#Team Phantom cannot ignore the things happening in front of them

[ladydisasterinthemaking]

Not my circus, not my monkeys.

Danny couldn’t believe it. He graduated high school with better grades than he imagined. Everything was also falling into place. His parents had accepted him as a halfa, and nothing bad has happened for almost a year now.

Well, he graduated, yes, but his grades weren’t on his sister’s level. Still, it was something he was proud of. Between making sure that Amity Park is safe from ghosts, going to Clockwork every now and then, and making sure he doesn’t fail at any of his classes, the road to a diploma was a hard one. (Although for some reason, the number of ghost attacks had gradually decreased until his usual rogues stopped attacking. They still visit Amity Park, but only to talk, hang out, or spar with him. It was strange at first, but he eventually got used to it.)

And now, in a few weeks, he is officially moving to Metropolis for college to become an engineer. It wasn’t what his younger self wanted, what with wanting to be an astronaut (not that he could be one, after what happened to him in the lab), but it was something more than what he thought he could ever accomplish.

(The deal-breaker was his parent's promise to protect Amity Park. He would have stayed and enrolled at Amity Community College, but his parents told him to live his life to the fullest.)

To celebrate their milestones together, Danny, Sam, and Tucker, together with Jazz as their chaperone for the summer, have decided to go wander around Metropolis and its neighboring cities as 'tourists' (Tucker and Sam had decided to go to Metropolis University, too, with the former studying Computer Science while the latter would take Journalism), partly because they will spend the rest of their college years in the city, and partly because compared to the other cities, Metropolis was safer because of Superman.

That means they can go anywhere and not fight.

'Not my circus, not my monkeys', as the saying goes.

Then Lex Luthor and Superman decided to duke it out in front of the Daily Planet, while the four of them were caught in a bank robbery.

The large LED TV inside the bank showcased the man of steel fighting the billionaire genius as the robbers scare everyone into submission with their guns.

The four of them looked at the LED TV, then at the robbers, and came to a decision.

-

Superman was in the middle of fighting Luthor when he heard the cries of various civilians, and a couple of criminals demanding a bank to let them in their vaults.

Then he heard gunshots.

Fearing for the worst, he quickly defeated Lex, told the cops to ship him back to prison, and flew to the bank, just to see a floating white-haired meta and a teenage girl conjuring plants tying up and freezing the robbers. In the corner was another boy typing on a PDA, and a red-headed girl comforting the other people in the bank.

The four people in question froze upon noticing Superman.

Two large vines immediately snatched the redhead and the other boy, while the white-haired meta phased them down the bank's floor.

So much for the saying, 'Not my circus, not my monkeys'. 

 - 

(This is terribly written. I haven’t done my research. Sorry for the quality of this short fic.)

[coexiising]

Fade Into You - Chapter Four

SUMMARY ✦ Your first day at Vader’s castle.

WARNING ✦ N/A

MASTERLIST ✦ Here.

The first thing you noticed when your senses were given back to you was the warm heat emitting from whatever you were laying on. When you opened your eyes you saw that there was a small blanket draped below you, and you laid on some kind of tiny mattress. Upon further inspection, you saw that you were in some type of room - or much rather a cell, since it was clear that there was no way to get out of here. You felt overwhelmed, mentally cursing yourself to think that this could possibly work. You had walked right into the hands of a Sith, a very powerful Sith whose intentions you didn’t know at all.

Sitting up, a pounding pressure was felt in your head, it was dull and made you disoriented for a moment. Your thoughts took you back to the last moment you could remember, Vader grabbing you by the throat and pushing you up against the wall. Your head must’ve hit the rock hard and you were just now feeling the aftermath that the encounter had on your body. You could still feel the phantom touch of his hand around your throat, instinctively reaching up and touching the pads of your fingers against the nape of your neck. It was a little sore.

The room wasn’t very big, and it looked as though you were the first person to ever set foot in it before. Honestly it looked like it had been put together in a rush, possibly Vader trying to find a place for you. It wouldn’t be the first time that you had been held hostage by someone, but it was the first time that they had held you in anything other than a cell or in shackles. You knew there was no way that he would leave the door open, so there was no point in even trying.

You weren’t sure how long you sat there, scanning the area to get a good sense of your surroundings and waiting for him to come. When you did hear footsteps approaching the door, you put your legs up against your chest, watching the knob turn and there was Vader, standing with a plate in his hands. Your stomach rumbled, reminding you that you had yet to eat anything today except for a cup of tea in the Council Room. Was it even ‘today’ still? You still didn’t know how long you had been passed out for.

He kicked the door closed behind him and set the plate down on the side table. “Sorry, it’s the first time I’ve had a guest over.” There was a tone of amusement behind his voice, like he found this whole situation funny.

“I’m so honored,” You retorted, noting the slight strain in your voice that was no doubt from the choking earlier. “But I think I’ve overstayed my welcome, care to let me go?” You gestured to the door, even though there was a one in a million chance that he would actually consider such a thing. You knew that you were stuck, but maybe you could somehow speak to the part of him that you saw in your dreams.

“What happened to finding out our connection?” Vader asked. “And to think you were starting to grow on me.”

“You lied to me,” You told him, eyes squinting. The smirk left his face and was replaced with him biting his inner cheek, eyes darting to the floor and averting your gaze that stayed centered on him. You could feel it in him, that inner torment that often plagued users of the dark side. He wasn’t like this in your dreams, what had changed?

The solemn look on his face left as quickly as it came. “You shouldn’t have trusted me. Isn’t that what your Council always preaches? That the Sith cannot be trusted?”

“I thought that you were different.”

Vader looked back up at you now, eyes looking directly back up into yours. Everything about him was dark except for those eyes, which for a moment you could’ve sworn you saw a hint of blue flash across them. He couldn’t be much older than you, but he was different in many ways, you two were opposites of a sort. And yet, all you could feel was the constant push of the Force towards him, like you had felt ever since you started seeing him. He was using dark energy, but something told you that he was conflicted. Maybe, just maybe there was a chance that you could bring him back to the light side.

He sucked in a breath, ignoring your statement. “You should eat something, you were out for at least a day.” Vader motioned to the plate on the table. Now that it was eye level with you, you could see that there was a piece of some type of bread and a bowl filled with something that resembled the soup you used to be given at the temple. “And then I can give you the tour.”

“Tour?” You asked.

“You are my guest.”

