#i’m looking at you die hard cod players

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

I suddenly had a thought of GhostSoap being normal human beings and doing normal human being things and wanted to write some stuff for it.

1) Simon always forgets to replace the fuckin toilet paper and Johnny loses his mind over it every single time

2) Johnny has these quiet little snores that whistle out every time he breathes out and while it’s mildly annoying some nights Simon still finds it so endearing

3) Simon hogs the blankets, even in summer cause he’s just always cold, no matter what. Johnny tends to just snuggle in real close to Simon when he gets cold

4) Johnny is the cook of the house. He’s really good at it (his mother refused to let him leave home without knowing how to survive on his own) but he can’t bake. Simon’s the opposite where he can bake (his mum loved baking, taught him everything she knew) but can’t cook to save his life

5) Johnny’s always stealing Simon’s leftovers or hidden treats and Simon has threatened to stab him once or twice over it (it never stops Johnny from doing it again)

6) Simon totally found a stray cat and got the ‘you wanna keep him, you look after him’ talk and he has never been more devoted to looking after another living being after the whole thing with his family

7) Johnny’s got a million and one things in their bathroom all for the sake of looking after his hair and skin and what not and he definitely sits Simon down on the toilet seat every so often so he can do the same for him

8) Johnny seeks validation near constantly. Simon doesn’t know why but he always, always makes sure Johnny knows he’s appreciated and doing good and whatever else the man needs validation on

9) When Simon has night terrors the way to calm him down is to just let him cling to you. Don’t speak or anything just let him hold you and let him reassure himself that your alive and well. Sometimes he’ll be ready to talk about it in the morning, other times he’s content to let the memories go and just keep going

10) Johnny is the worst at taking out the trash. Since they live in a semi-old apartment complex they had to take their rubbish all the way downstairs when the bin in their place got full and Johnny fucking hates it

11) When one of them get put on leave and have to go back to the apartment by themselves they’ll play the other persons music and cook their favourite foods (or try at least) to try and fool themselves into thinking they’re not alone in their home

12) Simon totally has a stuffed toy that belonged to Joseph and while it sits on his shelf he was still terrified Johnny was going to say something bad about it or try and get rid of it (that’s happened once with an ex) but Johnny saw it, called it cute and then proceeded to look after it when Simon couldn’t

13) Johnny may not look it but he’s a bit of gardener. He’s got a windowsill full of herbs in the kitchen and their balcony has some random plants that he doesn’t actually know the name or origin of but he looks after them and has very specific instructions for Ghost to follow when he’s not around

14) Simon’s friends with the old guy that runs the convenience store down the street from their apartment and not because he tried to befriend the guy or anything, but because the guy thought Simon looked funny with his mask and decided he was going to favour him out of all of his customers

15) The neighbours tried hitting on Simon once and Johnny happened to open the door and heard them flirting with his boyfriend. He got so possessive that he made out with the bigger man against their door jamb for like 5 minutes until Simon pulled him inside. The news spread very quickly after that

16) The apartment complex have a betting pool going about what they do for a living because they hold such weird hours and will disappear for months at a time. None of them wanna ask the two though cause they’re all a little scared of the both of them

17) Simon’s a bookworm and if it weren’t for their tiny apartment he’d have his own, personal library filled to the brim with books

[simp999]

A New Home Ch. 3

Splatoon Manga Various x Skilled! Isekai'd Reader

Wc: 1k

Back to the start! Previous Next

You slowly open your eyes and wipe the drool off your face. You wince when you look around, realizing how bright it is. You must have crashed pretty hard last night. You stretch your arms, feeling a nice stretch in your back. But the bliss doesn’t last long when the pain comes right back. Sleeping on a bench isn’t very comfortable. 

Hey, wait, you fell asleep on a bench? Your eyes finally adjust to the scenery and yup, you’re still in Inkopolis Plaza. Well, it seems that you still have everything in your bag and your weapon is untouched, so it seems like a good time to go perform some very unfair gameplay. 

The results of these games are no different than your past ones, with you only learning more about how people battle. It’s about noon when you decide to take a break and get some inkling-friendly water offered for players at Inkopolis Tower. Thank cod for that. 

You wonder if the next events from the Splatoon manga take place the day after Goggles loses that battle with the team Rider explicitly told him not to lose, or a couple of days after. You don’t have much time to think before situating yourself in a more discrete spot after noticing the one and only idiotic blue team. You pretend to play on your phone and you attempt to discern what part of the manga you’re at so far. Rider comes into frame and that’s when Goggles’ screaming starts. 

‘Oh, Rider just found out that team Blue lost the second round. Ouch. Guess that means Army’s up next then, I should go get good seats.' You make your way over to Inkopolis Tower. 'What stage was he on again? Oh yeah, Flounder Heights.’ 

You weren’t the first to make it to Army’s match, noticing some die-hard fans already on the sidelines. You spotted somebody wearing a special forces beret. 

‘Huh, guess even the weakest of the S4 is quite strong. Of course they all have a bunch of fans. Much deserved, being some of the strongest there is.’

You take your seat and put your backpack between your legs and your weapon on the seat beside you while taking out your off-brand manual. You’ve even named it that, right there on the front with big bold letters, even though it’s basically just a sketchbook.

Just a couple more minutes before the battle begins and Rider walks into the stands. 

‘Alright, not a big deal, I’m just some rando. He doesn’t know me. Nope.’

He sits beside you, opposite side from your weapon. Suppose it was sort of unfortunate that the best seat left was the one right beside you because the other good ones were all taken.

‘Should I move? Nah, that would be kinda weird. He might think he’s smelly or something. Should I say hi? Only if he says something first.’

You try your best to calm yourself down because once again, you’re in the Splatoon manga and that’s pretty damn cool. With your pencil in hand, the Squid Sisters announce the players and the stage. You quickly notice that Team Orange is much better as well as more efficient when it comes to inking. They swiftly make their way to the center while skillfully inking every pathway there.

‘The manga doesn’t quite capture how well they move as a singular unit. Not to mention how well they work together, knowing exactly which battle plan to use for each scenario without saying a word to each other.’

‘Pure skill alone might not be able to take care of even the weakest of the S4. If they can manage to have the advantage over every scenario, they’re virtually unstoppable unless you can manage to outrange them or something. Goggles completely had the right idea when it came to bringing in a completely unrelated variable. How could I possibly beat Army if paired against him?’

Not that you actually planned on battling him at any point in time, but it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to come across one of those die-hard Army fans who battle just like him. Though, it would probably be much easier to just out-skill them. But it’s better to be at least semi-prepared for any scenario. 

‘Man, I’m kinda starting to act like Army now, huh? How ironic.’

You continue to write information down on Army and his team, flipping to the next page because one wasn’t enough.

‘It’s much easier to analyze your opponent’s playstyle and moves rather than adapt your own to be unpredictable. It’s just about impossible to be completely unpredictable. Everybody has little things that they absentmindedly do during battle. Whether it be the way they may like to jump and flick their charger before taking a shot, or maybe they prefer dodge-rolling to their right side instead of their left.’

‘Maybe the best way to go about battling him is to out-skill him? If my team and I can manage to make solid plays before Army can discern them and decide on the best way to fight back, then we should be fine, right?’

Though, you are disappointed with the way the Splatoon manga introduced the S4’s skill. They really are much stronger up close. You can tell how much time and effort really went into Team Orange’s training. You also found it interesting how even before Goggles had attacked Army with his Inkzooka, He sensed Goggles’ presence behind him. He knew he was about to get flanked from behind. That’s something you can only get from years of experience. Either from getting pinpoint accuracy by hearing the sound of footsteps or clothes rustling, or just having some sort of sixth sense.

'Maybe I could train to be quieter? Yeah, that sounds good.'

You didn’t want to wait to leave the stands, so you walked out of inkopolis tower, phone in hand before the battle ended. The app you downloaded back in the real world seems to work here too. It shows your rank, the stages, and most of your stats. The level isn’t included, but that’s alright. 

Next part

Apr.6.23

[animefreak1145]

The Brilliance of Break On Through

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Mission Break on Through—An Analysis

I have replayed the campaign of COD:BOCW numerous times—too many times truly. Did a whole playthrough where it was Hardened and soon I’m sure I shall do Veteran(something I have never done for any COD game. Not even Hardened.).

All missions have their own unique qualities—parts where the player gets a little rush of adrenaline depending on the kind of mission and how they choose to play it (Nowhere Left to Run just a plain shooting match while Brick in the Wall you can choose to remain stealthy like the good spy you are or go crazy like an eager homicidal maniac).

Even within the safehouse, there are plenty of little details to discover if you take the time to look around and observe everyone. Or, everything. (The radio if turned to a Russian station/correspondence, Adler changes it back immediately before Da Nang mission. Watching Park’s body language, as you talk to Adler and she periodically looks over to you two. Adler suspicious when you go to the Red Room or the locked room with the arcade. The T.V. being turned on in the Red Room)

But the amount of details, details, in the mission Break on Through is outstanding. I have played this mission more than any other due to me wishing to look at all the details. There’s so many, I think I may miss some. And I can’t show them off all to you cause I suck at creating gifs and don’t know how to transfer that from Xbox to my phone.

