombie apocalypse vibes, and a weird little story

- Year Walk i love Year Walk :)

- Smile For Me if you liked undertale’s lovely cast of characters, oh boy, you’d likely LOVE this game! it’s really, really, fantastic, and the epilogue (not in the actual game lol) hit me right in the feels

- Pikuniku just a fun little game! there’s not really much there, in the grand scheme of things, but it’s a wonderful little play, one of those games that just sets out to give you a good time, and absolutely success. i like it a lot :’)

- A Short Hike wonderful game, where it’s more about exploring the island than actively finishing the game. it’s real wonderful

- ULTRAKILL ANOTHER CURVEBALL! no idea if you like FPS, but oh my god. ULTRAKILL is so fucking good. just an absolute blast to play. there’s a demo to check out, and i’d definitely recommend it, because if it’s a genre you might like, you’ll love this one (OH also it’s in early access, which means it’s not finished yet! personally, i don’t mind that, especially considering this is more gameplay focused, but ya’ know!)

- My Friend Pedro it’s honestly just really fun to play, and sometimes i still think about the implied lore, and go all !!!!

- Little Misfortune another point and click! this one is pretty short, and is set within the same universe as their other game, Fran Bow, which is much bigger, but idk. i like this one. it’s dark cute

- This Strange Realm of Mine i honestly dunno how to explain this one, because it’s kind of weird and a bit odd, but i really like it, in all its weird poetic glory. it’s neat!

- Donut County you’re a terrible racoon who’s ruined the whole city with holes. it’s great and i love it

- OneShot another ‘gives me undertale vibes’, though this one was in development before UT, if i recall correctly! it’s so good, and it’s got some fantastic meta bits, and i love Niko. i love Niko so much

- Inmost gorgeous vaguely spooky game with a neat story... my favourite genre

- Sayonara Wild Hearts i’d call this more of a spectacle than anything else, but oh my god. what a spectacle it is! the OST is amazing, everything about it just hits right, and even if you suck at the gameplay (which i did), it really doesn’t matter, in my opinion? it’s just great all around!

[hlvraik]

i was just wondering if you would be willing to give a couple of fluff headcanons for each character, both their normal ver. and child ver.! if you were okay with that! 👉👈

Oh absolutely I would!!

[Quick side-note, this is going to be a long post, even if I only wrote one HC regarding the normal ver. and Kid-verse- so I'm going to hide the majority of them under the cut!]

Gordon;

On his days off of work, Gordon could usually be seen in his apartment in a messy bun, sweatpants, socks, and his iconic M.I.T. hoodie. and before he would have to pick up Joshua from school, he would either be attempting to clean up his entire apartment, only to clean for a good twenty minutes before getting distracted and singing and dancing with a broom to ABBA, or he would be marathoning movies on the couch while curled up in a blanket eating strawberry ice-cream. [Mainly 80's movies such as Ghostbusters or Back to the Future-]

While trying to make it out of Black Mesa, K!Gordon was known notoriously for hiding tiny friendly alien xen creatures, mainly snarks, in his hoodie, and every time the Science Team would expect that Gordon was hiding aliens from them, they would ask them to empty his hoodie of 'all of them'. Just imagine Darnold bending down to Gordon's eye level and asking politely to release all the snarks, and he would end up releasing 40 of them only for Coomer to speak up and say '-now Gordon, Doctor Darnold ask for you to release ALL of the snarks remember?' Then all of a suddenly he would release into his fluffy ponytail and pull out two more- [The Science Team were okay with Gordon having a couple of alien friends, but they weren't okay with hundreds of them-]

Coomer;

Whenever Coomer would forget to give Bubby their mandatory routine morning hug before they went to their separate departments, he would simply use his extendo-limbs to reach across the facility to give Bubby a hug. [Coomer works in Anomalous Materials with Gordon, while Bubby worked in Advanced Biology Research] He would sometimes also decorate his arms in green sticky notes that had cheesy 'i love you' quotes or simple questions on them like 'where should we go out for dinner tonight?', and sometimes Bubby respond by peeling them off and sticking news ones right back on- so whenever Coomer retracts his arm he would see that they're coveted in blue sticky notes from Bubby. [He saves everyone in a glass jar] 🥺

K!Coomer accidentally got his extendo-limbs stuck within a vending machine once as he was trying to steal a couple of snacks for him and the others. He didn't really mind it as he could just stretch out his extendo-limbs for forever, so he wasn't really 'stuck' in a way. However in the end, Coomer went up to Gordon and asked if he could help with his little problem, and with a one tired sigh and one swing of a crowbar, Gordon freed Coomer from his vending machine prison. With that, Gordon begged Coomer to just leave the vending machines up to him rather than attempting to do it himself- let's just say that wasn't the last vending machine Gordon had to free Coomer from- [k!bubby's sort of responsible as he encourages Coomer to do so- they just want a pop tart-]

Bubby;

Bubby would take advantage of his pyrokinesis for small mundane day-to-day tasks that individuals may simply overlook. Examples being: keeping his and possibly Coomer's cup of coffee, or hot chocolate, hot to the touch, always managing to make a perfect bag of popcorn, as he's would just heat up the individual kernels that didn't pop after taking it out of the microwave, and they would simply just keeping themselves and Coomer warm underneath the covers in bed whenever it's cold or snowing outside.

Although K!Bubby has a good grip on their pyrokinesis, they still doesn't have full control of it yet- Every time they would sneeze, there would be a slight chance that the tips of their hair, or a random object near by, may end up catching on fire, same could be said whenever they're throwing a 'temper' tantrum or whenever they're simply embarrassed. [Don't even get Gordon started with hiccups-it turns into a game of hot potato ashjsks-]

Tommy;

Tommy's an excellent skater, so much so that he traded off his normal work shoes for roller skates. He could usually be seen skating through Black Mesa halls, either by himself, or he could be seen with Sunkist pulling him. Tommy recently got Darnold a pair of roller-skates and you bet whenever they're both on their break, or they just want to kill time- Tommy would be teaching Darnold how to skate in his own lab. [Darnold has to admit, that Tommy made skating look easier than it seems.]

Along the way trying to escape Black Mesa, K!Tommy would occasionally either conjure up or would find random stickers that he would find laying around the facility, and with all stickers he would end up covering the other kids in stickers. Not even Gordon's H.E.V. suit was safe as near the end it was covered head-to-toe in stickers. [Also whenever G-man would appear, K!Tommy would try to cover his suitcase and his suit in stickers-]

Benrey;

Besides the Black Mesa Sweet Voice, Benrey is an amazing singer. He could be found singing or humming random showtunes whenever he's bored, or whenever it's karaoke night, and you bet whenever he's in the car with anybody he sings to whatever's on the radio. [Oh- and you know that post I mention where instead of Gordon cleaning up his apartment he would just end up singing? Well, Benrey decided to join in with him one time- let's just say that Gordon didn't enjoy the unwanted attention as he was scared and startled he ended up hitting Benrey with a broom-]

I just want to ramble about K!Benrey's Sweet Voice for a bit- Not only is it a tad bit out of pitch whenever they do it, but the bubbles end up coming out a little weird as well- like, they're more fragile then solid if that makes sense in a way. [They appear more wobblily like bubbles and they will pop so easily even if you're so gentle with them- not to mention the taste of them are extremely s w e e t.] Also the effects of the Sweet Voice are either highly random and don't correspond with their colors, or the effects are hardly there- example being getting hit with a sleep SV bubble and instead of falling asleep you only yawn. Finally, whenever Benrey's asleep, every time they open their mouth, they would produce Sweet Voice bubbles-

[anonthenullifier]

So I was cleaning out my writing documents and re-discovered all of my notes for a SV roller derby AU. I had planned to write it last year for the Scarlet Vision Valentine’s AU event, but didn’t because I realized it was going to end up being a multi-chaptered ordeal and I just didn’t have the time or energy to do so. Sadly I will likely never write it  but did have fun brainstorming it, so I thought I’d share the world building and plot that I did come up with in case anyone might enjoy it. 