~

From what you gathered through Vader talking as you followed him through the different rooms of the castle, you could sense that he was a little lonely. He never gave away too much about himself or his past, but there was no one else in residence here, though he did mention that his Master came sometimes to check in on him. It was as though he was a different person than who he was when he cornered you at your first meeting. You wondered why. Maybe it was because he had been threatened.

Vader mentioned that there was no way off of Mustafar. He had taken your ship to Maker knows where and there were no other ships for you to possibly hop on. So your hopes of escaping were somewhat crushed, though there was the possibility of you contacting one of your Masters if Vader kept you alone for long enough. Would they even come if you found a way to reach them? You had disobeyed their orders. No. You thought to yourself. That was just Vader’s talk getting to you. The Order cared about you and your wellbeing. They probably had search parties looking for you right now. And your friends Obi-Wan, Rex, and Ahsoka were probably worried and fronting those teams. You had nothing to worry about . . . Right?

Your footsteps stopped in their tracks when you turned a corner, being met with a familiar window and corridor. The one from your dreams. It was the same, which gave you a sense of deja vu when you resumed walking.

“This is towards the back of the castle,” Vader explained, his footsteps significantly heavier than yours against the hard floor. “I don’t know why the dreams always end up here, the only thing here is the view.” That view, which you were nearing now, looked strikingly different in real life. The lava pooled in the same way and the obsidian looked just as dark as it always did, though now you could feel the heat arise even through the glass, and you could see that there were in fact some types of animals crawling on the rocks. They looked like little salamanders, skittering across the pebbles of brimstone. And to your left you could see a clearing where some plants were living, bushels of flowers erupting from the ground.

“I thought nothing could live on Mustafar,” You said out loud. “That’s what they always told us on Coruscant.”

“There’s some indigenous plants and animals, but nothing else could be brought here to live, which was why it was never colonized,” Vader spoke.

You squint your eyes, turning on your heel. “But you live here. Isn’t that dangerous?”

“I’ve always been here,” Vader said, shrugging his shoulders. “Ever since I was young. But it’s the same thing as you and the Jedi, they’re always taking young children.”

“But that’s different. The Jedi take and train kids to be peacekeepers,” You replied. It did pain you to think that you would never know who your parents really were, or if you had a big family. But it had always been that way, the Jedi were your family, they were the ones who cared for you. “They’re trying to make a difference in the Galaxy.”

You heard him laugh, which ticked you off more than it should’ve. “They still take kids from their families.”

“Are you really trying to have a morality competition with me, when you’re a Sith?” You retorted, shutting down this conversation before it went any further. You may be stuck here and you may be connected to him, but you weren’t going to listen to him talk about the Jedi in a bad light. Those were your people, on the right side of this whole war. Just because there was no way that you were leaving any time soon didn’t mean that you were going to be converted to the dark side. If anything, all you wanted to do was figure out this whole dilemma and then cut it off and never see this ‘Darth Vader’ again unless he was at the end of your lightsaber.

Both of you were quiet then, until he said, “I do have a name, you don’t get to come to my home and not call me by it. I won’t be disrespected in my own home. I’m a Lord.”

Now it was your turn to laugh, and you did it shamelessly. Was he really speaking to you about you respecting him, when he wasn’t respecting any of your wishes?

“I’m not calling you by your Sith name,” You said.

Vader didn’t respond, instead turning and grabbing you by the arm and walking down the hall. You didn’t fight back, knowing that he was just taking you back to the room you woke up in. Apparently he’d had enough of your backtalk for today. And he didn’t say anything when he pushed you back in and closed the door. You heard the lock click and shook your head, knowing nothing good was coming out of this.

Time went by, which you spent by exploring the room in depth. There really wasn’t much, but you did find a clock that you propped up against the wall, seeing that it was getting late. And you found another blanket in one of the drawers, you covered yourself in it and sat back down on the tiny bed, if you closed your eyes you could pretend that you were back at the Temple. You reached out through the Force, but everything was blocked. Vader probably wasn’t going to allow any kind of Force communication through, and it was useless anyways. Mustafar was so far away from Coruscant, so only a Jedi passing by would be able to sense anything. And it wasn’t like they were out in this region of the Outer Rim often.

You thought that the most boring thing about the room is that there was really nothing to do. There wasn’t a holopad for you to scroll through videos and articles endlessly, and there weren't even any books for you to read. As time ticked on and it neared eleven at night, you were pretty sure that Vader wasn’t coming back.

Though, like he could sense what you were thinking, the door opened, and Vader was there. He was dressed somewhat more comfortably, a loose black shirt hung off of him unlike his normal, fitted robes. You hated to admit that he looked somewhat attractive like this, shoving those thoughts to the side and giving him a blank expression, wondering what he wanted this time.

“Are you hungry again?” Vader asked. For someone who was supposed to be a Sith, he seemed at least a little bit concerned about your wellbeing. It was as though a switch had been flipped and he was back to his more normal self, if it wasn’t for the glowing amber eyes, you would’ve almost thought that he was a normal person.

You shook your head, knowing that you could wait until the morning to eat something.

“Okay, well, then I’m going to sleep. I’m not sure what will happen now that we’re under the same roof, but from now on our main focus should be figuring out whatever is going on,” He said, like he was suggesting but you knew that it was more of a tell. You wondered what happened after you two discovered this anomaly, if he would let you go or a darker, more sinister fate would fall upon you.

You mumbled something along the lines of ‘okay’ and watched him turn around. But then he stopped, prompting you to raise an eyebrow.

Without even looking at you, he said, “It’s Anakin.” His back was turned to you but he quickly glanced at you, then immediately darted his attention back forward, like he was hiding from you. You looked at him for a moment, not knowing what he was talking about. You hadn’t ever heard that name before . . . And then it dawned on you. That was his real name, not his Sith name. Vader was telling you his real name.

“Anakin,” You said out loud, as if you were testing the name out. It felt good on your tongue, the word spilling off of it with ease. It was a strange name, but it somewhat suited him. Now you could put a name to his face, to those golden locks and the chiseled features that silently knocked your breath away. Anakin was a name of someone you could learn to get along with, Anakin was a name you could trust. That’s who he truly was, deep down, even if he didn’t know it himself. He stiffened as he heard the name come off of your lips, like he hadn’t heard someone say it in forever. It made you even more intrigued, what was his story? He said that he has been here since he was young, how young was he? Who was this Anakin?

More importantly, why hadn’t the Jedi come for him? He was obviously strong with the Force, so why had the Jedi let him slip from their fingers?

“Goodnight, Y/N,” He spoke, not giving you a moment to answer and closing the door. You sat there, thinking about Vader as you finally decided to go to sleep. There was more that met the surface of him, that was for sure, though you wondered how much he would let you know.