To lighten it up a bit, I won’t focus on the four different scenarios you go through—at least not each one. That would take too long and I do not have gifs/pics to show it off since Tumblr limits it to ten anyways.

I will, however, try to guide to what parts of the game you all can explore if you choose to do so. As well just how detailed they did this mission.

I am going to start with the different statements Adler says to you throughout all the Scenarios(17, 6, 11, 1). We only go through four in the actual game—but the fact it goes up to 17 or possibly more shows just how far they went in and messed with Bell’s mind.

Now, Adler seems to be a bit bipolar on how he talks to you whether or not you listen to him and all his directions. Either totally blasé and cold to giving you and pumping you up with more MK or meds, or actually a tad concerned and patient as he guides you through.

If You/Bell Stands Still/Does Nothing:

Example 1

“So you did nothing? What were you, in shock?”

He throws the words callously, mocking. As if Bell isn’t confused and lost at what is going on. He even sounds irritated that you might actually be in shock due to these memories that are just fake—not even real. Not like what he has.

Example 2

“What’s wrong with Bell?” -Adler

“I’m not sure. . .” -Park

“I guess we’ll just wait on you to proceed, Bell.”

The contrast is dizzying. He sounds concerned when he asks Park on what could be wrong with you. If he pushed you too far and now you’re just frozen. And, instead of rushing you due to how the fate of half of Europe is at stake, he decides to give you space. Just wait for you and you’ll come out of it soon enough.

He does these sort of reactions numerous times. Jumping from intimidating to the Adler we knew as the player, as Bell—kind and always in your corner that believes in you. He switches tactics based on what he believes will work really—or he just felt really on edge at times and threw the farce that you two were friends out the window.

Other examples include:

Scenario 11–Napalm Strike-in the lab in the room where you were brainwashed

“Christ, what’s happening with them?”-Adler

“A mild seizure. Sims, past me a benzodiazepine.” -Park

Again, concerned. Worried. Almost…at unease?

In the lab—tripped up on drugs. If you run through the tight shrinking hallway back and forth like so(I suck at making gifs, I’m sorry):

“Why is Bell repeating themselves?”

Or

“Bell, stop speaking in circles.”

Now, as others may have suspected, Bell is talking to everyone as they’re stuck in this horrible loop of mental torture. Most likely muttering, hands clenching and arms pulling against the straps of the gurney, moving their head back and forth depending on what they’re seeing. I always saw Bell as muttering quickly in Russian as they go through all of this—their mother tongue where it may comfort them as they’re panicking and speaking to Adler.

It’s just a nice detail showcasing how exactly Adler knows that Bell is on script—Bell saying what they’re seeing and doing and what’s going on. It shows also just how hard they put Bell through the ringer(badum tss. I’ll leave now).

All the details too when the game shows how the drugs they put in Bell affects you. Like so. The hallways appearing long. The lights looking yellow. You feel so fast—look how quick you can run. Run towards the Red Door that Adler so desperately wants and maybe this can stop. Ah, why is it running away from you? What’s going on?

I don’t know about you, but I was so lost and confused at what was going on my first playthrough. For the majority of this mission, the possibility of me being brainwashed didn’t reach the BACK of my mind till probably I actually saw the flashes of scenes about Vietnam and calling Bell a subject. So like right here.

I personally thought that I had a repressed memory or something due to me going through the Vietnam War. That whatever I saw with Perseus, I—or rather Bell—repressed it from our mind due to how violent or horrible what we saw or experienced was. And that Adler suspected and just really wanted to know about it.

I didn’t expect for the man to actually brainwash my character—us—Bell! The game made Adler your mentor, who always defended you from Hudson and believed in your skills very highly. How he and Bell were basically perfect partners when the two of you were together.

It’s amazing—cause I think that’s what the developers were going for. The absolute trust. The loyalty. The denial that ‘maybe Adler is being a little harsh but hey, this is to help Perseus so it’s okay?’ It’s perfect. Because I’m sure that is what Bell actually felt in real time.

Yet, if you go through the total rebellious choice of not listening to Adler, some thing’s make sense. The Rebellious Side shows you way more than if you just listen to Adler like a Dutiful Soldier.

You go through this room if you choose the rebellious route, the T.V.’s automatically turning on the closer you get. Of Vietnam. And now, all those T.V.‘s that turned on by themselves(the Red Room, Lubyanka, Cuba) make sense. You were actually being brainwashed. Poor Bell probably can’t ever have a turned off/broken T.V. again. The trauma.

Said trauma being shown multiple times too. Not just the T.V.‘s. But the absolute terror that Bell felt, before they became Bell, with Adler.

Like do you see this? This terrified me when I saw it at the end of the hallway. I just saw a red shadow in the distance and I legit thought I was about to be chased. Call of Duty became a horror game(I also went through the door to the ground too my first playthrough, so before this I went through zombies and I think my heart was going to jump out my chest) I thought. I didn’t want to get closer. I had to, with each step I see that it’s not a shadow but a body. And than I see the familiar jacket, the sound of whirring in my ears and see it’s Adler’s head being twisted back and forth, side to side, up and down, in a speed that in inhumanely possible.

Makes one wonder if Bell themselves sees Adler as inhumane. Not human. Adler seeming to just be a god in their head. All the Adler shaped rocks/boulders you go through and see. Even one point the V.C. becoming Adler and you killing him over and over and dead bodies of Adler being everywhere.

The man has entered Bell’s head and won’t leave. Just like Adler won’t leave Bell alone.

Heck, there’s one point in my playthroughs of this mission I was by the bridge yet there were parts of the lab by it. I jumped towards it, noticing down below there were different floors of the lab that eventually reach the ground. I jumped to reach the next floor and missed and I died.

And Adler mocked Bell committing suicide.

That was the kicker really that Adler truly is indifferent towards Bell. Like complete disregard. I know it’s fake. We know it’s fake. Adler knows it’s fake—but to Bell, it felt real. That’s the crazy part. All of this—this whole sequence feels real to Bell so each time they die they actually feel it. It’s insane. It’s cruel.

But we all know that Adler isn’t known for his kindness. Still like his character though, he’s layered.

I don’t have the exact quote he said, didn’t wrote it down like the others. I was shook he said it at all.

Moving on to the final details I’m going to talk about.

When you go through the room, I believe this comes out for both rebellious and dutiful, really depends. You see it filled with post it notes, articles, plans, and newspapers. And you see once more just how Bell has been scarred.

I don’t know Russian or German, but I imagine the notes are similar to what the English one’s say. If I’m wrong, please point it out.

There’s also post it notes which I believe is in code as well due to all the numbers—I’m not sure what those could mean since I am no decoding expert.

Poor poor Bell. And with all these pictures and plans—of Adler included—it begs the question that Bell may have been warned about the famous America’s Monster beforehand. Had to have—since Adler is basically Perseus’s adversary due to how stubborn the American man could be. It just adds more to the story, despite Cold War having quite a short campaign, they made it up somewhat with all these details everywhere.

When you finally and actually reach the room.

As you grow closer to the table, to your chair in the conference room while everyone else seems to have their own spots, there’s something I noticed.

There’s glasses. As well as a hat. And it’s Bell’s. Or at least, it used to be. Why else is it on their side of the table? By their chair? I believe it might be reading glasses due to all the decryptions Bell does, whether on paper or through a computer, it’s hard on the eyes. (I’m sure I’m not the only one who noticed this. For look at @second-vtoroy ‘s Bell)

I believe through the brainwashing, Bell might not need glasses anymore. After all, apparently they were a smoker like Adler before too but they took that out of you. What else they changed of Bell? It makes one wonder how far they truly went into molding a person.

Which just adds onto how mind boggling this mission is—this game is. This is my favorite COD game, despite how short it is. The details and choices and interactions with everyone and able to create your own character(albeit it’s very standard and not specific but it’s good enough for me) is AMAZING. I’ve always been a sucker for RPG’s and able to get that even a little in a COD game? Truly wonderful.

I couldn’t touch on everything because it would’ve gotten long, but the fun of the Break on Through mission never gets old. It’s genius multiple ways you can do it. All the details. The feelings you feel as a player as you go through it.

They truly did a unique job with this and I hope they continue with this type of game storytelling. Hopefully longer as well.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this rant basically!

Gifs made by me and used the video down below to help.

https://youtu.be/t6QkmkGGHSQ

[lumosinlove]

Vaincre

part v

~

cw: homophobic encounter.

~

November

November shadows, 

shade November change

November spells sweet memory, 

the season blue remains

~

“Lo!” Finn called. “Guess who just got traded to the Rags.”

Cool dread spun its way into Logan’s chest at full force. He felt the point of one of his hips knock against the counter. “Quoi?”

“Marshy and Morgs!” Finn said, and the appeared around the corner into the kitchen, red hair a mess. “Like, together. Like us.”

“These were Harvard teammates, yeah?” Leo asked, spooning sugar into Logan’s coffee.

“Like us?” Logan said. “They’re dating?”

“Oh, no,” Finn laughed. “I just meant together, like, at the same time. Around the same time, I guess I should say.”