Rough Story Summary: Victor Shade recently relocated to upstate New York after accepting a cybersecurity position at Stark Industries. His boss, THE Tony Stark, refuses to accept Vision’s preference for living in peace and insists he attend a bout for the local roller derby team, the Thunder Dolls, for which Stark is both a patron and a ref.  What started as a begrudging placation to his over-enthusiastic boss, turns into genuine wonder as he takes in the brutal yet complex game on the track and finds himself drawn to the ethereal movements of one particular jammer, Scarlet Witch.

Below the cut are character summaries and a fairly rough plot. Hope you enjoy!

Brief note on terminology for roller derby:

Bout = a match between two teams

Jammer = this is the person who wears a helmet cover with a star on it. This is the person that scores points. They first have to make it out of the pack (see below) and then on each lap around the track after that during the 2 minute period they get a point for each player of the opposing side they pass. 

Blocker = the other members of the team on the track. Their job is to block the other team’s jammer while also helping their own jammer through the pack to help her score points. 

Pivot = a blocker that wears a helmet cover with a solid line down the middle. This gives them the ability to have the jammer helmet cover transferred to them and they then become the jammer. 

Pack =  the largest conglomeration of blockers from both teams currently on the track.

List of Characters

Note: each person may have multiple pieces of information: Their name, their derby name, a description of their non-derby life, and, when applicable, what the announcers would say for their character at the derby bout. Also...some characters have more info than others based on how important they were going to be to the story and how far I got in actually planning them out. 

The Thunder Dolls

Thor Odinson aka Thor: A professor of literature with a specialization in mythology and a hobby in astrophysics by day, and at night, he is the bench coach for the Thunder Dolls. He wears leather pants, a fur-lined vest with no shirt underneath, and a horned viking hat for bouts.

Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow: Former special ops (her partner was Clint) and currently runs a bootcamp style gym, though everyone suspects she is still a spy but are too afraid to ask her. She is one of the co-captains, the main strategist, and a blocker.

“Be careful ladies and gentleman, she’s quick, she’s silent, and she’ll eat you once she’s done, the co-captain of the Thunder Dolls, Black Widow!”

Okoye aka Wakondyass: Was a visiting Fulbright scholar in chemical engineering and was offered a position upon finishing her Fulbright. She is a blocker and co-captain of the Thunder Dolls. 

“You better never try to get between our co-captain and her team or else she’ll Wakondyass!”

Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch: She is a social worker who works primarily with refugee and immigrant families. On the team she is a jammer who many suspect can read minds and manipulate the people around her because of how seamlessly she weaves between all the skaters on the track. 

“I hope you brought your salt, because you’re going to want to throw it over your shoulders if you cross her path, next up we have the Scarlet Witch!”

Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel: Active in the Air Force and plays derby whenever she’s back home. She is a pivot.  

“Our next skater is a marvel to behold and has nothing at all to prove to you, put your hands together for Captain Marvel!”

Pepper Potts aka Rescue: CEO of Stark Industries and fiancee of Tony Stark. In her spare time she runs a rescue shelter for dogs. She is a pivot.

Other members of the team (forgive the rough names, never finished these):

Hope van Dyne aka Winsome Wasp: A jammer. 

Brie Hilde aka Valkyrie: A blocker

Maria Hill aka The Shield: A blocker

Gamora aka Xenomorph : A blocker. 

aka Nebula: A blocker.

aka Preying Mantis (called Mantis for short): A jammer. 

Peggy Carter aka MI #6: A blocker

Jessica Jones aka This Is My Alias: A blocker

Trish Walker aka Hellcat: A jammer.

Non-Skating Characters 

Victor Shade aka The Vision: a computer engineer specializing in cybersecurity. He finally attends a bout when Tony chips away at all of his excuses and he gets a free ticket in order to be a line-up tracker. Eventually he moves up to become a penalty box official.  Scott Lang aka Ant-Man: an electrical engineer by day and a derby announcer on the weekends. His entomology hobby got him his name.  Clint Barton aka Hawkeye: former special ops who now has a quiet life on a farm with his family. He is the other announcer for the derby bouts. Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier: Friend and former member of Steve’s original military unit. He now tries to live a normal life and has been trying to get Black Widow to notice him. He is a penalty box official. Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver: A professional speed skater who is often out of town for training and competitions. Wanda used to do pairs competitions with him but decided that speed skating was too linear and boring for her. 

Zebra Team (aka Skating Refs)

Tony Stark aka Iron Man: founder of Stark Industries and a jam ref for the Thunder Dolls.   

Clint: “We all love to hate him, it’s the genius, billionaire, playboy...”

Scott: “Former playboy, Hawkeye.”

Clint: “...former playboy, philanthropist, jam ref, Iron Man.”

Steve Rogers aka Captain America: current military member who is a jam ref when he is not on active duty. 

Clint:“ (Caw-Caw sound effect) Is that a bald eagle? You bet your stars and stripes it is, so please stand and pledge your allegiance to our head ref tonight, Captain America!”

Sam Wilson aka Falcon: former military, currently working towards his Ph.D. in clinical psychology while externing at the VA (Veteran’s Administration). Is an outside ref. 

James Rhodes (Rhodey) aka War Machine: current military, best friend of Tony Stark. An outside ref. 

“Our outside refs tonight are the dynamic, swooping duo of War Machine and Falcon!”

The Rough Plot

Event 1: Vision is invited to a bout by Tony because he “needs to get a life and meet people”. Tries to dodge it as best he can, eventually settling on the fact he doesn’t have the money with his recent move. Tony, who first points out how much he pays Victor, finally settles on the strategy of informing him they just happen to need a line-up tracker so he can get in for free if he’s willing to write down some numbers. Vision gives in because he can tell Tony will never drop it until he agrees. At the bout Vision finds himself engrossed in figuring out the strategy of the game and might also be a bit entranced by watching Scarlet Witch move on the track. He even messes up his lineups a few times because he can’t stop watching in awe. Tony invites him to the after party but Vision turns him down.  

Event 2: After Vision attends a couple more bouts and seems to enjoy it, Tony suggests he should go through the ref boot camp coming up because they can always use more skating officials. Vision admits he, quite unfortunately, doesn’t know how to skate and believes that will be the end of it. Except Tony swings by his cubicle later that day to invite him to the adult skate night at the local roller rink and informs Vision that no is not an acceptable answer. So Vision goes to the skate night and discovers that most of the derby team is there, as it is a weekly hang out for them. Vision tries to leave but Tony spots him and pays for his skate rentals (you know, since Vision claims to be so poor), even lets Vision borrow his wrist guards and knee pads since he’s a skating virgin. 