Sleep overcame you rather quickly, being swept up into your familiar dreamlike state. But the dream with Vader never came, no matter how much you searched your subconscious for it. Perhaps the Force didn’t want it anymore now that you two were together, maybe this meant that you were headed in the right direction. Instead of meeting Vader literally in your dreams, you found your mind thinking of him, visions of you and him walking together, talking together, laughing together. And when you woke up the next morning, instead of recoiling at the thought of Vader, you were looking forward to your next meeting, hoping that he woke up soon and you two could get started on your day.

Whatever that would entail.

[insomniasymphony]

Machi Komacine x Female Reader [Closer]

Constellation: Machi Komacine x Female Reader Prompt I got: → You should be more careful so you don't get sick again Rating: General Audience

                             ►► Her hands are soft like velvet,                                      Dancing across your skin.                                      Give her one more moment                                      To wash away your sin. ◄◄

The quivering of your shoulders doesn't subside for a moment, even as the damp, hot towel touches your back. One of Machi's hands is on your bare skin while the other washes the sweat from your body, and although you shouldn't be embarrassed, since you are both women, you can't help covering your breasts and lowering your head.

Her touch is so light, so deft, that there is something almost clinical about it. The only physical contact you really share is her firm grip that won't let go, accompanied by the shame that makes heat rise in your head that can't be shaken off. These are seconds when you are grateful to the fever of the cold.

The wet towel brushes your waist, makes you wince, cast a help-seeking glance over your shoulder because it's uncomfortable and, admittedly, kind of weird. But Machi's gaze hangs focused on the piece of cloth. You have no place in her mind. Not at this moment. So you look to the front again.

You have barely exchanged a word since she settled in your small appartment. Actually, you had wanted to show her how much stronger you had become while she was away, so that you too could become a member of the spiders, to spend every spare second with Machi. You may not be a couple, but you're making an effort and she hasn't once turned you down so far.

Until today. Or rather, since the whole week she's been with you but acts like you're just a foreign object within these four walls. At the same time, her facial expression is so rigid and blank that you don't even know whether she is angry or annoyed by your behaviour. The only thing you can say for sure is that you've caught a serious cough and a high fever from training rigorously since you didn't even take a break from your plan when the icy cold rain trickled down to your bones. You deserve this cold.

And Machi's care is clearly a bonus in all this.

At the same time, it's also devastating because she knows why you're sick and also why you're training so hard. She came over to spend time with you and you confront her with the flu. She's probably annoyed with you.

The sigh on your lips is soft, yet heavy, so Machi's movement stops for a moment before she takes the towel back and releases her hand from your shoulder. “You can get dressed.”

You ignore her, wrap your upper arms more tightly around your cold torso and sink further into the feverish thoughts that become more colourful with each additional thought.

But Machi doesn't give you time to drown in them. Before you can imagine her taking you lovingly in her arms, she has already thrown the light shirt of your pyjamas over your head. It is only a gentle touch of fabric, but it makes you startle, and you glance over your shoulder again, this time meeting the pretty blue eyes of the woman you have adored since you first met.

Cautiously, you reach for the textile. Her eyes watch you, every single movement. She doesn't take her eyes off you as you slip the garment on, nor when you sit up properly in bed again. The heat under your skin is parching but the cold on top of it makes such an extreme contrast that you don't dare to crawl out from under the duvet any further than necessary.

“I'll handle the food now.” Her gaze remains fixed, her posture dismissive, her tone terribly monotone, so you know nothing to reply. All you do is nod, watch as she exits the room and leaves you here alone.

Though her disapproving manner is clearly oppressive, the time alone in this room is frighteningly lonely. You'd rather have Machi keep silence than have your own thoughts echoing far too loudly in this room.

You want to do something, fix things, because even if Machi has never shown much affection, she is still a woman with a heart who has often kept you company and doesn't reject your pathetic attempts at flirting. Experiencing her so distant hurts, feels wrong, pushes her so far into the distance that your heart in your chest hammers painfully against your ribs. Strong enough to force a lump into your throat. The cold isn't just making you physically weak, that's for sure, and the burning in your eyes is hard to suppress.

Machi will probably be back at any moment with a dish she ordered from one of the nearby ordering services. She does that every day. One of the reasons why she charges so damn much for her services. She enjoys good food and likes to test things out. Since she's been with you, she's ordered only the best – presumably for your health – without once giving you a chance to say thank you.

Your heart weighs heavily at the thought that she is so close to you and at the same time seems so far away. You can't help but fall backwards into the sheets. To get up and run after Machi would only make all this much worse. So you close your eyes.

Behind the blackness of your lids, she is waiting for you, pink hair, petite, pretty, and at the same time strong enough to leave you behind at any moment. You reach out to her, but she doesn't come within reach, stays there in the distance where you can only look at her.

Machi cannot go.

“If I wanted to go, I'd be gone already.”

Hectically you open your eyes as the air finds its way sharply into your lungs and you immediately sit upright in bed. Machi has settled on the edge, a small tray with a bowl of soup on her lap. Her gaze pierces you, not allowing any of your twitches to escape unnoticed. The heat inside you is as stifling as all the sweat that is once again clinging to you, clearly conveying that you must have drifted off for a brief moment. On top of that, you must have spoken. She probably knows what's going on in your head and you can't help but look away from her and eye your own knuckles.

“I love you, Machi,” it comes over you. It's not the first time you've said it, but her response always remains the same.

“I know.”

"And I don't want you to be angry with me because-"

“I'm not angry,” she interrupts you curtly, before carefully yet firmly setting the tray down on your legs, with the tiny request that you start eating. Of course, you instantly pick up the spoon, but you can't bring yourself to eat.

“If you're not angry, why...are you being so distant?”

She sighs. A soft, long sigh, before she settles into a chair beside you, folding her arms and crossing her legs. Then she looks at you. The silence between you is nerve-wracking and you can feel your fingers trembling. Twice you bang your spoon against the bowl before Machi closes her eyes and lets blunt honesty win for a moment. “Do you really want to become a member of the Phantom Troupe?”

“I do,” you return promptly, almost so hastily that it seems embarrassing.

“You know how dangerous that could be?”

“We could be a team.”

“And you think you're up to the tasks? Killing ruthlessly and carrying out any order Boss asks of you?” One of her brows lifts. “Can you leave me behind if you have to?”

You open your mouth, wanting to agree, but you both know better. You love her and leaving her behind when she's in danger or hurt isn't even remotely an option. Before that, you would provoke war with her leader and that would only bring more problems.