“Wow,” Logan nodded, which prompted Finn to imitate the way he said wow, drawing out the W’s. Logan smiled, lifting his cup to his mouth. “We could visit them over the next free weekend maybe.”

“Damn, that’d be a blast to the past.”

“What are they like?” Leo asked, leaning into Logan’s side.

“You’d love Will. Will Morgan, Morgs,” Logan said. “Really level-headed, probably the nicest person I know. Marshy…”

“Percy Marshall is one crazy motherfucker,” Finn said, and poured his own cup of coffee, black.

Logan leaned into mock-whisper to Leo. “And Finn gets insane when they’re together.”

Finn shot him a look, but continued. “Best way to say it. He’ll party until the sun, he’s crazy superstitious—worse than Cap and Loops combined—and he’s also,” Finn slid onto a stool. “One of the hardest working guys you’ll ever met. Probably the hardest working.” Finn’s smile was one Logan’s favorite one, made even more so by the fact that he got to see it directed at Leo. “Until I met you, that is, Nut.”

Leo let out a pleased laugh and let Logan brush a hand through his hair. “Well, they’re in our division now. I’ll get to meet them.”

“Oh, man, we’re in for a fucking treat when we play New York next,” Finn grinned. “Gonna hit the town hard.”

Leo snorted. “You guys might.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Finn pressed a kiss to Leo’s cheek. “I know everyone we need to know.”

“And I can finally tell you,” Logan began. “That the first time you dragged me around New York knowing ever person you saw, I loved you.”

Finn blushed a little and let Leo pull him to settle in the V of his legs from where he was leaning back against the counter. “Well, it’ll be nice to see them.”

Logan nodded, but part of his chest pulled. He cleared his throat. “Ouais. Also…”

When he paused, Leo tapped their socked toes together encouragingly.

Logan shrugged and looked down into his coffee. He thought of Finn’s quick breaths when they took the Cup back to Harvard. He thought of kissing him in their old room. He thought of everything before. Percy and Will were a part of all of that. Not directly, maybe, but Logan knew what seeing them again would do.

“Memories,” Finn said, and Leo nudged him.

“Don’t say it for him.”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

“Memories,” Logan agreed. “Good and bad.”

~

Remus missed the net three times in fifteen minutes, and only barely managed to keep himself from breaking his stick against the boards. He would be embarrassed afterwards if he had, but could it really be so much worse than the way that he felt now?

He accepted Thomas’ fist bump as he passed him going into the locker room and sat down heavily in his stall. The game had been close, but the Devils had won out in the end. He glanced at some of the assistant coaches, who were murmuring together. There was no guarantee it was about him, but it still felt as thought it was. Sirius was talking with Evgeni, Evgeni’s loud laugh warming up the room. Remus stripped out of his sweaty uniform quickly and was headed for the showers with a towel around his waist when someone slapped him on the back.

“It’s decided,” Logan’s accent came from beside him. He wasn’t bothering with his towel, which was slung over his bare shoulder. The fleur-de-lis tattoo on his hip—and everything else—was on full display. “Me and Talker are taking you out tonight.”

Remus raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean exactly?”

Logan just smiled. “No boyfriends. No hockey. We have a day off tomorrow, so no pressure. Just some drinks.”

“And some pool, maybe,” Thomas said, coming up to Remus’ other side. “What do you say, Loops? Fun, eh?”

“Okay, one of you is butt-naked right now and the other is in a three-piece suit. I’m going to say yes and shower, all right?”

Thomas gave a whoop, and Remus couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as he dropped his towel in the change room and turned on the hot water. He felt like a sling-shot lately, being catapulted one way, and then in the opposite direction. He guessed he should feel thankful that his friends could pick him up like that, and he did, but another part of him caved in beneath the sheer affection.

I’m letting you down.

He scrubbed his hands through his hair, and looked over his shoulder when he felt a gentle, quick kiss against the back of his neck.

“Bonsoir,” Sirius said with a soft smile, and went to the shower head beside him.

“Hi,” Remus smiled back. “Beautiful goal tonight.”

He watched the water lace over Sirius’ tan skin, darkening his hair further as he pushed it back, away from his face. “You’re beautiful.”

“Hey, Olli,” Finn called across the showers, making Olli look over at him. “You’re fucking beautiful, man.”

Olli just squeezed shampoo into his palm. “I know that, Harzy.”

Sirius’ laugh echoed through the showers, joined by others, and Remus let it warm around him like the steam.

“Apparently Tremz and Talkie are taking me out tonight,” he said to Sirius as they walked back into the locker room.

“Tremz,” Sirius called over to him. “Ouch.”

“Pas de capitaines,” Logan waved him off and went back to looking at whatever Leo was showing him on his phone. Sirius laughed and looked back to Remus.

“Sounds perfect,” he said. “Wake me up when you come in if I’m asleep.”

“And go to bed without a kiss?” Remus glanced down at the towel slung low across Sirius’ hips, then back up to his bright silver eyes. “I’d never.”

Sirius smiled and kissed him, but Remus felt the unspoken settling between them. Sirius had stopped bringing up wanting to help with Remus’ shortcomings on the ice. Remus knew he had brought that upon himself with refusals after refusals to talk about it, but now it felt more like a thing. An object. An ugly vase in the corner of the room.

Maybe he really did need to go out tonight.

Thomas settled in his stall beside Remus. “We’re gonna go to Red’s, yeah?”

Remus nodded as he pulled his gray t-shirt over his head. He held up his dark jeans. “I can wear this, right?”

“Fuck yeah, I’m not wearing this thing,” Thomas picked at the lapel of his suit. “Noelle already screen shotted the snapchat I sent her. Why keep it on now?”

Remus just laughed. “All right, Talkie. Lead the way.”

Red’s bar was shoved up against the side of a larger block of buildings in Gryffindor. Remus glanced up, one or two stars were poking through the increasingly cooling loud cover. Inside it was warm, though. Foggy in the way some rooms get when there are lots of happy people in them. Logan had chosen a long-sleeved, dark gray cotton shirt, so thin that Remus could see each ridge of his defined muscles and his necklace, too.

“What the fuck happens when that thing gets wet?” Remus snorted, plucking at it as they waited for their drinks at the bar.

“I’ll pretend we had a fight,” Thomas said. “Throw a drink on you, find out.”

Logan just eyed them suspiciously as they leaned against the bar. “You guys are strange.”

Thomas just flagged the bartender, stretching the white material of his thin knit sweater. He ordered a whiskey, Logan a rum and coke, and Remus opted for a lighter gin and tonic. They still had a game on barely 72 hours. Not that anyone was that much of a light weight, but he didn’t want any assumptions being made, any photographs taken that could put him in a worse light than he already was.

“I know what this is, you know,” he said after Logan and Thomas’ intense COD debate had gone on too long. They both looked over at him, the picture of innocence. Remus rolled his eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Media’s a bitch,” Thomas said. “That’s all this is. Hockey’s hard. You can’t help that you live with Cap, who makes it all look like a piece of cake.”

Logan laughed. “I think Cap would disagree. He stinks after games, mon dieu.”

Remus and Thomas shared a look. “And you don’t?”

“Finn likes it,” Logan smirked. “Gets him going.”

“Are you sure its the stench and not the muscles?” Thomas raised an eyebrow.

Logan waved him off. “I’m not talking about this with you two. We’re here for Loops.”

Remus groaned. “Guys…it’s not…I mean every player goes through this, right?”

They both nodded.

“Sure,” Thomas said. “But it doesn’t help that some people—“

“Assholes,” Logan amended.

“Right. It doesn’t help that some assholes don’t think you deserve to be here.”

Remus tilted his glass towards him. “Yeah.”

“We just think…” Logan began uncertainly, tongue poking out to wet his full bottom lip. “Look, I love Cap. He’s like a brother. But he’s intense. For him…sometimes hockey solves hockey.”

Remus wavered. “Yes and no.”

“We just thought you might want some other ears,” Thomas offered a smile. “I mean we can’t offer a feel good night of lovin’ to make you feel better…”

Remus snorted. “Right. You know, Talkie, that’s exactly what Sirius calls it.”

Thomas cracked up, too. “But we can offer drinks. And, you know…”

Logan raised an eyebrow at him, amused. “Ears?”

“Right,” Thomas nodded. “Look at Tremzy over here, finishing my sentences.”

Remus let his smile die down a little. “I…thanks, guys. I mean, I love talking to Sirius, but I also…he is the Captain. He’s a representation of all of us. I feel a little…” Remus took a slow breath, not sure if he was even ready for the words to come out of his mouth. “I feel a little like I’m letting him, and you all, down sometimes.”

“Aw, Loops,” Thomas said, voice softened.

“I know,” Remus sighed. “It’s just…it creeps in sometimes.”

Remus watched Logan swallow. “I get it. If there’s anything I can understand it’s guilt.”

“Tremz,” Remus said comfortingly. “I guess I should listen to my own advice here, but it’s not your fault. I can be ears, too, you know.”

“Is this…” Thomas said quietly. “Carrot?”

They both stared at him. “Carrot?”