Vision is...not good at skating, at all, his limbs all want to go in opposite directions and he thinks he might be too tall, plus gravity is a cold hearted asshole. Additionally, Tony ditched him as soon as he saw Pepper. This leaves Vision clinging to the wall for support while he works his way to the exit until a woman appears in front of him skating backwards. It is Scarlet Witch and she offers to help him figure out how to skate. A bit flummoxed, Vision takes a few seconds too long to respond and not be socially awkward, but she doesn’t seem to notice or at least doesn’t care. Scarlet Witch (her derby friends call her Scarlet so he does as well) sticks with him almost the whole night, gently providing pointers and (after asking permission) touching his hips and knees to help him get into the best stance. The only time she isn’t with him is for the backward skate, which he sits out and watches as she glides effortlessly around the track. At the end of the night, Scarlet Witch comes over to him and hands him a flier. For the first time she’s a bit nervous as she says, “I don’t know if this applies to you, but if it does then...you should check it out. I’ll be there with some of the team.” After she leaves he sees it is a flier for a Valentine’s Day Singles Skate night. 

Event(ish) 3: Vision goes to the singles night and spends it with Scarlet Witch and three of the other skaters. He has a good time and gets dinner with all of them afterwards. From then on he goes to the weekly skate night, each time getting a tiny bit better, which is nice (mainly for his ass because he falls less) but it also means Scarlet Witch isn’t as close to him the whole time, though she checks up on him often and will slow down to skate with him throughout the night. Usually he goes out for food afterwards, one time it ends up just being him and Scarlet Witch. 

Event 4: Vision bumps into Scarlet Witch at a little diner near work and she asks if he wants to sit with her. When he calls her Scarlet, she for the first time smiles a bit embarrassed and informs him her name is Wanda when she doesn’t have skates on. They have a nice lunch and make plans to meet again in a couple weeks when she’s back in the neighborhood for work. 

Event 5: Throughout the months since his first bout, Vision has moved up to being a penalty box official alongside the Winter Soldier. In general, Wanda doesn’t talk to him during bouts, because she’s so focused, but she does share some banter with him when she tries to stand too soon during her penalty time and he has to politely tell her to sit down. It’s not long after she leaves the box that one of the blockers on the opposing team just blindsides  her and sends Wanda flying into a wall. When Wanda doesn’t immediately get up, Tony calls for a time out due to a downed skater, and Vision, without thinking, rushes across the track to check on Wanda. She’s fine, a bit discombobulated, but skates it off with a big smile and double handed wave to the cheering crowd. The thing is, no one is supposed to rush the track and Vision is (in a mainly friendly manner) made fun of the rest of the night by skaters being sent to the penalty box (quite a few Lover Boys and insinuations of him being under the witch’s spell...which isn’t exactly wrong). After the bout, Vision waits awkwardly near the concession stands in sight of the locker room exit so he can catch Wanda on her way out and apologize for his breaking protocol. When she sees him, she confidently walks over, ignores his stuttering apology, and kisses him. 

[thekaijudude]

Same question I asked you but this time out of 5 how would you rate the Heisei series (Tiga-Mebius)? I know Ginga-R/B aired during the Heisei era but they are considered, to me at least a different era than the Heisei.

Hi!

Wow this is sure gonna be a huge test for my memory lmao

But generally speaking, and ive actually said this before that im not really fond of the format of the earlier Ultra Series episodes cause theres generally a very weak structure linking from one episode to the next, so its essentially back to back filler till kingdom come as these episodes are basically a kaiju showing up for whatever reason and just says: Hey, im here to kill yall. Maybe im just watching too much but it kinda gets real boring especially when you sit through an average of 30+ episodes of fillers per series

Also, cause of how the earlier series, although long, most of the fight scenes will always have the ultra in peril cause of a contrived reason and retarded stuff just for the sake of making each fight ‘dramatic’

Ultraman Tiga: 2.5/5

Still strongly feel that Tiga shouldn’t have won against Kyrieloid II, that whole light tactic was actually one of the first asspull moves on the side of the Ultras I can actually remember

But I am still fond of the memories of the Evil Tiga and Gatanothor arc

Ultraman Dyna: 2.5/5

Generally it’s a series that I enjoyed it better than Tiga cause of the more lighthearted and more energetic tone of the series

But I still don’t think I can put it above Tiga cause that’s all it has over his series

But for some reason, I literally have always loved that scene in ep 31 where Dyna and imitation posture before fighting, it's just so hilarious

Ultraman Gaia: 4/5

What can I say, this is probably my favorite Heisei series

Its just the energy man, the themes, action and passion. Not only nostalgic but you can literally feel the ENERGY and PASSION whenever Gamu calls out Gaia just before transforming

Hell, Supreme Version was literally the reason why I decided to start bodybuilding when I was in my pre-teens (SV’s battle theme ‘The Power of Gaia’ is literally still in my workout playlist till this day lol)

It’s just so hilarious seeing Gaia just overkilling all the kaiju every episode after he got with Supreme Version

And I really loved how the series built Fujimiya as a character that was initially an anti-villain cause of a misunderstanding of the Crisis simulation prediction, and once that revelation came to light, everything just came crashing down on him, the death of his fiancé and all his endeavors and his reason for living and fighting was literally all for naught then returning back after seeing the err of his mistakes and having perhaps the best bromance in the Ultraman Franchise

I was literally so happy to see them both fighting alongside each other for the first time many years ago, y'all should give this series a rewatch

I really hope to see something like this being emulated and improved on again someday

But there were pretty wonky moments due to the awkward acting of the characters, especially with how Fujimiya expresses his emotions lmao

Ultraman Cosmos: 2/5

This was actually the first Heisei series that I got into so im actually one of the rare few of my generation that didn’t start off the Heisei Saga with either one of the TDG series

Overall the tone was pretty much stagnant until it temporarily spiked (sorta) in episodes post-Eclipse awakening

But tbh there’s nothing much beyond that

Also not helping the fact that iirc, I also immediately started this series after rewatching Taro and Ace so yeah, the contrast weighed heavily on this one

HOWEVER

I really wish to see Justice again as well as the backstory of Legend, like they left so many questions about him after the third movie

Ultraman Nexus: 3.5/5

Overall, this was one of the better heisei series cause the sense of structure is more solid compared to the rest, except that they really slow walked the hell out of the Dark Faust arcs. Like wow, episodes where Dark Faust just shows up in Nexus’ Meta Field to only just change it into Dark Field before scooting which made the arcs UNNECESSARILY LONGER, like what a waste of time.

But iirc, the series kinda has the same issue with the anime adaptation of the Ultraman manga, where there are times where I felt that they sort of made the plot unnecessarily darker and being dark just for the sake of being dark at times which exacerbated the slow walking issues

Ultraman Max: 2/5

Well, time to look at the heisei series that understandably no one ever talks about

Tbh when I used to watch Max, basically everything else but Max himself was more interesting. When i talk to people about Max, I find that like others, you get a feeling that Max is a ‘one trick pony’ if you will, at around ep 8-11.

But I guess it’s because iirc, I watched Gaia before Max so the ‘step down’ in quality really contrasted heavily again. Hell, I think I didn’t even watch it in full for the first time and kinda quit halfway to watch Mebius before coming back to finish it

Had also one of the weirdest intra series power scaling ever, where in one episode, Max was getting beaten badly by a Mid Tier 2 kaiju, in another episode, we see him being able to just spontaneously grow 6 times his original size and spawn numerous clones without any drawbacks at all and in another, literally threw Eleking into space (Which definitely raised the brows of many), like bruh it was so messy

But the final arc tho, you can literally tell it was super rushed. Like the characters were on the verge of almost talking over one another that it seems that they just want to get this series over and done with lmao

And the Deus Ex Machina for this series was counterintuitively kinda not cause funny enough, DASH literally always had the way to supercharge Max all along lol

Tho I never understood why TsuPro chose to set this series in an alternate M78 timeline, I suppose it would’ve been MUCH MORE interesting if it took place in the original

But hey, at least we got a super rare Tier 4 kaiju that was IF out of this

Ultraman Mebius: 4/5

Kind of hard to rate for this one,

On one hand, my favorite 6 Ultra Brothers made cameos in this series and perhaps the best entrance of a final boss ever in the franchise

On the other hand, almost all of them (Except for 80 and Leo debatably) were severely nerfed to kingdom come

But I suppose the filler episode plots were overall just a better quality so I guess this bumps it up

But still, lets not forget that Empera had one of the most BADASS entrances of the franchise, so more points to that 

SO

Overall I love the fact that the New Gen has more structure in their series as compared to the early Heisei stuff, but I do wish that the new series could emulate some of their better points like high quality fillers and character development arcs as well as AWESOME bromances (looking at Gaia)

But tbh I really hope one day I can have enough free time to actually give the entire Heisei series another rewatch just to relive my childhood again

Thanks for the question!