“I like you the way you are. Right here, in this home,” Machi states all at once, before she gets back on her feet and comes to you. One of her hands gently rests on your cheek and you follow her touch, savoring every second. “You don't have to overdo it.”

They are just tiny messages, carrying a warmth that assures you that Machi cares about you too. She is with you even though you are sick. She tells you not to go to the spiders because she knows you could never be happy in all this, and she subliminally tells you that she doesn't like it if you kill yourself because of her. It's not much, and she certainly knows that you don't consider being in a long distance relationship with her as being happy, but her posture and closeness make it clear that she prefers that to seeing you sick or hurt.

Maybe her way is indeed the only hope for you to be together because, by God, the world is rougher than you'd like to admit some days.

“I'm... I'm sorry, Machi.” Dejectedly, you lower your head. The soup on your lap suddenly seems like a mirror, showing you how frighteningly naive you've been about this, but Machi takes it with so much diligence that it almost creeps oddly through your body. Your heart skips a beat as she takes your face in both hands and lifts your head, giving you a brief glimpse into those gorgeous blue eyes, before she presses a gentle kiss to your forehead, and moments later takes her distance again as if nothing had happened.

“Is it alright...if I get at least a little stronger for you?” Almost indecisively you purse your lips as she sinks back into the chair.

“You should be more careful so you don't get sick again.” A thin smile graces her lips. “The soup's getting cold.”

Far too hastily, you turn back to the bowl, grab the spoon and shovel the first four loads into yourself as you wrinkle your nose in disgust and your throat seems to dry up instantly as your taste buds scream silently for help.

“That's awful!” you spit out. “Where did you get this? It's totally over-salted...”

For a moment she makes no reply before an almost grumbling, “I cooked it,” creeps across Machi's lips and you feel all colour drain from your face in the same instant. A glance in her direction proves that she isn't thrilled with your reaction and you can't help but inwardly smack your forehead.

Sometimes you curse yourself for doing and saying things without much thought. At the same time, you can't help but feel the heat inside.

Machi has made this soup for you.

And even if it is horrible, it will heal you – for sure.

[Picture is from a card collecting game!] [Interested in more stuff or ready to make a request? Check here!]

[joezworld]

Fools in Love (2/10)

This, and all the stories after it, exist because I saw this post. Damn you @mean-scarlet-deceiver I was using my free time!

Thank You Donna Summer

1977

"I'm telling you, there's something wrong with me!" Bear protested as the workmen slammed his maintenance hatches shut. He'd been feeling unusual for some time - nothing major, but a niggling feeling of something being off. It was driving him nutty, and the men could find nothing wrong.

"Well boy-o," said Clive the foreman. "At this point the only thing we haven't done at this point is take you to pieces - and we aren’t doing that!"

"But it feels weird!"

"Tough. We'll deal with it during your next overhaul." The man said firmly, before following his men out the door of the shed.

"And people call Henry a hypochondriac." Muttered Gordon sleepily.

"He actually had boiler sludge and you know it!" The Hymek snapped as his crankshaft did another flip-flop. "And I'm not saying this just for attention - do you think I like having my hatches pulled every night?"

"Considering how often it's happened this month, I'd say that you must." Gordon sighed as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Bear seethed for the rest of the night, and was still snappish when he was backed down onto The Limited in the morning.

"You are in a dreadful state today. Are you feeling all right?" The lead coach asked as the passengers boarded.

"No, I'm not." Bear scowled, and said no more.

"Right," the coach murmured. Hopefully nothing goes wrong today, or he'll be apoplectic. She thought to herself.

-------

Kellsthorpe Road

Predictably, things went very wrong.

Late passengers, late connections, a cow on the line, and a broken signal arm meant that the train was almost an hour late by the time Bear and his coaches staggered into Kellsthorpe.

To add injury to insult, something was now noticeably wrong with Bear.

In addition to whatever imagined maladies he had, there was a new shooting pain in his gearbox that got worse each time his driver changed up or down. 

As they set off from the station, there was a loud CRACK from Bear's gearbox, and an even louder shout of pain from his mouth as the train ground to a halt.

"I told you that there was something wrong!" Bear hissed as his driver slid underneath his front bogie.

He came out moments later, drenched in oil.

"Well, that's torn it!" He groaned as he wiped his hands. "A seal failed and all the oil is gone from your transmission. I'm surprised we made it this far before you disintegrated something."

And that was that. Bear couldn’t move under his own power, so a rescue engine was summoned while the passengers grumbled unhappily about the delay. Bear was also unhappy, but had passed the point of being able to speak without turning the air blue with swears, so he stayed silent.

"As much as I sympathize with them, they should be grateful that they aren't taking a bus!" The lead coach whispered as the signal arm dropped, indicating that the rescue engine was approaching.

Bear hoped it wasn’t James - he'd never hear the end of it if the red engine discovered a perceived weakness.

As the engine puffed into view, Bear's anger and frustration evaporated as he saw that it wasn't James, but instead Henry.

"Am I ever glad to see you!" He called out, eliciting a broad smile from his friend.

"What kind of an engine would I be if I ignored a friend in need?" Henry said as his crew coupled them together.

Bear smiled in return, ignoring the sudden resurgence of his nausea.

---

Talking seemed to help settle his systems - then again, talking with Henry always seemed to help his emotional state; conversation flowed between them with an effortless ease that Bear couldn’t really replicate with anyone else - and the trip to Crovan's Gate was filled with idle conversation about what had gone on since they'd last spoken:

James had once again annoyed a visiting diesel into apoplectic fury with an inane series of questions,

Douglas was still fuming over the officiating that cost Cronk's rugby team their match,

Thomas was still driving everyone on his branch crazy with ABBA - he knew the words, but had no singing ability at all,

And there was a new song that was sweeping the Island's record stores, to the point where a lot of the younger cleaners were bemoaning their long work days, as it meant that they couldn't get to the store before all copies sold out.

"I heard a bit of it in the sheds last week," Henry confided as he rolled tender-first towards Crovan's Gate. I think I'm getting old, because I did not like it at all."

"And yet you look just as dashing as you did on the day I met you."

"One of the perks of being made out of metal I suppose. It's the secret to my eternally good looks."

"But I'm made of metal, so isn't it my secret as well?"

"Gasp. I guess that it will have to be our  secret to eternal beauty then."

Bear's smile couldn’t cover the wince that accompanied another unusual feeling from deep within his frame.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked, his voice colored with concern.