“Code names,” Thomas whispered, even though the tables were noisy and the bar was somewhat empty.

Logan laughed a little, and nodded.

Remus waited. Logan gathered thoughts slowly, carefully. Interrupting, he’d learned while talking with Leo, tended to scatter them. He was also happy that the spotlight wasn’t entirely on him anymore.

“I found him at Harvard,” Logan began, swallowing dryly despite the drink in his hand. “And I was a mess. And then we spent that year apart, and I was a mess. And then I found him again, in Gryffindor, and I was a mess. I fell in love with Leo and I was a mess.” He looked at them, eyes pleading, then back down at his drink. “I am so, so happy now. It worked out. I can’t believe my luck. I wake up so fucking happy every morning. Every little look at them, my life with them, is incredible.”

Remus and Thomas waited some more. Thomas sent Remus a half smile across him, then leaned his cheek on his fist.

Finally, Logan finished. “But I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t a mess without them.” He closed his eyes, exhaled a frustrated breath through his nose. “That doesn’t make sense.”

Thomas nodded. “Yeah, it really does. Tremz, I get it.” He tilted his glass, making his ice cubes stir the liquid inside. “You’re someone when you’re with who you love. But you gotta be your own someone, too.”

“Ouais,” Logan was already nodded. “Right, like…Re, you’re you, no matter what. Leo, he’s the same way. Finn, too.”

Remus sighed. “I’m not so sure right now. But I think what you’re saying makes sense. Tremz, you’re allowed to want that for yourself. It’s not a slight to the boys. At all.”

Logan laughed, still laced with frustration. He rubbed at his eyes. “But I don’t even know what I’m asking for.”

Remus smiled. “Hate to break it to you, but you’ve got a pretty level-headed duo in your corner. I mean, Finn’s Finn.”

Thomas snorted. “Might take him a second.”

Logan smiled and it was fond. “Yeah.”

“But Leo…” Remus snapped his fingers. “He’ll get it. They both will.”

Logan narrowed his eyes at the bar. “I’m not asking for space. I don’t want space. I don’t want anything to change I just want to stop feeling like I’ll crash and burn by myself.”

“Me too,” Remus admitted. “Maybe in a different way, but…me too.”

“I don’t know if I feel like I’m gonna crash,” Thomas said thoughtfully. “But hey, life’s tough sometimes.” He smiled and raised his glass. “Friends.”

They clinked their glasses together, laughing, the conversation turning to organizing a pick-up game in the park that weekend—if it didn’t snow. 

“Gotta use the big WC, gents,” Thomas said after a while, picking up his crutches. “Then pool?”

“Who the hell calls it that?” Remus snorted.

“Me,” Thomas called over his shoulder, politely excusing his way through the crowd with his charming smile and causing a few longing looks to follow him at his back.

Logan drained the last of his rum and coke. “You don’t feel like Cap’s putting pressure on you, do you?”

Remus looked at him, eyes widening for a moment. “God, no. No, he’s been nothing but supportive. It’s mostly me, I think. He even wants to talk about it. Sometimes I just…can’t.”

Logan nodded. “Good. No, good, I just thought I’d ask. When I first met him, he’d get like that with me sometimes. Wanting to run extra drills or talk through tape. I snapped at him for it a bit. This was before he was really who he is now.”

“Parents were lingering in him,” Remus nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”

A man came to lean against the bar beside Remus, then, and Remus shot him a smile that he hoped looked friendly rather than uneasy. The guy was really in his space. He shared a look with Logan, who’s shoulders were rounded a little in alert, green eyes narrowed in on the guy.

“You’re Lupin, eh?” the man said.

Remus sighed softly, looking down at his now watery drink. He should’ve known.

“Yep,” he replied, and looked at the man. He had two friends, hovering a little ways back.

“What’s going on this season, huh?”

The worst part was that the man was smiling, as if he thought this conversation was going to go well.

“I mean, I know you’re with the Captain and all,” the man said. “But, I mean…come on. Some of us care about how the team does.”

“Excuse me?” Remus replied.

The man tilted his head, looking mockingly regretful. “It’s not just about you.”

“Okay,” Remus said, keeping his voice flat.

“What he do to get you there?” the man asked, leaning in like they were friends. “I mean, like…some type of reward, or does he already give you those at home?”

Remus flushed. “I think we’re done talking.”

At least his friends had the decency to look a little nervous.

The man narrowed his eyes. “I’m just saying.”

“Fuck off, man,” Logan said in a low tone.

“What,” he sneered. “You got yourself a boyfriend, too, Tremblay?”

Logan was on his feet then, stools screeching back, taller than the man, stronger. Remus’ arm shot out against his chest, keeping him and his balled fists back. The man’s friend stepped forward, too.

“Whoa, Mike,” one of the friends said, hesitating. “That’s not why we…that’s not what this is.”

“Oh,” Thomas scoffed, announcing himself as he made his way back to them. He somehow made his crutches and boot look threatening. “Wrong type of harassment for you, my guy?”

The fans’ eyes went large. “Talker…”

Thomas just stared at them, and Remus watched him go from Thomas Walker with his friends to Thomas Walker on the ice, defensemen. Enforcer. “Only my friends call me that. Sit down at your own table or get out.”

Thomas shouldered through them, one crutch landing briefly on Mike’s shoe, who only just bit back a groan. Thomas was all bright, sharp grin as he sat down, leaning his crutches against the bar again. He waved the bartender over, then looked at Mike who was still standing there.

“Do I have say it again for you?” Logan snarled. “Trust me, you don’t want me to.”

Logan sat down slowly as the three men backed up and turned away. Remus pressed a thankful hand to his shoulder, also meant to calm him down a bit.

“Well, that was fun,” Thomas sighed. “Jesus. We take you out to forget about it and those three show up.”

“It’s fine,” Remus said, though his heart was pounding. “I’m surprised that was the first time it happened. Had a close call at the grocery store the other day.”

“Another round?” Logan asked. “Then pool?”

“Ouais,” Remus smiled, in his best impression of Sirius.

~

Most of November passed without change. Remus felt the stagnant ball of frustration in his stomach. He and Sirius cooked together, slowly mastering more and more recipes. Remus lived for the triumphant look on Sirius’ face when a dish came out just right. He went out with Logan and Thomas, with James and Sirius, Finn and Jackson and Kasey. He never felt more at home than when he was tucked against Sirius’ side at a team dinner, watching Logan toss food into Finn’s mouth from across the table, hollering when he caught it and then ruffling an embarrassed Leo’s hair, who was shushing them.

The weather had officially turned to Gryffindor winter, biting harsher and harsher with each night. It got to the point where Marlene started bugging them all about the Christmas video—for the fans, she kept insisting. Come on guys, it’ll be fun!

Evgeni seemed to be the only one who was truly game for it.

Remus wasn’t unhappy, but the media was growing more and more aggravated with him, the fans’ patience was running thin like ice, and now Arthur had started sending him glancing looks until, finally, he pulled Remus into his office as the boys were packing up.

The ball rolled around Remus’ ribs, fighting for space with his heart, and he sat in the leather chair across from Arthur’s desk.

Arthur took off his glasses, which was a bad sign. He didn’t say anything for a long time and Remus didn’t have the courage to make him.

“I know,” Remus finally said, and then his throat choked up. “I’m…”

“I don’t want any apologies,” Arthur said. “And, God, Lupin, I didn’t bring you in here to yell at your so get that look off your face.”

Remus blinked through the scarce relief and looked down at his hands.

“Media’s being real tough, I know,” Arthur sighed. “I know. I just want to make sure you’re all right.”

“I’m fine,” Remus said. “I’m just…it’s not connecting, I…I don’t know. Maybe I could put in more time one-on-one with one of the coaches. Or ground work with the trainers. I know we’re about to go on the road. Maybe tomorrow morning before practice.”

Arthur hesitated, then nodded. “If you’d like. But overworking yourself isn’t gonna help if that’s not the issue. Frankly, I don’t think skill is the issue. You’re a beautiful skater out there. You’re wicked fast and can misdirect hits like I’ve never seen. But…”

“No net,” Remus mumbled.

Arthur looked regretful. “No net.”

Remus nodded. “I’m working on it. I’m doing everything I can.”

“I don’t doubt that, Remus. Really. Don’t think I do. I’ll be seeing you at the Dumais Thanksgiving, yeah?” Arthur asked.

Remus nodded, spared a smile. “Of course.”

Arthur smiled back and rose. He clapped Remus on the back as he opened the door to his office again. “Good. Try and relax over the break, okay? I know it’s short, but sometimes its less work that pays off. It doesn’t always have to be more.” He looked up. “Ah, another young rascal I’ve had to say that to.”

Remus looked up to see Sirius’ smile, his dark hair curling against his neck, but otherwise tucked under a thick black winter hat. Every muscle in Remus’ body eased at the sight of him. He wanted to wrap himself up in Sirius, tuck himself inside of his winter coat and never leave.

“Cap,” Arthur gave him a nod. “See you for Turkey. Who you’ve got for the big game?”

Sirius just shrugged. “American football. Who cares?”