[jonroxton]

the romances in the dceu are so good

asklddfgjksjksadf this is legit my dream ask. I’VE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THIS FOREVER BUT HOW TO START???? OK HERE with romanticism. STRAP IN!

The movement emphasized intense emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as apprehension, horror and terror, and awe—especially that experienced in confronting the new aesthetic categories of the sublimity and beauty of nature. It elevated folk art and ancient custom to something noble, but also spontaneity as a desirable characteristic (as in the musical impromptu). In contrast to the Rationalism and Classicism of the Enlightenment, Romanticism revived medievalism[7] and elements of art and narrative perceived as authentically medieval in an attempt to escape population growth, early urban sprawl, and industrialism.

I know i know.

Znyder has a clear love and appreciation for baroque art, having studied it in school. Same for Patty. And though far removed from a classical art history education, Ayer’s work is heavily influenced by growing up in East L.A surrounded by Mexican and Latino culture that is deeply rooted in very expressive Catholism. Three auteurs who, in their formative years, learned about expression of the self specifically through art and imagery, raised smack in the tail end of a post-modern world. I think people tend to forget that Znyder, Patty and Ayer are all over 45 and have been in the film game a looooong time. By the time they came to their CBMs they had perfected their palette, and that is one that embraced the expressive emotive over the rational and realistic. Look at all their work and it’s solid ideas filtered through an expressive lens, not a rejection of post modernism entirely (esp irt to media and military), but a transference of sorts, an equalizing. The DCEU is fantasical but it never feels like fantasy. The DCEU is hella romantic, but it never feels melodramatic or preachy, even when Clark is sitting directly in front of a crystal glass depicting Jesus in Gethsemane. Detractors say: UGH CLARK IS JESUS. A romantic says: why is Clark being compared to Jesus in this text/movie? Znyder, Patty and Ayer take seriously the language of romance, it’s art, it’s preoccupation with the medieval and mythic (that is in itself extremely religious), and transfers that into film technique.

Apprehension: at accepting the heroes call. Horror: at experiencing your own power. Terror: at being accepted/rejected. Awe: of discovering your full potential. CONFRONTING THE NEW: with film language that deliberately disregards what has been done and focuses instead on what CAN be done with what came before.

My fave criticism of Man of Steel is that it’s shaky and muted. That it’s different. That it is confronting. That it’s not the same as all the other Supermen. Even thought it’s literally just STM1+2 and the first three eps of STAS and the First/Last seasons of SV. I’ve said this before. MOS actually did NOTHING new story wise, but it feels entirely different. I remember being extremely confused by the handheld, by the colors, and I initially thought it was too much and distracting, but then it hit me. THAT IS THE POINT. I personally don’t care for hand held but i ADORE man of steel.

By embracing this method of full on romanticism, they also embrace the romantic love that can exist in a character. Lois and Clark is iconic and their stories have always been a slow burn journey that takes a while to become overtly romantic. In Man of Steel the romance is PART of the language of the movie. It’s woven into the plot, into Clark’s character, into Lois’s character, into the climax and it held BvS together and is catapulting Justice League, and that is explicitly because the movies are unapologetically sincere in its commitment to being expressive. CLARK HOLDS ON TO LOIS AFTER CRYING HIS HEART OUT IN MAN OF STEEL, and it’s strategically framed so that she is higher than him, taller than him, that she is the only thing keeping him up. It’s such a raw and confronting moment, and there are zero words. No declarations. No I love yous. But you don’t NEED them because the entire movie they have shown that love over and over, by being there for each other, by asking for each other, by protecting each other.

And each DCEU movie has SO MANY OF THESE. Diana/Steve. Quinnshot. Martha/Jonathan and Martha/Thomas and Jor/Lara who are not even mains but get to be strong and supporting and IN LOVE and these relationships MATTER to every aspect of these movies. Jor/Lara get Clark to Earth. Martha/Jonathan raise Clark as a good person. Martha/Thomas shape Bruce’s entire existence. And it’s these couples who help Clark and Bruce come together. THEY ARE IMPORTANT TO THE FABRIC OF THIS UNIVERSE. I MEAN. so much of suicide squad is exactly about the lengths people will go to for love, to atone for love, to die for love. TATSU AND HER HUSBAND GET THE RESOLUTION SPEECH EVERYONE WISHES THEY HAD. chato promises to get them there because he loved and lost his wife and children. RICK CRUSHES ENCHANTRESS’S HEART BC HIS LOVE BEGGED HIM TO, TO END HER SUFFERING, EVEN THOUGH IT MEANT HE’D SUFFER FOREVER FOR IT. and ayer didn’t condemn them! ayer didn’t say: in order to save the world, you have to sacrifice it all, you get to keep your love and it’s okay and you can forgive and be free and LIVE.

And that’s just the romantic love. There’s so much emphasis on familial love and platonic love all throughout these movies. The strength that comes from people working together instead of apart. THE POTENTIAL OF EVERY PERSON TO BE A FORCE FOR GOOD is such a romantic view of the world and DCEU is built it on it!

[anxiety-trademark]

The week in review:

Raw 11/23 NXT 11/25 NXT UK 11/26 Smackdown 11/27

Raw:

Such a hollow promo by Lana tbh. “I’m dreaming, don’t wake me up.” ??? You were the sole survivor by proxy, it’s not like you did anything. Like good for you, but come on now.

I mean sure, hand out a title shot to fucking Lana, not like anyone else in the entire company cares about that belt. God I miss Becky.

“You may go home Raw women’s champion” HAHAHAHAHAAHHA sure.

“Nikki Cross blames herself for what Alexa Bliss has become,” she should, she straight up threw her hissy fit cuz she didn’t win the title, and then she bailed.

Now don’t get me wrong, I get that Alexa has been... possessed, if you will, by Fiend... but I’m not seeing any signs of Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to her and Bray. Aren’t they both trapped by Fiend in lore? Bray seems to genuinely care about Alexa. Am I off the mark here??

Oh my god this moment of silence for the fucking frog, I--

Topped with them laughing about his death, oooookay. I’m left speechless once again.

Commentators come back with, “Is Alexa Bliss too far gone...” LMFAO bye.

See I love this bullying Lana storyline cuz Nia and Shayna have no real reason to despise her 1/8th as much as they do. It simply boils down to ‘fuck Lana’ and like your typical high school bullies, they seethe when their victim succeeds at anything. It’s old school, believable, and doesn’t cross any lines that would upset parents or sponsors.

Also don’t get me wrong, I’m well aware that this title match is just a vehicle to advance the feud while involving Asuka, I simply wish the creation of the title match itself had been a bit more interesting. Lana’s dialogue ahead of it with both Sarah and Asuka just fell flat for me.