"I don't know. I've been feeling unusual for a while now. They've gone through every one of my systems and they can't find anything."

"What does it feel like?"

"It's very strange - my driver says it sounds like indigestion. At some points I get this feeling of, like, like my insides are moving in a way that they shouldn't be, and everything feels light and fluttery... are you all right?"

Henry didn't answer. His concerned expression had suddenly turned into a painful grimace, while steam began pouring out of places it shouldn't be.

For the second time that day, The Limited ground to halt as Henry’s driver stopped the train and dampened his fire.

"I think this train is just cursed," he said as he poked his head in-between Henry’s wheels. "Something has ruptured, but I have no idea what."

Bear closed his eyes in frustration. "If Spamcan shows up as our rescue engine, I..."

He trailed off as Henry laughed.

--

More than an hour later, the train finally limped into Crovan's Gate. A very bemused Class 46 that had been summoned from the mainland was now towing Henry and Bear, neither of whom could stop laughing long enough to explain the joke.

As she shunted them into the Works yard, they finally were able to tell her why they were laughing. The 46 regarded the two with amusement in her eyes. "You two are a pair and a half, you know that?"

"I had an inkling." Henry said, grateful that he'd been laughing too hard to pay any attention to his ruptured steam line before the men dropped his fire. Now that there wasn’t any steam pressure, it hurt a lot less.

Bear, whose gearbox had gone numb, was still chuckling at the absurdity of this 'superb rescue'.

The 46 rolled away as the workmen arrived, and any further conversation was halted as they began pulling tools from cases.

--

That night

"Oh, that's right! I wanted to ask you," Henry said suddenly. "What did those feelings feel like? Indigestion?"

"Yes," Bear said after a moment. "Indigestion, crossed with a broken motor mount. It feels strange, like I'm being filled with helium and lead at the same time."

"This is going to feel incredibly strange, but I feel the same way." Henry said after a moment. "It's like I have an ache in the pit of my boiler, but at the same time I feel energetic - like I'm pulling the express."

"Does it change sometimes?"

"Yes it does. Are you going to tell me that sometimes you feel better and nauseous at the same time?"

"Yes! I feel that way right now as a matter of fact."

"As do I. " Henry paused to acknowledge the incredulous situation they were in. "What a pair we are - Miss Spamcan was right! We break down on the same day, and we have the same phantom illnesses."

"And we're both green."

"And we're both green! How could I forget that? If you squint hard enough, we're essentially the same engine."

"Will you two shut up!" Came a cry from across the works. Several of the workmen were clustered around a radio. "We're trying to listen!"

Turning back to the radio, the man turned up the volume knob, allowing a thumping bass line to fill the works.

"I think this is that song I was talking about earlier." Henry whispered to Bear.

Ooh it's so good, it's so good

It's so good, it's so good

It's so good

Ooh I'm in love, I'm in love

I'm in love, I'm in love

I'm in love...

--

The song was very long - apparently it was some kind of "extended club mix", and the workers were very enthusiastic about it.

Henry and Bear... were not.

"Honestly, I'm quite nonplussed." Bear remarked after spending a few moments searching for the right words. "It's just the same words over and over again."

"It's for dancing mate!" Said one of the men as he swept up. "You're supposed to feel the beat and get moving!"

"I can't dance." Bear looked down at the rails. And I can only really move forward and backwards."

"Maybe you could spin around on the turntable, and that would count." Henry chimed in.

"I think I'd just get sick."

"Perhaps."

"I cannot believe you two!" Cried a young cleaner. "That was an amazing song! How can you not like it?"

"It's repetitive and goes nowhere." Henry said. "It's repeating the same words over and over again. I understand that she 'feels love', but she never said what she was feeling. What does love feel like?"

That brought the entire works to a stop. The men looked from each other nervously. Henry was puzzled. "What did I say?"

"Nothing!" Said one of the men quickly. "It's just... uhh... oh would you lookatthetimegoodbye!"

He fled into the staff break room, followed by several of his co-workers.

Henry and Bear watched with bafflement as the shed emptied at lightning speed. Soon, only two cleaners were left - Karl, the senior cleaner who had been on Sodor since the 1940's, and a young man whom neither engine knew.

"Children, the lot of 'em." Karl groused as he cleared up a patch of spilled oil. "It's like they've never been asked a difficult question."

"What was the question?" Henry, Bear, and the young cleaner asked together.

"Seriously?" Karl looked up from the oil slick. "None of ye know what 'e said?"

"No."

"Nope."

"I have no idea."

Karl groaned as ge held his head in his hands. "Love, you great ignoramus! You asked about what love felt like!"

"So?" None of Henry’s confusion was lifted.

"You're an engine!" Karl said after a moment of shocked, silent, gesticulation. "Engines don't ask what that means!"

"Why not?" This came from the young cleaner, who cocked his head in confusion.

"I- I- you- it's just..." Karl trailed off, his boisterous shock deflating into a curious silence. "I don't know. Now that I think about it, I don't think it's ever happened before."

"Well it's happened now." Said Bear, now genuinely curious about the answer to the question. "What does love feel like?"

Karl looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He turned to the young cleaner for help, and got none.

"Don't look at me. I'm still single. You're the one who married his childhood sweetheart."

Karl glowered for a moment before pulling himself together. "Fine. You lads want to know what love is? It's like a sickness. And you enjoy it. Just thinking about whoever you're smitten on and your pulse races, breath quickens, and you feel like you're going to vomit. Every time I saw my Maria before I told her how I felt, I wanted to run and hide, but never wanted to be more than more than a foot from her. She made me feel like shouting from the rooftops that I loved her, and I was fookin' terrified that she'd find out. It was awful!"

"What did you end up doing?" The young cleaner asked.

"I told 'er! It helped that I'd known her for years, but I just sacked up and told her how I felt." He paused, fiddling with his wedding ring as he did so. "And she said she loved me too. And then I threw up on her shoes."

He smirked slightly. "I was not smooth. But she still said yes! And that's all that matters."

Henry raised an eyebrow. "So you feel sick and that's love? That's what that song was about?"

"No! It's enjoyable! I wouldn't trade how I felt for all the gold in the world, and neither would Maria. We've been married for 38 years, and I still love her with all the strength in my body. I'd do anything for her."

He glanced over at the now-quiet radio. "That song is about how it feels to be in love, from a youngster's view - your emotions run hot, and you can't imagine anything but the object of your affections."