Arthur made a wounded noise—and another one came from Leo and Thomas down the hall as they were bundling up for the cold. Evgeni was holding Thomas’ crutches for him as Jackson helped him into his coat. Remus cracked up and took the warm palm Sirius held out. They walked down the hallway that smelled familiar and warm, under toned by the scent of carpet and cleaner that, had it been any stronger, would have been unpleasant, but it just added to the familiarity.

The garage door rattled shut behind them as Sirius unlocked their back door, letting them into their warm kitchen. Remus shook out of his coat, hanging it in the closet and rubbing his hands together. With his coat and bag, he tried to drop everything else at the door. This was his and Sirius’ space. This wasn’t a rink, or a locker room, or the press room. Theirs. The word was warmer than the heat Sirius had set to come on a half hour before they got home.

“I’m starving,” he said. “What do you feel like? I maybe want pasta.”

“I feel like you,” came the reply from behind him.

Remus’ smile was slow and he turned to see a glint in Sirius’ eye. “What is it, the cold weather? You’ve been all riled up after games lately.”

Sirius just grinned, hands squeezing Remus’ hips. “I love watching you out there.” He pressed a kiss to Remus’ cheek, his neck and his nose, between each phrase. “I love your face, I love your feet, I love your shoulders, and the way you bite the finger of your glove while you watch the game between shifts.” The kisses got considerably more heavy, lingering and accompanied by the the brush of a tongue and teeth. “I love the way you cradle a puck and the way you tape your stick. The way your hair sticks to your neck.”

Remus just smiled, eyes closed. “I’ve been playing like shit.”

“Nu-uh,” Sirius said, and Remus whined a little at the next nip, letting Sirius rock him back against the kitchen counter. “Slumps are normal. You play amazing. Just no points. Shit and slumps,” Sirius said, and Remus’ mouth went dry as he was lowering himself to his knees. “Shit and slumps are different.”

Remus let out a laugh. “Aren’t those the words to turn a guy on.”

Sirius just grinned and bit at his pants zipper. “I love you.”

“Better choice.”

Sirius carefully pulled Remus’ zipper down. “Can I? Here?”

Remus only reply was tugging Sirius’ hat free to get at his hair, the thick strands weaving between his fingers. He could already feel himself getting interested, pressing against the slip of his boxers by Sirius’ proximity alone.

“Sirius Black,” Remus sighed as Sirius nuzzled against him.  He stroked over his hair, overwhelmed with how much every part of Sirius meant to him. “I love you.”

Sirius took one of the hands Remus had in his hair by and kissed the inside of his wrist.

Remus let Sirius’ mouth fuzz his mind out, moaning softly at his hollowed out cheeks, laughing at the gentle nips to his hips and thighs. After, Sirius kissed him against the counter until both of their stomachs growled. Remus pressed his mouth against Sirius’ flushed hot cheek.

“I feel like a million bucks, thanks, baby.”

Sirius just smiled, tucking himself away.

It was true. Remus felt home. Settled. Almost as if he could forget the conversation today. Maybe even like he wanted to go down the the basement rink, just for fun, which he hadn’t felt like in a while.

“D’accord,” Remus sing-songed. “We have pasta or chicken or both.”

Sirius grinned. “Both.”

They were mostly quiet as they cooked, bumping hips, iPhone playing softly through their speakers. Remus watched the way Sirius kept his fingers carefully curled away from the knife, like Remus’ mom had taught him that summer. His tongue peaked out of the corner of his mouth, the same way it did when he was carrying a puck up the ice.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Sirius asked softly as Remus minced garlic.

Remus glanced over at him, then kept his eyes on his fingers, so close to the sharp blade. “Um. Coach says it’s not my fault. He says I’m playing well. It’s just…pointless.”

“C’est pas—”

“No, not like pointless, like, pointless. Like I’m not getting net.”

“Ah.”

They smiled at each other, Remus’ a little shakier.

“Yeah.”

I feel like I’m letting you down.

“I feel…” Remus began, and the words caught. “Um. I mean, it’ll get better. It has to.”

Sirius’ expression flickered, but he nodded. “Mhm.”

“Do you feel like a white sauce?” Remus asked, turning to the refrigerator. “Go well with the chicken.”

“Sure,” Sirius nodded. “Sounds perfect, mon loup.”

Remus took a long breath as he opened the refrigerator doors, maybe taking longer than necessary to find the half & half. He was angry at himself. He didn’t know why the words were sticking to the back of his throat. He didn’t want pity, he supposed. He didn’t want Sirius to feel like he had to comfort him. Remus closed his eyes.

He’d do better.

~

Leo and Finn had their shoulders pressed together, each with their own book in their hands, when Logan opened the apartment door.

“Got the cream,” Logan raised the shopping back, and Leo all but leapt from the cushions.

“Yeah you do,” Finn said without looking up.

“Thank you,” Leo slid on his socks in his rush to get to Logan. He pressed his palms to Logan’s cold cheeks, kissing him in a quick burst. “Thank you, thank you, I love you.”

Logan smiled as Leo scurried back into the kitchen to finish making his part of the the American Thanksgiving dinner Pascal was hosting.

“I can’t believe I ran out,” Leo said, stirring something on the stove.

“It’s fine, Le,” Logan said, shrugging out of his jacket and following him in. “Happy to get you whatever you need.”

Leo turned, a touched pout on his face, and Logan beat him to it this time with a slower kiss of his own. Leo tasted like the caramel he had had them all taste test earlier and Logan licked into his mouth eagerly.

“I love you, too,” Logan mumbled.

Leo’s expression softened in the way it always did when one of them said that. Maybe Logan wasn’t the only one who couldn’t believe his luck.

“Want to peel sweet potatoes?” Leo asked with a hopeful grin, and Logan laughed.

“Sure, soleil.”

Finn gasped from the couch, eyes on his book, glasses on his nose. “They kissed. I fucking knew they would.”

Leo gasped, too. “No. Harzy, spoilers, you’re faster than me.”

Logan looked between them. “Are you guys reading the same book again, like, next to each other?”

“Sorry,” Finn said, but he was gripping the book like another secret might spill out. “And yes.”

Leo pressed a peeler into his hands with another kiss, this one fast and skittering across his cheekbone.

“I love both of you,” Logan sighed as he picked up the first potato. “You’re weird.”

Finn closed his book without marking his place and heaved himself up with a groan, cracking his back. He came to sit at the bar counter across from where Logan was peeling.

“Thanks for the help, Harz,” Logan said.

“I don’t like it when my hands smell like potato.”

Leo laughed. “Sweetheart, how’d you ever survive on your own?”

“Take out,” Finn and Logan answered at the same time.

“And catering,” Finn added. “I think the NHL is used to boys who can’t cook. Marlene just slid the caterer’s card into my hand without a word.”

Leo just shook his head. “She tried the same thing on me. Honey, please.”

Logan and Finn shared a smile, both turning to gaze at Leo’s back.

“How much time do we have?” Leo asked.

“Like, two hours, babe, you’re good,” Finn said.

“Do I have time to ravish you in your glasses?” Logan asked.

Finn raised a teasing eyebrow. “Oh, these old things? You want to wear them?”

Logan dropped his peeler and walked around the counter. He spun Finn to face him on the stool and Finn’s feet hooked around his calves, holding him there. “Non.”

Finn smiled, leaning forward to nip at Logan’s bottom lip and pull.

“Tremblay, potatoes.”

Logan groaned and Finn gave his butt a firm slap as he pulled away. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

~

“Uh, hey dad,” Cole cleared his throat. “It’s me. I just um. I’m in Pascal Dumais’ house. Can you believe that? Uh, I just wanted to say…you know, happy Thanksgiving, and all that. Maybe you can come out to a game soon? Yeah…let me know, I can get you tickets. Okay. Okay, see you. Merry—or happy Thanksgiving. Yeah, okay. Bye.”

Cole sighed as he put his phone down and looked around the Dumais’ sitting room. It was tidy, with food laid out every table, ready for guests. Cole, after that phone call, already felt tired.

There was a knock on the doorframe and he turned to see Layla, smiling at him hesitantly. She held out a glass of a deep colored wine. “I thought maybe you’d want some.”

“Oh, I can’t, uh…” Cole began.

Layla snorted. “Me neither, but…” she glanced around the tall-ceilinged living room. “Who’s gonna tell? Dumo? Please.”

Cole laughed a little and took the thin stem from her fingers. “Thank you.”

Layla nodded, bending for a cheese and cracker. “That sounded a little tough. If you don’t mind me saying.”

Cole pocketed his phone. “It’s not really. Well…maybe now it is. But I don’t think of him that way, of this that way. He’s a good father.”

He sounded defensive even to himself and sighed. “When he decides to be.”

“He hard on you?” Layla asked. She took a seat on the couch and Cole glanced around before settling on the ottoman of one of the fat leather chairs. “About all this?”

“Hockey?” Cole said, then laughed. “No. No way, he doesn’t give a shit about ice hockey. My mom got me into hockey. My dad still hopes I’ll be, like, I don’t know…I don’t know what.”

Layla frowned. “It’s not like you could’ve been a money-bags doctor and chose to paint watercolors instead?”