Omfg Asuka threw water on Nia and Shayna, bahahahah I can’t breathe. That might be the highlight of her entire reign, holy shit.

Negative points for her being floored by one punch though.

Well at least the segment ends with both Asuka and Lana standing, that’s not the worst.

Not much to say about this match, it’s really just Nia and Shayna bullying Lana lol.

I’ll give them this, there is absolutely nothing about neither Nia nor Shayna that is even remotely likeable. They play mean really well, and not ‘annoying yet funny’ mean like Bayley, just straight mean.

It’s not that I hate this submission ‘hold’ by Shayna, where she steps on the back of their neck while pulling a leg back, but I’m curious why she switched legs lmao. Awkward.

What a knee strike by Shayna to Asuka, whew that looked nasty.

Lmfao Nia took herself out by charging into the announce desk. I cannot. What a bump. Comedic bump, but a bump. Points.

Haha Shayna ate a rollup. A happy ending indeed. Lana sold that ending well, but it was a weird choice to have her and Asuka on the opposite ends of the ramp.

It’s been like 2 years and I’m still shocked Alexa never turned on Nikki.

This video is kind of just skipping over Nikki throwing her tantrum huh? Alexa played backseat cheerleader just to watch Nikki lose against Bayley 16 times and what did she get in return? Disrespect. Tsk.

Great package though. Points.

Nikki is so inconsistent. Internal conflict is valid, but she’s standing here claiming Alexa gave up on their friendship. First of all, this was initially instigated by Nikki. Second of all, she did nothing but trash Alexa’s boyfriend(?) when Alexa was nothing but kind to her after Nikki was a douche. She was confused so she gave Alexa an ultimatum, and now she’s pissy cuz Alexa chose him. This is toxic, I honestly have no sympathy for Nikki.

“I’m going to beat the Fiend out of Alexa Bliss” that’s... that’s not how this works... alright well you’re a shitty friend so, anyway.

Alexa slaps the back of Nikki’s hands and claims she won. I fucking can’t, she’s such a treat.

Lol Alexa’s just laughing at her.

My first introduction to Alexa was her as a master manipulator. Not a damn thing has changed.

Alexa has lost her god damn mind rofl.

*Bonus* online exclusive: victim Nikki, everyone. Why wasn’t this on Raw? Jesus they fill Raw with so many garbage replays while meaningful interviews to fill plot holes are put online. Dumb.

Lacey’s really running around calling Peyton “PeyPey” good lord.

I mean she’s right, Peyton was the weakest link. Just saying.

“10 sizes too big” shot at Uncle Melted Cheese.

I fucking love how Lacey pronounces “opportun-tit-ies” lmao. I thought it was an accident at first but honestly it’s great.

They have zero chemistry in the ring but at least they’re fun outside of it.

Highlight: I know I say Alexa every single week but shrug it’s Alexa

---

NXT:

Alright Ember’s theme is wearing on me. She just has awesome theme songs.

Indi is really pretty and I love how she does her hair.

All nxt heels are the same; cowardly run from fights, slow methodical wrestling in the ring, recruiting muscle optional. It’s tired. At least be a good promo. Dakota is a good promo. She’s buyable. Actually where’s Dakota, I wanna see Dakota wrestle. No more Candice.

Holy shit that fall away slam onto Candice. Fucking THREW her ass across the ring. Whew everyone wave bye to Candice.

The setup to that step up senton by Candice was way too obvious.

Candice is too whiny.

Ah just as I’m beginning to get bored, Dakota comes out. It’s like nxt knows me.

Haha KO correcting Vic being a bad commentator.

See Candice isn’t even a bad wrestler, her style as heel just fucking blows.

Peeped that call by Ember.

Such a stupid setup to have Indi push Candice out of the way to take an Eclipse herself. It’s not like jumping in front of a bus. There was time. Whatever. I hate Candice matches 9 times out of 10 so there’s that lol.

...so is Toni a heel yet??? I’m guessing they’re going for “badass loner babyface-leaning tweener” for Ember, but Toni is not a tweener. She could’ve been, alas she is not.

Haha Toni is funny. Good, let her be heel. Maybe she’ll show some personality.

Alright but hear me out, what if we had a War Games team without Candice???

You did say we’d see a whole new side of you, Toni. Been waiting to see it though.

Wait back up, didn’t Toni attack Candice after their match recently?? Okay anyway.

“Rhea Ripley/Io Shirai? Doesn’t get any bigger than that.” True Rhea, now move up to the main roster plz.

Oh man Io’s basement dropkick fucking nailed Rhea in the face lol, oof.

“Where do I go from here?” TO THE MAIN ROSTER.

I don’t hate the tank and I don’t hate the idea of wearing a helmet, but those horns are super pointless.

Shotzi “pyromaniac” Blackheart. Stealing one of Alexa’s gimmicks.

It’s gonna be Shotzi, Io, Rhea and Ember, right? Who else would it be??

Rhea says she’s there to stay. Ma’am I stg if I have to wait til after wm to see you on the MR...

Me: super invested in Rhea cutting a fantastic promo and seeing how far she’s progressed as a well-rounded talent; Candice: “lol fuck you”

I hate Candice. I will fill this review with vitriol for Candice, I don’t care.

How... how did Io “steal” any victories from Candice? What help did she have? Is it drugs? Is Candice on drugs?? Candice you haven’t even held the title, shut the fuck up. Also all of y’all can sit down cuz only one woman on that entire brand has had a singles match at wm.

Oh shit they laid Io out. That’s a yikes.

In kf, the only threat to Rhea on that entire team is Toni.

I mean sure 4 people was way too much for Rhea to handle, but man they let her look pretty fucking good. The way she immediately slid out to give Raquel the high boot was smart as hell.

Dakota looks good. She gets style points.

Soooo Xia gets acting points, but what in the fuck is going on with her and Boa’s story...

Why do I have to see or hear Candice again? Jesus lord.

There’s someone else masked? *sigh* I don’t care, goodbye.

Highlight: Rhea’s promo that Candice ruined

---

NXT UK:

I enjoy watching neither of these women wrestle, but at least Jinny’s persona is appealing and she has solid character work. She’s easy to dislike, so she gets heel-potential points.

Did they say Isla’s mentor is Nikki Cross? That’s... interesting...

So is this match gonna be interrupted by Piper? Probably not.

“This is an aggressive Isla Dawn,” well hey, maybe she actually started working on her stamina.

Jinny is vicious lmao.

Probably Isla’s best showing tbh.

I hate it when people jump off the top turnbuckle and then break into a slow, clunky roll, just to stand up and act as if their knee is tweaked. It’s so messy to me. Be smoother or don’t aimlessly jump off the turnbuckle.

Whole lotta yelling in the match.

Really don’t give a shit about a future Jinny/Piper match but okay.

Highlight: Jinny comes off as a vicious bitch, so that’s nice

---

Smackdown:

Oh snap Bianca’s graphic has some real potential.

Ayyyeeee it’s Captain Bayley. We starting our Bianca/Bayley feud?

oof Nattie straight outsmarted Bianca as the vet, there. Bianca friggin speared that ringpost.

“I think I did the world a favor, we got to see Bianca Belair shine,” she’s not wrong, Bianca was absolutely my mvp from SvS. In hindsight speaking from current day, Bayley really set up Bianca to be the upcoming star of this division, starting with SvS.

Oh snap did Bianca just call Nattie a bitch? How dare she, that’s Nattie’s only patented insult!