He turned to the young cleaner, caught up in the passion of his speech. "And you would do well to remember that it won't always feel like that, laddie! At some point, those emotions will calm back down, and you'll be left with a quiet set of feelings. And if you're stupid, ye might think that it's over, but it isn't! That just means that you've pulled the iron out of the fire, and it's cooled into a strong, solid love that will last the ages. You follow that advice and you'll stay a happy man!"

Henry and Bear watched in surprise. They'd both known Karl for years, and had never seen him this openly emotive before.

Karl blinked as he calmed down. "Well, I wasn't expecting that to come out, but yeah, that's what love feels like."

Glancing at the clock, his eyebrows raised into his graying hair. "Cripes, it's past quitting time. I've got to be home in time for dinner!"

He quickly packed up his cleaning supplies and dragged the young cleaner into the break room. In just a few short minutes, the works were empty save for Henry and Bear.

"Humans are strange." Bear said finally.

"That statement assumes that we are normal."

"What makes you think that we're not?"

"Fair point."

"Bear."

-

As the night wore on, easy conversation slowly turned into sleepy conversation, then yawning, before the two engines decided to turn in for the night.

About 15 minutes passed before Bear's eyes snapped open. The penny had just dropped, and it felt like the farthing wasn’t too far behind. 

"Henry?"

"Yes?" Henry evidently wasn't asleep either.

"Do you remember how we acted in 1971?"

"Why yes, I do. I also remember how we acted in 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1976." Henry’s voice sounded calm, which meant that he was probably on the verge of screaming.

"Interesting." Then again, Bear wasn’t too far behind him on 'nearly screaming' front. "Do you also remember that the indigestion that we both seem to be suffering from -"

"Increases whenever I see or talk or think about you? Yes."

"Henry, are we feeling love? Right now?"

"Yes. I believe we are."

"Good. What do we do now?"

"I have no idea."

"Neither do I."

"Fuck."

[alit0my]

ohh i have a booker whump hurt comfort fic idea! would you write the first time he experiences a panic attack? but he has no idea what's happening to him just that he suddenly feels horrible and scared and cannot breathe at all. and he has that panic attack in front of the entire team who is also a bit lost. besides nile, nile has all the braincells and she knows what's happening so she talks him down with the help of the rest of their family.

hey! i hope i did this justice, but i am no expert on anxiety/panic attacks x

~

The job hadn’t gone well. 

Andy and Joe died multiple times. Nicky had two limbs blown off. Quynh, Booker and Nile sustained rather minor injuries in comparison, but they still hurt like a bitch. 

The car ride back to the safehouse was silent, enough so that they could all hear Booker’s breathing get slightly more shallow and erratic, and Nile placed her hand on his arm to calm him down. 

“Are you alright?” She whispered to him. 

He only nodded in response. 

~

Booker couldn’t sleep. 

He thought that maybe it was just phantom insomnia from all those years of avoiding sleep to avoid the dreams, but they had stopped years ago. Sitting at the kitchen table he brought his tea to his lips and noticed his shaky hands, nearly spilling the tea down his front. He frowned and placed the mug down on the table, the thud sounding loud. Too loud. It was then he realised he had a pounding headache, and the world around him went blurry as his eyes teared up and went out of focus unconsciously. 

Booker didn’t know what was happening to him. His whole body was failing him for the first time in two hundred years, and yet a small part of him was still hoping this would be the final time. 

His chest began to cause him pain as he tried to suck in enough oxygen with each shallow breath he took. He clutched his chest and tried to stand up, thinking some fresh air would help stop this horrible feeling, but he only succeeded in knocking over the chair as he stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. 

Booker groaned softly as he tried to sit up, the heaviness in his chest weighing him down. He knew the others would find him soon, he had made too much noise when he fell. 

That only made the pain in his chest worse. 

The thumping in his ears made him unaware that the others had rushed into the kitchen, confused at the sight of Booker on the floor. They lowered their weapons as Nile rushed over to him, kneeling by his side. 

“Booker? Booker, can you hear me?” She asked, waving a hand in front of the man’s unfocussed eyes. Cursing to herself when she received no response she manhandled him into a sitting position, leaning him against the counter. 

“Nile, what’s happening?” Andy asked, brows furrowed. 

“Panic attack I’m pretty sure,” the youngest immortal responded as she removed Booker’s many layers of clothing. “Get me some water. Joe, do you have any soft feathers or something?” 

“Um, yes, but they’re uh, on handcuffs,” Joe blushed slightly and rubbed at the back of his neck, glancing at Nicky. 

“Ugh, just go get them. Book’s not responding to anything visual or auditory, so we need to ground him through touch,” Nile responded and took the water bottle off Andy as she returned from the fridge. Cracking open the bottle, she wet the tea towel that was hanging over the oven handle and placed it around Booker’s neck before pouring the water over his hands slowly, continuing the movements until she saw Booker’s eyes refocus. “Hey, Booker. Can you hear me?” 

Booker was still shaking and his eyes felt heavy, but he slowly moved them to look at Nile, nodding once. He felt the cool water running down his shaky hands and he clenched them to try and get them to stop, only to have Nicky unclench them and hold them gently, rubbing his thumbs along the topside. 

“Breathe, nice and slow, okay?” Nicky smiled softly as the Frenchman tried to take in a large breath, his hands slightly less shaky now than they were before.

“Booker, I need you to tell me five things you can see, okay?” Nile said as she used up the last of the water on Booker’s hands. 

“I-” Booker coughed and looked in the direction of where Andy, Quynh and Joe were standing, worry laced across all their faces, and why does Joe have pink feathery handcuffs? “You five.” 

Nile pursed her lips but nodded. “Okay, now four things you can feel?” 

“Counter, the- the floor, cold towel,” Booker shuddered, the towel becoming cooler against his skin as he became aware of it. “Nicky.” 

“Good, good job,” Nile smiled and ran a hand through Booker’s sweaty hair, pushing it away from his eyes. “Three things you can hear?” 

“My own heartbeat,” he whispered and went quiet. 

“Okay, two more things,” Nile prodded. “You can do it.” 

“Birds,” Booker said, confused. When did it become daylight? “Uh, your voice.” 

Nile nodded. The Frenchman was considerably less shaky now, and his breathing had become stable. “Two things you can smell?” 

Booker focused on his breathing for a second, and that was exactly what Nile wanted him to do. 

“I don’t smell anything,” Booker admitted, looking at Nile then at the ground. “Why are you asking this of me?” 

Nile smiled and removed the wet towel from the back of his neck and used it to wipe the sweat off his face. “It’s a grounding technique to help people who are having a panic attack. How are you feeling?” 