Cole cracked a smile. “Yeah…Yeah, he sort of skipped around a lot before I actually started getting good.”

“Oh,” Layla said softly.

The doorbell rang. And then rang again and again, like someone was jamming their finger into it repeatedly.

“Tremzy!” he heard Katie shriek a moment later.

Warm voices filled the hall.

Cole rose and, after a moment, offered Layla a hand. She smiled, letting him pull her up. “It’s not as sob-story as it sounds.”

“I get it,” Layla nodded. “My older sister skipped altogether when I was little. Still don’t know why. I know it’s not the same but…”

“I’m sorry,” Cole said.

Layla just smiled, one of her bright ones, and wrapped her hand—gold rings and all—around his arm. “Come on. Shit’s about to get wild.”

“And delicious,” Cole said, turning towards the smells coming from the kitchen.

Layla laughed, and Cole wanted to hear that sound twenty more times.

[akiraink-no]

Empires SMP-Spirts/Fae AU

Hey! So I was watching Shubble’s stream(right after her first episode and as she was playing, I got some ideas for the Empires SMP!  Note: I haven’t watched everyone’s episodes on Empires, but I highly suggest that you check them all out. Pearl and Gem’s videos on Empires are some of my favorites, but I also love Shubble, Scott, fWhip, and Pixlriffs.

Initial World-building:  I like to think that the Empires SMP is a story of spirits/fae/royal courts. For example some of the players would be spirits or fae creatures. (Think Scott, Shubble, Jimmy?? And maybe Pixl), and the rest would be normal, human players that are royals. (Again, fWhip, Mythical, Pearl, Katherine, Joey, Gem, etc…)  I’ll start with the fae creatures first and if I’m up to it, I’ll post my ideas for the others. 

Scott Smajor: Ice/Wind

So in my head, I like to think that Scott is a fae creature from the court of ice and wind. (Mostly because ice powers are cool and because he’s in a mountain). He has explicitly stated that he’s building in an elven sort of style, which can still match with him being from a fae court. 

Personality: 

I would like to say he’s cold, calculating, and even ruthless or cruel at times (He murdered Gem after she died, guys, come on). He sees the people around him as assets that can help him, but he doesn’t form a real connection with any of them just yet. Everything is very strict and formal around him

I like to think that because wind spirits are pretty mischievous and free spirited, he has a softer side to him as well. He likes to pull pranks, but doesn’t know when too far is too far. His pranks can border on cruel and sometimes insensitive, but it’s because wind/ice spirits are probably the most detached from the other spirits

Appearance:

As for his appearance, I’m taking his skin as part of my inspiration. I like the idea of him in whites, blues, golds, and silvers. He has a crown of diamond shards that mimic ice and is held together with silver and gold that mimic branches. His robes are mostly white(representing snow) and there would be a trim of blue for the skies above his lands. He might have either arm bands, bracelets, or rings that are made of silver or gold(representing the times when the sun or moon hits the snow). 

Powers(?)

Because Scott is an ice/wind spirit, I think it would be cool if parts of him would reflect that. Maybe his skin is super pale and cold to the touch. Maybe he doesn’t wear furry coats because he doesn’t get cold. 

The air around him gets colder when he’s angry or stressed, and if he gets really pissed, he could make it start to snow around him. When he’s sad, ice starts to freeze the ground under his feet or plants around him. Maybe it gets windy when he’s happy or dies down when something shocks him

I also think it’d be cool if he had like… frost walker(?) on his feet. Like the water freezes should he get too close and he doesn’t even realize it until someone points it out. It makes travel easy for him, but also an annoyance when he is doing a build or getting a bucket of water

Shubble: Nature/Decay

So Shubble’s kingdom/empire is called the Undergrowth. When I think of that, I think of mushrooms, soil, roots, and trees. It’s pretty close to what she’s planning right now. Her style of building gives me very cottage core vibes that’s very overgrown. I like to think that she’s a nature spirit because she has said that nature provides and that just seems like a very spirit thing to say. 

So I know I said decay, but when it comes to decay, it has an interesting look to everyone. Sometimes it’s bleached bones and withered grass, sometimes it’s spongy soil and mushrooms. I like to think that Shubble is the kinder side to decay(That’s saved for someone else). Something that must happen for the cycle of life to continue, she isn’t ruthless or cruel, she’s just trying to help the earth along.

Personality: 

Shubble would be very kind, sweet, and overall very trusting. That doesn’t mean she’s stupid or naive, it just means she’s willing to be kind to people first and give them chances to show their kindness. (I spent a long time in her chat during her streams and… yeah, wholesome energy). 

She doesn’t see the people around her as assets and rather hopes to make friends rather than enemies. I won’t say she forms connections quickly(mostly because I haven’t seen her interact with others just yet). But she is very trusting. (remember fWhips potatoes and Pearl’s shovel). During her stream after her first episode aired, she talked about hoping to be friends with Katherine from House Blossom and is aiming to stay as peaceful as possible during the time of the server. 

Appearance: 

So I haven’t seen her skin yet(mostly because this is coming out before we see it.) But she’s using a lot of browns, yellows, greens, and reds. I would like to say that her outfit would sort of reflect that. Instead of a crown of precious gems and metals, it’s maybe a crown of twigs, branches, leaves, and maybe some smaller mushrooms. (Antlers would be cool, so… ) 

I don’t think a dress would work, since she does a lot of work around her base. (Her stream was having her working with trees, leaves, and mining), so I think maybe a pair of overalls (maybe a brown?), a yellow/red undershirt and maybe a dark green jacket. Her outfit would be perfect for her to get on her hands and knees and dig into the earth(Gardener! Shubble). 

Powers:

I feel like because Shubble has this overall sweet and kind energy, I think mushrooms would grow from around her feet. Maybe she can sense when things are about to pass on and tries to make them as comfortable as possible. She can communicate with the earth below her(again, nature provides), and can speak with the animals to some degree

I would like to see spore blossoms react to her. Since spores are also the seeds for mushrooms, it’d just make sense in my head. Maybe she can coax plants to bloom or grow slightly faster around her if she’s happy. Maybe when she’s sad, things start to wilt or shrivel up. Her anger makes things die or age rapidly around her. Her touch can either harm or heal. Knitting the body’s wounds or it could tear into them, causing them agony. 

Jimmy: Ghosts/Decay

I like to think that maybe Jimmy started out human. Or maybe he’s half human. Like one of his parents was human and the other was a fae. (It would certainly explain his skin) 

Personality:

So I haven’t watched a lot of Jimmy, but I wanted to get this off my chest because it’s been in my head for a while now. I think Jimmy, like Shubble, is trusting. Not as much as Shubble, but he does aim for friendship first and then enemy second. So, maybe he’s an opportunist instead. 

Another thing that he might be is petty or spiteful(see his and Sausage’s argument over a music disc). Another ruler might negotiate or bargain their way to what they want, but I think that either Jimmy is pretty young(for fae standards) or his mixed bloodline makes it hard for him to act with a clearer head. It’s pretty clear that he wants others to take him seriously, but at the same time, he can act very impulsive and rashly(See all of 3rd life). 

Appearance: 

It’s pretty clear that Jimmy has that green tinge to his skin. But I think he would have colours such as green(for obvious reasons), browns, and maybe some greys(for clay in the swamp). He wouldn’t have a crown, instead, he’d have a set of gills on each side of his neck. Since I like to think that he swims around in the swamp to talk to the cod in his kingdom. 

For more formal events, he might have a brown cloak and pants with a rich green tunic. He doesn’t look the most royal, but maybe that’s okay because he doesn’t want to be seen as super royal to the rest of his kingdom. Maybe he feels like if he appears to be too royal, the people of his kingdom wouldn’t approach him. 

Powers: 

So Jimmy’s was pretty difficult. Swamps aren’t like ice and wind or nature. But he is a spirit of decay. A less kind version of decay, but not overall cruel. Maybe his decay strikes faster than Shubbles. Where she is understanding and aims to help those along, Jimmy is buried with memories, sunken bodies, and ghostly apparitions. 

So maybe he can see the dead, ghosts who haven’t passed on and simply wander his empire. His eyes glow a faint green whenever he talks to them and tries to aid them to move on to the afterlife.When he’s happy, he shines in the dark backdrop of the swamp, drawing more of the dead, eager to pass on. 

Maybe his anger results in ghostly wails or being dragged into the soft earth around his home. His sadness draws more of the dead to his area, even if they didn’t die there. His pain and grief is like a blackhole, pulling souls in and forcing them to stick around, stuck in his orbit. Maybe a certain few stayed because he was the first one who spoke to them, who reached out to them, who made an effort. 

Pixlriffs:Time/Death

So Pixlriffs has said that he wants to watch over the others deaths with his vigil and he lives in a desert, so I thought they would work with each other. When you think of time, you think of hourglasses, they have sand so that’s the connection I made. 

Personality: 

So Pix has shown an unhinged side to his overall calm and collected composure.(Example, Episode Ten, I think?) His: I sent five people to their deaths and they granted me wings(paraphrased) line is both chilling and is also perfect for a spirit of time/death. 