“You don’t want to get counted out again,” lmfao Bayley’s so annoying.

pppffffftttt Bayley inadvertently getting her ass whooped tonight.

Yeah somehow this is all Cole’s fault lol.

No, stop, no more “them” promos. Bayley cut this promo literally a year prior, we don’t need to hear it from Carmella, too. Besides, she was never necessarily a fan favorite that the crowd gradually turned against like Bayley was. It’s different.

WHAT SHOTS ARE YOU CALLING?? Is this about Reggie? Has he even appeared on screen yet?

Lmao Sasha beating her ass. Good for her. Looking good while she does it, too. Sasha in shiny silver... whew.

The wwe shop ad with the Riott Squad was worth a mention. They entertain me and they deserve tag titles. Not sure why wwe is still dragging their feet, but commit to them already, damn it.

Highlight: Bianca/Bayley seeds being planted

---

*Smackdown shined the brightest this week. Short, simple, straight to the point. Left me wanting to throw on next week’s episode, which no other show accomplished.

[stylevitae]

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

It’s hard to forget the very moment Jidenna made his debut on our TV screen with Janelle Monae’s 2015 hit, Yoga. Looking at all suave in a two-piece suit made of Ankara, it was hard not to notice the new Wondaland-signee. This, just like the strategy adopted by brands like Orange Culture, proved once again that the world, and particularly Nigeria, was more than ready for an intersection between what we’ve come to know as traditional prints and styles, with the colonizer-imported classic menswear. However, before Jidenna (and technically, after at this point) there was blogger, writer and fashion enthusiast/influencer, Akin Faminu.

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

If you’re a regular on the style blogs or style sections of magazines, then you’ve probably spotted Akin Faminu at one point or the other. You know the tall guy who almost always steps out in an eccentric suit (most times in print), who looks like he has a business deal to close at 5pm but a photoshoot at 12pm? Yes, that’s Akin Faminu for sure.

With over 5 years in the game, Akin has built a loyal fanbase worth of 70,000 on Instagram. The former student of the University of Lagos, College of Medicine, blew our minds when he graduated as the best student from college this year, despite being a staple on red carpets and at events in Lagos.

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin has successfully mastered what it means to have an Afrocentric sense of style, treading the line between the classic three-piece suit, unconventional prints and the famous aso-oke (his collaboration with Emmy Kasbit is still a fave). It doesn’t matter if he’s all decked out like a character on Downtown Abbey or a giving us Oko Iyawo-vibes in elegantly tailored Yoruba trad pieces, Akin is always in his element with each look showing a different side of his personality.

Akin has also thrived on his serious attention to detail. Every look is intentional and each collaboration is well thought of. Always looking for ways to up the ante and start off a new trend, Akin has become a regular on best-dressed list and fashion mood boards in the industry. While we all talk about our love of the “classic man”, SV loves a classic man with a Nigerian edge and that’s what Akin Faminu’s style looks like.

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Akin Faminu Source: Instagram/AkinFaminu

Fashion Blogger Akin Faminu Strikes The Perfect Balance Between Classic and Traditional It's hard to forget the very moment Jidenna made his debut on our TV screen with Janelle Monae's 2015 hit, …

[har0ld]

Paid saveslot. They did it

Yoooo.

It seems Metal Gear Survive only comes with a single free save slot – if you want a second one you’ll have to pony up a significant chunk of extra cash. Metal Gear Solid requires you to create an avatar, which is tied to your single-player and online multiplayer save file/account. If you want to start a fresh playthrough, you’ve got to create a new character, which means you’ll have to delete your original save or cough up 1,000 SV Coins. Konami is selling their premium in-game currency in various set amounts — 550 SV Coins will set you back $5, while 1150 will cost you $10. If you share your Steam, Xbox Live, or PSN account with family members, each additional player will have to spend that extra $10 to play with their own character.

This is out of control. Also, this is successful: Metal Gear Survive is apparently selling well.

The sunk cost fallacy has become standard in Games as a Service. This is where the focus is in my field: how to funnel those Gen Z kids. How to tractor-beam those people that hoard digital “goods” for hundreds of hours in digital worlds. How to make them feel guilty for quitting. And all that casino and slot machine psychology.

Man.

from h. Play http://ift.tt/2sZUoxo via IFTTT

[barbosaasouza]

Metal Gear Survive Review: Wandering Through Dite

The Metal Gear Solid series is massively important to me, but I've never been under the delusion that Metal Gear Survive would reach anything even remotely close to the genius of the games before it. It's the first Metal Gear title devoid of any input from the man Hideo Kojima himself, and aside from the recycled assets and glimpses at familiar characters during the opening moments of the game's single-player campaign, it certainly shows.

But that's not to say Metal Gear Survive is a bad game. In fact, it's just the opposite. Without factoring in any references to Metal Gear, its lore, or its characters and taken on its own at face value, it's an intriguing survival game that demands a lot out of its players. It's derivative, sure, but it's also a robust and strangely addicting mix of zombie-slaying goodness wrapped up in some admittedly weird design decisions.

If you're looking for anything even remotely close to the Metal Gear series you may be in love with, you won't find it here. But you will find a fairly unique experience that's surprisingly great for being built from the scraps of a decidedly higher-profile game.

Escape to Dite

Metal Gear Survive splits off from the Metal Gear you know and love directly after XOF attacks Mother Base near the end of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. A wormhole tears through space and time out of nowhere and ends up drawing the Metal Gear Survive protagonist into another dimension named Dite, which is rife with zombie-like creatures known as Wanderers. That's the narrative in a nutshell, and essentially everything you need to know about what to expect from the game. Its story isn't its strong suit, unsurprisingly.

But you won't come here for the story. You'll come here for the survival elements and, likely, morbid curiosity about what the game has to offer. As you explore Dite, you'll come to understand why it's such a despicable place crawling with zombies. It's covered with a strange substance called Dust, which the Wanderers can survive for reasons that will be revealed later in the single-player campaign.

As the Captain, your customizable male or female character, you're tasked with figuring out the situation in Dite with the Wanderers, the Dust, and ways to transport yourself back home to Mother Base. With the help of AIs and other human characters, you'll unravel the mystery as you weave together your Captain's story. It's not a particularly rich one with tons of lore, but it's fine for the single-player campaign, which needed a reason to saddle you with wormholes to explore and a toxic world to, well, survive.

Whether you choose to play through the single-player campaign (which you should) or you tackle the co-op options, you'll still be required to have a constant internet connection. With that out of the way, just know that this game will feel as though it was built for online in mind. With lobbies, starting areas, and setups that feel as though the single-player was a second thought, it can feel as though you were meant only to hop online to have your fun.

Survival of the Fittest

Metal Gear Survive is all about keeping yourself alive. You need to pay attention to thirst and hunger gauges in addition to staving off any errant Wanderers that head your way. You need to pick up anything that can sate your character's appetite or you'll find that you'll just die. There's a lot more to the game than killing the shambling hordes, that's for sure. Cooking meat before you eat, boiling water before you drink it, hunting your own food for sustenance, and dealing with sickness acquired through imbibing things that are contaminated. There are ways to combat all of these things, and they're meted out to you at what feels like a glacial pace, but it feels that much more satisfying when you're able to deal with the elements in a more efficient way.

While out in the Dust and fighting off Wanderers, you'll need to collect the all-important Kuban Energy, usually found via bright red crystals out in the field or on the enemies you take out. As you make your way through, you'll find treasure troves of items that you can use to create new items to help you through the desolate wasteland. For instance, you need to worry about your oxygen tank running out of air while exploring in the Dust, as well as keeping yourself healed up if you sustain an injury. There's a pretty extensive list of things you need to be concerned with at just about any point in time as you explore and accumulate recipes and Kuban Energy. It can be exhausting, but when you get the hang of things, you'll be humming along like a well-oiled machine.