“Horr-ible,” Booker’s voice cracked as he responded. “Embarrassed.” 

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Nicky shook his head. “You’re suffering shouldn’t cause you embarrassment.” 

An opened water bottle was shoved in Booker’s face and he let go of one of Nicky’s hands to take it from Andy, who crouched down beside him with a soft smile. “Drink up, I’m not about to lose you just yet.” 

Booker took small sips of the bottle and smiled in thanks, his heartbeat still pounding in his ears as the rest of his body relaxed. He didn’t know what caused this little meltdown of his, and it was something he would have to research later. 

“C’mon, you need a shower and then a nap. Joe can cook breakfast,” Nicky said as he pulled Booker to his feet, ignoring the protesting cries of his lover as he led Booker towards the bathroom. “Don’t worry about using all the hot water, though Nile says cold water will be best after what you’ve just been through.” 

“Grazie, Nicky,” Booker mumbled and walked in, leaving the door unlocked in case another one of those panic attacks occurred. 

Not that it would stop the team from busting down the door anyway. 

~ 

Clean and wrapped in his softest clothes, Booker headed straight to his bedroom after his shower. His feet trudged along the wooden floors as he passed the common areas, hoping to make it a clean run to his bed but alas, his family had other ideas. 

Quynh stepped in front of him before he could even reach his bedroom, her arms crossed over her chest. She nodded towards the kitchen table, and Booker wasn’t about to refuse Quynh anything as he feared for his life so he reluctantly made his way to the table, dropping his head on the wood as soon as he sat down. 

“C’mon Booker, eat quickly then you can sleep,” Joe said as he placed a plate down next to the Frenchman’s head, poking his side as he walked away which jolted Booker into sitting upright. Booker thought about ditching the meal and going straight to sleep, but he knew they wouldn’t let him do that, so he ate the omelette as quickly as he could before finally making his way to his bedroom. 

Faceplanting on the mattress never felt so good to Booker as he pulled the covers over his tired frame. He barely registered the bed sinking around him as his family joined and cuddled up around him as he fell into unconsciousness.

~

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26836657

[nadziejastar]

Right? They were important people in his life. They restored his faith in humanity. I don’t have an issue with him being friends with any of the teenage characters and sharing ice cream with them every now and then. Axel being their mentor/big brother was very cute. But the end of KH3 really bothered me because…what does everyday life look like for Lea post-KH3? Isa was more interested in the random phantom girl. Lea obviously cared more about Roxas and Xion than Isa. So is Lea gonna hang out with them and Hayner’s group every day now? LOL. Axel’s fixation on Roxas in KH2 made me feel sorry for him. Lea’s obsession with him (”especially Roxas!”) in KH3 was not endearing to me at all. It was sad and cringey. Btw, if you had a part 2, I never received it.

That’s why Isa was such a totally necessary character for his development. Lea needed someone his own age and on his own intellectual level to be close to, so he wouldn’t seem so creepy and/or pathetic. I don’t buy for a minute that he actually wanted to have two kids be the closest people in his life. You gain a lot of insight into him in the novels. And Isa was the most important person to him, not Roxas or Xion or anyone else. And blah blah blah, “the novels aren’t canon”. The woman who wrote them actually worked on 358/2 Days’ scenario. The game that delved the most into Axel’s personality. I’m sure she had an extremely thorough understanding of who Nomura intended him to be, as a member of the writing team. Not to mention that certain scenes in KH2FM+ actually reference the novels, which confused me the first time I saw them.

“Then what did you wanna come with me for?” Axel flung his arms out angrily.

“Because… Because you seemed lonely.”

“What?” The irritated furrow between his brows deepened.

“You seemed lonely,” Naminé repeated, raising her eyes.

“Lonely? Me, a Nobody, lonely? That doesn’t even make sense!”

“You know, Axel… I wonder if we really do have hearts after all.”

“Yeah, well… That’s impossible.” He turned away from her.

We don’t have hearts.

After he failed to eliminate Roxas in KH2, Naminé decided to follow Axel because she felt sorry for him (lol). Then this conversation happens. She tells him that they do have hearts. I didn’t know what Axel was talking about until I read the novel.

Axel: You know, I’ve been thinking about something Naminé said. Roxas…are you really sure that you don’t have a heart? Is it possible that we all have one? You, me, her… Or is that just wishful thinking?

I think the novels are supposed to be considered the full story, including all the events that KH2FM+ couldn’t include, but Nomura thought fleshed out the story better in preparation for KH3. Axel was planning on turning her over to the Organization so he could go back without being labeled a traitor. Then Saïx shows up and tries to kill him, so that plan went out the window. Pretty messed up actually. But Axel was supposed to be messed up. When he kidnapped Kairi, he told her he was neither a good nor a bad person. His loneliness drove him to nihilism.

Roxas stood, and came at him with force. Axel caught the keyblade with his chakrams and forced it down, Roxas’ face in point-blank range.

“How like you, Roxas!”

“Axel… what do you know?”

It’s not the first time Roxas has asked me that.

I know.

Yeah, I always know the things Roxas doesn’t.

I know things I can’t tell Roxas.

That’s why… I definitely couldn’t go.

“…I can’t say right now.”

“Please tell me!” Roxas cried, forcing the keyblades up.

This is on Day 4 of KH2. He couldn’t leave because of reasons he can’t tell Roxas. That’s why he couldn’t follow him. It wasn’t that he was afraid of rebelling.

Today I have to destroy Roxas.

I cannot betray the organisation.

From the little shelf at his bedside, Axel took a white envelope, and looked at it vaguely for a while. Putting it in his pocket, Axel got up off the bed and left the room.

A short while after Axel had entered the room, Saïx still hadn’t said a word. As he typed away at the keyboard, working, the pallid light radiating from the monitor gleamed on the already pale Saïx.

He decided on Day 6 that he had to destroy Roxas.

Maybe, this is the last time I’ll see Saïx, too.

Thinking, Axel looked at the seated Saïx’s back.

“We’ve known each other for a pretty long time, haven’t we?”

Ignoring Axel’s words, Saïx continued typing on the keyboard.

“Say something. Have you even thought that maybe I can’t erase Roxas?” Axel said, in a playful tone, and Saïx finally looked up. “It’ll be all right. Cause I’m tough.” Axel puffed out his chest.

“How stupid,” said Saïx, and for a moment he smiled. “Let’s hurry up and prepare. Time is limited. The hero will wake up soon, too. I’ll send you in right in front of Roxas.”

“Okay.”