He, like Scott, is a bit disconnected from the others. Not by accident or nature, but by choice. As a spirit of time and death, he sees the clocks above everyone’s heads, knowing when their last breaths will be taken and when those clocks finally stop. 

It’s not that he’s apathetic to his fellow kings and queens, but rather he is scared. He doesn’t want to form connections only to see them disappear like a drop of sand in a desert. He wishes to honour the people who have weaseled their way into his heart. So he keeps the vigil to count their deaths and remind them that they will not be forgotten. Pixl is a watcher, an overseer that is afraid of the day his friends will pass on and leave him alone. 

Appearance:

The man calls himself the copper king, so I have to have those shades of copper in his outfits somewhere. Teal, brown(for bronze), and those shades between (for copper)are very good(both in builds and on clothes). I also think that pale yellow(representing the sand) is also a nice touch and green for his lush gardens is also a wonderful tone. 

He has a cape that is mostly teal(I’m thinking the shift between the third to final stage) with a bronze belt. The pale yellow would be his shirt and his pants would be a darker brown. Matching his boots. 

I think he would have a crown with pale yellow crystals(yellow zircon or topaz) with bronze wires making up the rest of the crown. Maybe there are pieces of turquoise or aquamarine, that would be cool too. 

Powers: 

The man is basically a watcher. He has wings and can see through time. Like I said before, he can see the clocks ticking above the other players’ heads. Seeing how long they have until their last breath. Pixl is equal parts chaotic and calm. So I think he has a good control over his emotions. 

When he’s stressed things start to wilt under his feet(another reason he lives in a desert), in his anger, he can cause death. Maybe he’s just an omen or something that draws in death. (See his end raiding attempts one and two). I like to think that maybe he has the ability to hold flames or make small ones(just for his candles), he isn’t violent or uses them to hurt others. He simply just uses them to light his candles. 

He’s more than capable with his other abilities. 

This is all I have for now. If I decide to do the others, I’ll add a link to this post. I’d appreciate some information or ideas for the other players since I haven’t had the chance to touch down on all of them. If you have any ideas, feel free to send them to me too!

[squidgirlfriends]

(remember i said i was gonna write a pearlina fic? well, here she is... pure.... *heavy breathing...... pure fluff. i pulled this out my ass at like midnight two days ago. boy am i proud...)

mint chocolate and awful movies

[read on ao3]

“Tonight, on the big screen… A Midnight Inking, the ultimate trilogy! Drug makers in the dark, secret black market under Inkopolis’ noses discover a new radioactive substance by chance, but what do the side effects of this new substance entail? Watch now, or stay forever in the dark!”

Marina groaned. “Are you kidding me, Pearl? Even the books for that series weren’t good.”

“Oh? You talk like you’ve read ‘em?” Pearl waved the stack of disc boxes around, eyebrows raised.

Marina crossed her arms, scoffing. “Well of course I have. Inkopolis’ library needs a bigger selection!”

“There’s a reason Inkopolis’ library doesn’t have a selection, smart stuff. But guess what!” Pearl slammed all the discs onto the table. She poked Marina’s nose. “Whooooo won the splatfest?”

Marina rolled her eyes. She didn’t bat Pearl’s finger away.

“…you did.”

“Thaaat’s right! Which means, no more book talk tonight, no boring words on paper, just action and crime syndicates!” Pearl poked Marina’s nose again, for good measure.

“But please, Pearl, couldn’t you have at least picked a better series?” Marina pleaded.

“Nope!”

“Not anything? If you make me watch these movies my eyeballs will fall out.”

“Cool.”

“Not cool! If you make me watch these I’ll bleed out and die because these movies suck so much.”

“So you’ll watch… anything else?” Pearl pursed her lips thoughtfully. “How about… Squidmarq, the Complete Adventures?”

“Oh cod, no—“

“Midnight Inking it is, then.”

“That’s not fair! Squidmarq is a TV show!”

“Ah ah,” Pearl batted her eyes. “Who won the splatfest?”

Marina glowered. “I hate you. I’ll burn your TV.”

“I’ll buy another one.” Pearl opened the first movie's disc box.

“I’ll replace your mayo with toothpaste.”

“Isn’t that supposed to happen the other way around?”

“I’ll… I’ll fall asleep during the movie?” Marina sunk to her knees in defeat, slumping over the low table.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ve got us enough sugar and caffeine to last us another week. It might kill us, but I’m not letting you sleep through these.” Pearl smirked, dropping the disc into the player’s tray. She took the remote and plopped onto the couch, patting the place next to her. “C’mon, Marina, sit up here.”

Marina gently banged her forehead on the table.

“I don’t want to bleed out on your sofa,” she muttered.

Pearl smiled, grabbing Marina’s arm.

“Come onnnn, get up here!” It was like trying to lift a sack of rocks. “Cod, Marina, you weigh like a million pounds—“

She thought for a moment. “Hey… Marina…I got you something for tonight…”

“Is it bleach? For my eyes?”

“No… it’s better than bleach for your eyes… It’s ice cream…” Pearl tugged lightly on Marina’s arm. Her head lifted a little off the table. Pearl let her hand slip down into Marina’s, lacing their fingers together. “...mint…chocolate flavor?”

Marina smiled a little, turning around.

“Mint chocolate?”

“Yeah, and pretty sure… there are a coupla’ spoons… out on the counter…”

Marina squeezed Pearl’s hand once and let go, heading to the freezer in the kitchen. She returned with a tub of ice cream and two spoons.

“Throw it here!”

“I’m not throwing the spoon, Pearl.” She sat down gently and ripped the plastic seal off, holding her spoon in her mouth. “Jus’ shtart the movie, I wan’ get dish over wif.”

-

Two movies in, the ice cream tub sat on the table, half-finished and probably more soup than ice cream at that point. They’d forgotten personal space around the same time as they’d forgotten the ice cream; Marina’s head pillowed on Pearl’s chest, one of her tentacles wrapped around Pearl’s arm.

“Don’t fall asleep, loser…” Pearl yawned, using her free hand to rub little circles into Marina’s hip, where her shirt rode up.

“We were just performing for twenty-four hours, Pearl. We may be young, but we’re not…gods…” Marina cuddled in closer, her nose brushing against Pearl’s jaw.

“We got… we got…one movie left… n’we’re done…” Pearl reached for the remote.

“It’s like two in the morning,” Marina’s voice was scratchy with exhaustion. She yawned. “Let’s just… go to bed…”

“Weakling! We gotta, we… one more and we’re done…” Pearl flicked the remote and started the last movie, which opened with the typical pan-shot over the city, slowly dipping to the protagonist’s underground shelter.

Pearl nudged Marina’s shoulder. “Y’know what?”

“Hmm?” Marina hummed in response.

“I think this is a pretty dumb series.”

Marina snorted. Pearl felt her smile against her collarbone.

“I mean, by the end of all this, the radioactive whatever thingy didn’t even matter? It was like this dumb, stupid mushy love story. Where’s the… people dying cos’ their skin melted off? Ya know? The whole point of these crime movies is to have action, and well…crime.” Pearl watched as the main guy’s dying father offered him some words of wisdom, before falling victim to the radioactive thing’s side effects. “See? It’s all too mushy.” Pearl blinked. “Marina?”

Marina’s breath had evened out, her eyes shut and lips parted slightly. She was asleep. The only light in the room was from the TV screen, painting shadows over Marina’s face as she slept. It was pure contrast, the violent flashes of color over her peaceful expression.

Pearl pressed a half-kiss to Marina’s forehead, and flicked the TV’s volume down.

-

Marina woke up first, blinking groggily against what was definitely not her pillow. It was still partially dark in the room, thanks to Pearl’s blackout curtains. Her mouth tasted like sour milk; she wrinkled her nose and swallowed thickly.

Her head still felt too heavy to lift, so she settled back onto Pearl, making a soft, sleepy noise when two arms snaked around her waist in return.

“Mornin’ sunshine…” Pearl muttered.

“Shut up,” Marina grumbled. “…too early…”

“Not that early…” Pearl yawned. “We’ve… got time…”

Marina hummed, settling down into half-consciousness until Pearl roused her again.

“C’mere…’rina…” she nudged Marina a little, trying to shimmy down so they were face to face. Marina was having none of it, Pearl’s plan was proving to be harder to carry out than she thought.

“Look at me, you shit,” Pearl pinched Marina’s shoulder, hard.

“Well now...that’s some real charm… how could I ever resist?” Marina squirmed in Pearl’s arm, using all the strength her sleepy arms had to offer to rest on her elbows, hovering over Pearl. “What.” She said flatly.

“Just noticing how much of a morning person you are…” Pearl smiled, lifting her head up to kiss Marina. She pulled away for a moment. “Your morning breath is gross.”

“You’re not too bad yourself,” Marina muttered dryly. She leaned down this time, meeting Pearl halfway. They kissed softly, lazily in the way only the early morning can bring. Pearl slid her hand under Marina’s shirt, splaying her fingers over the small of her back.

Marina sighed lightly against Pearl’s lips, letting herself melt.

“Hey,” Marina muttered between kisses. “…do you know what time it really is?”