You'll need to make sure you're fighting fit at all times, too, because you'll constantly need to look for better loot, better items, and better weapons to pull you through. The Wanderers are your biggest threat as you work to get home during the 30-hour campaign, and whether you're completing main or side missions or you're exploring Horde mode-like gameplay, you'll need the best you can get to carry you through.

Some missions find you doing some pretty run-of-the-mill campaign quests, while others find you playing guard to a "wormhole digger" that's essentially your ticket home. Collect enough energy, and you'll eventually find a way back to the real world in the campaign, which is easier said than done. These mission types are plentiful in both single-player and co-op modes, if you're interested in playing online.

To that end, playing Metal Gear Survive online via co-op is pretty exciting, especially if you have friends you'd like to explore Dite with. The survival missions are absolutely teeming with loot, and you'll find some pretty interesting scenarios to take on. You get to bring over the items you get in single-player mode and vice versa to co-op, so it doesn't feel as though the online components were just tacked on, despite how online-oriented the entire package seems at first.

Micro-transactional

The question on everyone's minds these days is not if a game will have microtransactions, for the most part, but how bad they'll be. Yes, you do need to pay extra for things like save slots, which aren't particularly necessary, but there are additional things that you can spend SV Coins on that do make the addition of micro transactions somewhat aggravating.

For instance, you can purchase things like Premium Boost Passes and similar items that can essentially make for what may as well be a pay to win scenario, or at least "pay to do better." It'll up the amount of Kuban Energy you receive, as well as the other items you collect throughout the game. If you find that the game is too hard, you can grab one of the passes for roughly $11 for 30 days of boosts, but it seems pointless to pay for the game to artificially simplify itself when the fun comes from the challenge of trying to stay alive.

Charging extra for save slots, exploration team slots, Boost Passes, and various other items via microtransactions in-game are a bit frustrating and slimy of Konami, but they don't hinder your enjoyment of the game in any significant way. They're par for the course at this point, and as unpleasant as they are to see, you don't have to purchase anything to enjoy the game.

I'm A Survivor

Metal Gear Survive is an interesting amalgam of survival elements, small references to the series that influenced it, zombie games, and online titles. It's not a Metal Gear game, which makes me wonder why it was titled as such in the first place as it's not attracted fans of the series, and in fact has done just the opposite. It would have fared better, perhaps, as a new IP with less recycled assets. But as it is, it's an interesting and wholly engrossing exercise in survival that I enjoyed more with every hour that passed. Don't go into the game looking for any sort of Metal Gear gratification, and you'll come out relatively pleased with what's on offer.

This review is based on a PlayStation 4 download code provided by the publisher. Metal Gear Survive is available in retail and digital stores now for $39.99. The game has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

Metal Gear Survive Review: Wandering Through Dite published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[stylevitae]

Tik-Tok housemates; it’s been 75 solid days since different individuals with distinguishing characters entered the Big Brother house and they all came in with different tactics and strategies that have kept them this far in the game as the drama intensifies. So far, some of the remaining housemates have proven to be dynamic and flexible, while a few others have not made significant changes in the game. Already know who belongs in what category?

bigbronaija via Instagram

Without further ado, let’s get to it.

1. Cindy

Cindy via Africa Magic

Let’s begin with our present head of house who is currently sharing the HOH bedroom with “The Captain of the crew Ship”.  Sincerely she’s been doing very well as she was one of the newly added housemates. However, let’s analyze her tactics; she came in with the down to earth kind personalityl, always speaking her mind on issues, not afraid to use the little that she has even if it’s a foundation in a nylon bag (which caused a major uproar on twitter). This strategy has been working effectively as she always survives when nominated.  I sense that something has been very fishy about her and I can’t lay a finger on it just yet. But let’s give it time.

Diane

Diane via Africa Magic

Diane the nightcrawler! I call her the Nightcrawler because she has just been able to put herself in an incognito position where she seems a little bit invisible to the housemates and tends to avoid being nominated while feeding off Mercy’s fandom. Let’s be factual; Diane doesn’t fit the theme of Big Brother Naija this season – “Pepper Dem” – as a matter of fact she’s actually the opposite (Bore DEM). But so far it’s been working out for her. The question now is, as the housemates get evicted will Diane change her tactics or will housemates wake up like Ike and see her moves? We will stay glued to find out.

Elozonam

elozonam via Instagram

ELO! ELO! ELO! I was quite impressed whenI saw his name trending on twitter yesterday. He is a true expression of character development and he’s shown this in how he was able to settle down properly in the house. It all began when he was newly involved in the; at that point, he was a bit quiet and observant but still gave us explicit dance moves (always made the party fun to watch) during the dance party. But he evolved to someone that has developed a good relationship with his fellow housemates (asides Khafi though), made a critical decision that the majority of the public agreed with (saving Venita), and now has a thing with Diane that is simultaneously feeding of TeamMercyandIke. So far so good for him but I still think he is a budget Denola Gray.

Frodd

Frood via Daily Post Nigeria

Forgive me to start with, FRODD IS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO ALL IGBO MEN. Okay, it’s not that deep but on a serious note, Frodd has done a lot in that house to the extent that Don Jazzy was begging Big Brother to let him come in to flog him. From crying because he couldn’t take the “L” Esther dished to him, to washing bra and pant when Nelson left the picture and then Esther saw an opportunity to exploit our Igbo brother down to him crying again when she left the house. Despite Frodd showing us this part of him in previous experiences; I can’t be the only one seeing a different side of Frodd that involves maturity and understanding of people around him. Could this be a tactic or did the words of encouragement that Esther gave him tighten a loose screw in his hearing? Let’s wait for day 99 to find out I, guess.

Mercy and Ike

Mercy and Ike via Pulse.ng

The Power Couple of the House!  It’s amazing how love can bring someone from the US to have a relationship with someone that speaks like she is from the USA (United States of Awka).  We love it and we can’t help but adore the growth that Mercy and Ike have gone through to get to where they are. I mean everyone loves a good Romeo and Juliet story; where Romeo is down to one strike to leave the house and if Juliet were to write an English exam, while others write in English as a second language, she’ll probably write it as a third or fourth. Nonetheless, you have to adore the couple and their character as it complements to gives us a relationship filled with drama and warmth. But don’t you think this relationship may become toxic when they are up against each other in the finals (that’s if they get it)? Don’t you think the votes will be shared when the chaps are down to vote for the winner? And you know how Ike could be quite competitive and not willing to back down from a fight, same way Mercy is merciful and compassionate (remember the Head of House immunity). But let’s keep our fingers crossed and watch how it all plays out.

Khafi

Khafi via Punch Newspaper

Let’s give it up to little miss sunshine and the positive energy provider of the house. Khafi has stood strong as her Konji satisfier was evicted from the house (Gedoni) whom she cherished deeply of course. But could we say this has been her strategy of getting votes from Nigerians that have been watching despite her showing some instances of a hidden character beneath this character that she is portraying?  If you’re in doubt let me jug your memory a bit:

Incident 1: Do you remember when she instigated a dispute between Omashola and Mike when Mike disposed of SirDee’s band despite asking who wanted and getting no reply? I kept asking myself, why will Khafi react that way if she was supposed to be a “positive energy provider”?