Axel stood in front of the sending device. Saïx rested his finger on the button.

“I’m off the~n!”

Waving to Saïx, Axel’s figure disappeared.

And he joked about doing it. He couldn’t actually bring himself to do it, and I don’t think he actually thought the idea was funny. He was just trying to bond with Saïx in a twisted way. Axel was a grey character. It’s what made him interesting and human. His attachment to Saïx was what kept him in the Organization. He was a sociopathic Nort, but Axel’s memories of Isa were of him being a kind and innocent kid. He stuck around until he absolutely had no other options. Axel did everything for his friend, only for him to try and kill him in return. He was heartbroken over it.

Axel’s eyes crinkled as he remembered his own best friend—the only friend he’d ever had, in fact.

“If your best friend goes away, you’re sad, and if you get to be with them, you’re happy,” Naminé added. “Isn’t that how it is, Axel?”

“…That’s about the size of it.” Axel nodded and sat down on the remaining empty sofa, staring at the sea-salt ice cream he held.

“So you are capable of sincerity,” said Riku.

Axel only shrugged at the jab and finished his ice cream pop.

It’s only then that Axel went running back to Roxas, and started calling him the ONLY friend he’d ever had. He was in total denial. It was amusing because it was like a kid. "I never cared about you anyways!" Roxas was his crutch. He cared for him, but not in the way he should. He was using him to replace the absence of Isa.

[blobsreviewsofgame]

Gurumin 3D: A Monstrous Adventure

This took some time because I had no idea what to write about all that time (and it was actually pretty hard to write about)… If you want me to write about something, check my backloggery page (https://backloggery.com/games.php?user=ABlob&status=2) and suggest me something. Thanks!

Gurumin 3D is an action-RPG game on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. It’s a port of the 2004 PC-game Gurumin which was later also ported to the PSP in 2006. Surprisingly not a Dreamcast title, even if it might resemble games for that console.

A little girl called Parin moves to a mining town full of adults. There, she discovers cute monsters and befriends most of them. Those monsters invite her to their monster world.

Suddenly, some evil phantoms attack, cloud the whole monster world into dark mist and kidnap her new friends. It’s up to Parin to save them with the help of a drill weapon from Monster Village that once sealed away an ancient evil. The voice acting is a bit corny but charming.

The world of Gurumin is split into a level map like Rayman 2’s. It’s a big worldmap that isn’t split into separate worlds that have nothing to do with each other (like Mario games), but rather points in that world where levels exist.

Often levels have a balance of puzzles, platforming and combat. You can push blocks, activate a switch here and there, jump awkwardly and tilt your model when jumping next to a wall and combat enemies.

Combat is kinda the focus of Gurumin: You’ll also find some elemental powers for the weapon, which means if you want to get an attack that is stronger (or weaker) against enemies, you can put on fire, ice or electric elements on the drill. Some puzzles also require these abilities to proceed. There are also outfits that give you certain effects, like more money per reward and letting you swim without taking water damage (as in, it hurts to swim in water unless you put on some goggles).

And finally, there’s also the level up mechanic where, if you find things to dig, you can level up the drill which deals more damage against enemies.

While that may sound complex, attacking the enemies is rather easy. At the start, you have a simple attack combo and a homing attack that works just like the 3D Sonic games (while in the air, press the attack button and then you zoom to the enemy and attack it) but you need to jump again to continue homing attack chains.

You can also get half a second of invincibility by dashing with X. That’s often used for avoiding enemy attacks or going through electricity barriers.

Later in the game, you unlock moves that you can do with button combinations. For example, dashing, turning around and then pressing the attack button will create a wave attack in front of Parin which is about 4 times stronger. And finally, there are upgrades for your drill and items that replenish your health.

The original version of Gurumin had a rhythm bar for each background song because whenever you attack an enemy in the rhythm of the song, it counts as a critical hit but the 3DS port removes the bar. Not the feature, just the bar. I don’t understand that decision, was it too hard to put that bar on the bottom screen?

Because all it displays is a picture of Parin and one of her friends with some buttons that quickly switch your elementary powers and hats. There’s also a button for the menu, instruction booklet and inventory, but that’s already mapped to the Start button and is easier to access that way. The render of Parin fills up a lot of that screen. That space could’ve easily worked for the rhythm bar. Maybe they wanted to hide the rhythm bar because it’d go off-beat when the game has slowdown issues? I dunno.

Anyways, the levels look great for being on the 3DS and there are two kinds of them. There are levels that are open areas and hide something in them but don’t technically have an end of the level and then, there are levels that have an end of the stage but aren’t as open. But with that, I don’t mean they’re as restrictive as 3D Land’s linear levels or something. They’re kinda like Zelda dungeons without the backtracking.

However, there are some issues I have with this port (besides the lack of the rhythm bar).

First off, something I cannot ignore. The framerate, it’s all over the place. Parin and the camera control pretty smooth but enemies, NPCs and objects look like they move around at 10 or 5 frames per second which makes them really hard to hit. It’s not unplayable but I had to rely on the homing attack for a soccer minigame because I couldn’t imagine beating the opposite team by predicting their and the ball’s stuttering movements. And don’t be surprised when the game suddenly slows down tremendously. The PC version (which is also on Steam) however seems to be at a stable… 30 frames per second.

Next, pop-in issues. I noticed that the most with the coins. I think they’re supposed to disappear when they’re off-screen but they seem to disappear at the side of the screen. It’s a bit confusing when you go to pick up a coin, it disappears but when you get closer to it, it reappears.

This is just a little nitpick but Parin’s voice clips sometimes get deeper for no apparent reason. Maybe the game just can’t handle that? Who knows.

Something I don’t like about the game that’s not just this port’s fault is Parin often having to go all over the world map to do something that doesn’t take long to do, going to another spot on the map and then going to another one. Doesn’t happen too often but I don’t think that’s really funny or whatever they wanted to make those moments.

The soundtrack of Gurumin is okay but I can’t say much really stands out besides “Guruguru Tonight”. But none of the tracks are bad so that’s a plus.

But besides that, if you saw the trailers, thought it looked cool and these issues don’t matter to you, go pick it up. If you were scared of these issues of that rather unoptimized port, I’d recommend getting the PC version instead. I can’t say anything about the PSP version since I haven’t seen much of it and never played it so I’d recommend looking up gameplay footage and judge it for yourself.

I kinda actually wish they’d make a sequel to this so this kind of gameplay could improve but it doesn’t seem likely. But whatever, it’s still a fun, charming and inexpensive 10-hour distraction.