Incident 2: When she claimed she wanted alcohol and then during the Party on Saturday she didn’t drink any and when confronted by her fellow housemates her reaction was a mirror image of how Tacha would react. So are we going to see a change and will this change help her as this positive energy get cringy as the days pass on?

And I think that’s all for the people that have been constantly evolving their strategies as the weeks go by. Omashola is still very extra loud and loquacious with his hilarious diary sessions; Our Sugar daddy (Seyi) is still his dramatic, self-feeding off the relationship he has with housemates in general (excluding Tacha definitely); Tacha is still trying so hard to be a “CeeCee” and she has been constant with that energy regardless of it being a daft strategy in my opinion and the “CAPTAIN OF THE CREW SHIP,” our athletic married man Mike has still kept the same character of being friendly with everyone and settling disputes when the need arises and it has kept him this far in the house.

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Omashola via Pulse Nigeria

Mike via latestalert.ng

Seyi&Tacha via Naijaloaded

And it’s a wrap on this issue and may the best housemate win. Have a lovely weekend and stay safe SV family.

  Big Brother Naija 2019: Have the Housemates Changed Their Game Plan? Tik-Tok housemates; it’s been 75 solid days since different individuals with distinguishing characters entered the Big Brother house and they all came in with different tactics and strategies that have kept them this far in the game as the drama intensifies.

[barbosaasouza]

Metal Gear Survive Review: Wandering Through Dite

The Metal Gear Solid series is massively important to me, but I've never been under the delusion that Metal Gear Survive would reach anything even remotely close to the genius of the games before it. It's the first Metal Gear title devoid of any input from the man Hideo Kojima himself, and aside from the recycled assets and glimpses at familiar characters during the opening moments of the game's single-player campaign, it certainly shows.

But that's not to say Metal Gear Survive is a bad game. In fact, it's just the opposite. Without factoring in any references to Metal Gear, its lore, or its characters and taken on its own at face value, it's an intriguing survival game that demands a lot out of its players. It's derivative, sure, but it's also a robust and strangely addicting mix of zombie-slaying goodness wrapped up in some admittedly weird design decisions.

If you're looking for anything even remotely close to the Metal Gear series you may be in love with, you won't find it here. But you will find a fairly unique experience that's surprisingly great for being built from the scraps of a decidedly higher-profile game.

Escape to Dite

Metal Gear Survive splits off from the Metal Gear you know and love directly after XOF attacks Mother Base near the end of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. A wormhole tears through space and time out of nowhere and ends up drawing the Metal Gear Survive protagonist into another dimension named Dite, which is rife with zombie-like creatures known as Wanderers. That's the narrative in a nutshell, and essentially everything you need to know about what to expect from the game. Its story isn't its strong suit, unsurprisingly.

But you won't come here for the story. You'll come here for the survival elements and, likely, morbid curiosity about what the game has to offer. As you explore Dite, you'll come to understand why it's such a despicable place crawling with zombies. It's covered with a strange substance called Dust, which the Wanderers can survive for reasons that will be revealed later in the single-player campaign.

As the Captain, your customizable male or female character, you're tasked with figuring out the situation in Dite with the Wanderers, the Dust, and ways to transport yourself back home to Mother Base. With the help of AIs and other human characters, you'll unravel the mystery as you weave together your Captain's story. It's not a particularly rich one with tons of lore, but it's fine for the single-player campaign, which needed a reason to saddle you with wormholes to explore and a toxic world to, well, survive.

Whether you choose to play through the single-player campaign (which you should) or you tackle the co-op options, you'll still be required to have a constant internet connection. With that out of the way, just know that this game will feel as though it was built for online in mind. With lobbies, starting areas, and setups that feel as though the single-player was a second thought, it can feel as though you were meant only to hop online to have your fun.

Survival of the Fittest

Metal Gear Survive is all about keeping yourself alive. You need to pay attention to thirst and hunger gauges in addition to staving off any errant Wanderers that head your way. You need to pick up anything that can sate your character's appetite or you'll find that you'll just die. There's a lot more to the game than killing the shambling hordes, that's for sure. Cooking meat before you eat, boiling water before you drink it, hunting your own food for sustenance, and dealing with sickness acquired through imbibing things that are contaminated. There are ways to combat all of these things, and they're meted out to you at what feels like a glacial pace, but it feels that much more satisfying when you're able to deal with the elements in a more efficient way.

While out in the Dust and fighting off Wanderers, you'll need to collect the all-important Kuban Energy, usually found via bright red crystals out in the field or on the enemies you take out. As you make your way through, you'll find treasure troves of items that you can use to create new items to help you through the desolate wasteland. For instance, you need to worry about your oxygen tank running out of air while exploring in the Dust, as well as keeping yourself healed up if you sustain an injury. There's a pretty extensive list of things you need to be concerned with at just about any point in time as you explore and accumulate recipes and Kuban Energy. It can be exhausting, but when you get the hang of things, you'll be humming along like a well-oiled machine.

You'll need to make sure you're fighting fit at all times, too, because you'll constantly need to look for better loot, better items, and better weapons to pull you through. The Wanderers are your biggest threat as you work to get home during the 30-hour campaign, and whether you're completing main or side missions or you're exploring Horde mode-like gameplay, you'll need the best you can get to carry you through.

Some missions find you doing some pretty run-of-the-mill campaign quests, while others find you playing guard to a "wormhole digger" that's essentially your ticket home. Collect enough energy, and you'll eventually find a way back to the real world in the campaign, which is easier said than done. These mission types are plentiful in both single-player and co-op modes, if you're interested in playing online.

To that end, playing Metal Gear Survive online via co-op is pretty exciting, especially if you have friends you'd like to explore Dite with. The survival missions are absolutely teeming with loot, and you'll find some pretty interesting scenarios to take on. You get to bring over the items you get in single-player mode and vice versa to co-op, so it doesn't feel as though the online components were just tacked on, despite how online-oriented the entire package seems at first.

Micro-transactional

The question on everyone's minds these days is not if a game will have microtransactions, for the most part, but how bad they'll be. Yes, you do need to pay extra for things like save slots, which aren't particularly necessary, but there are additional things that you can spend SV Coins on that do make the addition of micro transactions somewhat aggravating.

For instance, you can purchase things like Premium Boost Passes and similar items that can essentially make for what may as well be a pay to win scenario, or at least "pay to do better." It'll up the amount of Kuban Energy you receive, as well as the other items you collect throughout the game. If you find that the game is too hard, you can grab one of the passes for roughly $11 for 30 days of boosts, but it seems pointless to pay for the game to artificially simplify itself when the fun comes from the challenge of trying to stay alive.

Charging extra for save slots, exploration team slots, Boost Passes, and various other items via microtransactions in-game are a bit frustrating and slimy of Konami, but they don't hinder your enjoyment of the game in any significant way. They're par for the course at this point, and as unpleasant as they are to see, you don't have to purchase anything to enjoy the game.

I'm A Survivor

Metal Gear Survive is an interesting amalgam of survival elements, small references to the series that influenced it, zombie games, and online titles. It's not a Metal Gear game, which makes me wonder why it was titled as such in the first place as it's not attracted fans of the series, and in fact has done just the opposite. It would have fared better, perhaps, as a new IP with less recycled assets. But as it is, it's an interesting and wholly engrossing exercise in survival that I enjoyed more with every hour that passed. Don't go into the game looking for any sort of Metal Gear gratification, and you'll come out relatively pleased with what's on offer.

This review is based on a PlayStation 4 download code provided by the publisher. Metal Gear Survive is available in retail and digital stores now for $39.99. The game has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

Metal Gear Survive Review: Wandering Through Dite published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/