Pearl paused, her lips buzzing and kiss-red. She craned her neck, peering around Marina’s arm at the clock.

“Remember how I said we have time?” She smiled.

“…yes?”

“I lied.”

Marina’s eyes widened, and she looked at the clock. She nearly choked on an inhale, scrambling off the couch. Pearl pouted, shivering at the sudden loss of warmth.

“Are you crazy!? We have to be at the studio!” Marina ran to her bedroom, halfway pulling her shirt off. The door slammed shut.

Pearl glanced down at her own outfit, a baggy shirt with questionable stains, and an old pair of shorts with ripped pockets. She should probably get changed, too.

She looked over at the remnants of the ice cream goo in the tub, two spoons sticking out haphazardly. Today was going to be a long day.

[ourlittlebitofnothinguniverse]

All for the video game ask. (do I need to mention only if u r comfy w/ it at this point). Love you!!

alright u done done it now bitchhhhhhhh are u READY 4 THIS SHIT (dshfa;lkj thamk i am so pumped ur my biggest enabler) i already answered a couple of these for anon but i’ll go ahead and answer them here as well

1. First game you played obsessively?hmmmm i wanna say the legend of spyro the eternal night? i played it so much i could beat the whole game in four hours. i’ve heard lots of ppl actually hated the legend of spyro trilogy but honestly they can suck my ass i loved them

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.uh besides my answer for anon of skyrim not many games have actually just straight up influenced my art style but i’ve been playing this game called Fe (not fire emblem just Fe) and i really want to draw fanart for it bc it’s super cute if that Counts as influence?

3. Who did you play with as a kid?if this is meant in terms of co-op games nobody bc we didn’t have anyif just in general, my sister for the most part. i’d watch her play things like resident evil and she’d help me with the hard parts in medievil and crash bandicoot warped (read: racing levels)

4. Who do you play with now?myself lmao i don’t rly like co-op and multiplayer games and i prefer to play most games by myself

5. Ever use cheat codes?like i told anon, no bc i don’t know how they work and i’d probably only use them for the sims anyways

6. Ever buy strategy guides?not really? once we bought the collectors edition for diablo II when i was little and it included the strategy guide which i stayed up all night to read (bc i had run out of other reading materials in the house) but like i don’t really use them idk

7. Any games you have multiple copies of?the sims three and i know you know the reason why but in case anybody else wants to know: i didn’t know they had actually completely changed the game since i had played it last probably a decade ago so i bought it @ walmart this year and then i got mad bc it apparently SUCKS ASS now so in search of a copy of the original version i bought a second one from amazon bc the Image being used WAS of the original case but it really was the new version so now i have two SHITTY SHITTY VERSIONS of a game i used to love that i will never play bc it’s shit except maybe i will bc apparently it has real life music in it just replaced with sims language which is amazing and this response is far too long for the question but i asked u if u were ready so u signed up 4 thisi also have an xbox version of it tht i got for like christmas or smth years ago and a,,,,,, ds version??? that i got last year bc somebody was selling “the original version of the game including every expansion pack” for only like $30 and it definitely said disk version but when i got it it was this Pre-owned Dirty Ds Cartridge Covered In What Looked Like Strawberry Jelly and when i tried to contact them they shut their page down so there’s that which equals four shitty shitty copies of the sims three and i will never be more mad about anything than i am about this

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?uh well back when i had a job i spent A Lot of money (to me it was a lot) to get the collectors edition of the last guardian so that would be my most expensive. other than that i would have to say one of the hardest to find (maybe not rare but not common)games i have currently is medievil for ps1 bc it took me like a week of searching to find a copy in good condition online for sale bc i rly wanted to own it again since we had to sell all my old games when we moved to oregon which sucked bc we had a Bunch of cool games (mostly early ps era)

9. Most regrettable purchase?did you see my rant about the sims three for answer 7? yeah

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?never lived in an area where that is A Thing

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?i wanna make a homestuck joke here (srsly probably not like i said i don’t rly do any type of co-op or multiplayer games so)

12. Ever get picked on for liking games?not really?? is that a Thing?

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?uh idk literally any COD game, basketball games, Fallout games, overwatch, anything that’s co-op, shooter games or sports related etc idk i’m a simple fellow these types of games don’t appeal to me

14. Favorite game music?idk what this means? like genre-wise??? idk abt stuff like that i just like good game music but i’ll tell you the fuck what, hiveswap music fuckin SLAPPED

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?fuck shit idk man i don’t rly want a tattoo maybe uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh smth that could be vague

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?idk rip lmao

17. Ever lose a friend over a game?Nah man i can’t even imagine smth as dumb as that unless they’re screaming racist or sexist slurs bc then friendship is terminated but otherwise like wtf it’s just a game,,,

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming?i mean?????? sure????????????? they don’t have to game with me??????????? unless they tell me I can’t game bc they don’t like it in which case Bye u controlling piece of shit

19. Favorite handheld console?u kno those games that used to come in sonic happy meals? yah (jk uh i don’t have much experience w/ handheld consoles besides nintendo ds-es and they’re cool)

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?like i said i played spyro the eternal night so often i could beat it in four hours so probably that one.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?the only games i didn’t like as a kid i p much still don’t like now

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?i am Poor

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?currently skyrim or stardew valley

24. First Pokemon game?I didn’t get to play any pokemon games until this year actually but i got myself pokemon y and ultra sun so those are my first two! although you Could technically say pokemon go bc i played that for the first time like One month before i got y and ultra sun but like idk if tht counts so *shrug emoji*

25. Were you ever an arcade game player?i never lived where arcades were a thing tbh

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?Why

27. Game that makes you rage?there’s this absolutely adorable and INFURIATING game called so many me that’s a puzzle platformer but the controls are so ridiculously precise that it’s absolutely the WORST to play bc unless you do it just right at just the right millisecond you will die over and over and over

28. Ever play in a tournament?nah

29. What is your gaming set up?the livingroom tv and my mom’s xbox one or my bedroom with my ps4 i got for my birthday and my xbox 360 that i got like 7 years ago

30. How many consoles do you own?alright so If ds-es count i own,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, roughly seven? i have my new ps4 i got for my birthday last year, my 7 year old xbox 360, another xbox 360 i bought from a kid @ school, a ps1 i bought last year for the Nostalgia that’s in rly good condition, a rly old ds lite a rly old 3ds and my new pokeball 2dsxl. i would also say that the ps3 my aunt left when she died is mine bc my mom never used it and she had bought most of the games For Me and Her to play together anyways so the idea that she left it to my mom is,,,, Weird but my mom claims it was left to her so Shrug emoji

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?“virtual boy” i love it omg. uh not really i don’t use my ds-es that often bc i don’t have a just wild amount of games but when i do use them it doesn’t rly mess w/ my brain or eyes too much

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?probably not?

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?i don’t think so tbh

34. Do either of your parents play video games?my mom does but she really only plays like three games (the newest assassins creed, skyrim, and stardew valley)

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

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?man have u ever heard of brotherhood a tale of two sons? mom told me abt it and she didn’t warn me abt how it ended and i had to leave the room and cry bc it broke my heart

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?i didn’t know that was a thing

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?i can’t think of any tbh. oh wait i take that back sonic unleashed it’s terrible but i love it

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?maybe not a sequel but they rly need to come out with another stardew valley type thing or maybe expansions or smth so that you can talk to and befriend more ppl and stuff

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?never been able to try them but they look super fun and i can’t wait to see how they improve the technology

41. A genre that you just can’t get into?multi-player games period. also first person shooters and sports games. there’s more but i can’t remember the title of the game bc i don’t know what genre it would be lmao

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?i assume this means game related nerdiness not just my inherent nerdiness in general so probably the very first spyro game

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?all the time my dude

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?none

45. How are you at Mario Kart?probably shit i’m not good @ steering in games

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?i love them! i have like 100+ hours logged into stardew valley and i only got it in like november of last year

47. Do you like competitive games?not really

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?so long. i either have to make them gorgeous or beautifully hideous

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?yah tbh lmao. i have like eight thief stone khajits in skyrim rn

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?i have a Lot of ideas and not all of them are good

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?forgetting to sleep, yes. forgetting to eat? no 

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?i was a very sheltered kid i didn’t know about new games coming out when i was little bc we didn’t have any way for me to find out About Them. i’m making up for it by begging as an adult for ni-no-kuni II and the new spyro trilogy remastered

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?depends on the game tbh some of it is good and a lot of ppl who make mods are rly talented but sometimes the big companies just make dlc to make more money so it can be rly shitty so it’s kinda a 50/50

54. Do you give in to Steam sales?heck yes rn i’m waiting for house flipper to go on sale bc i’ve been waiting for it to come out since i found out abt it

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?no my style of playing the sims was more along the lines of make a hundred houses that are all P Much The Same House and making a hundred familys and never playing literally any of them hadflskja;sdfjdslkhja i just liked building stuff and that’s why i’m pissed abt how much they changed the sims three bc it used to be Way Better

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?we didn’t have it but i did have zoo tycoon and i’d release the dinosaurs sometimes

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

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?uh!!! that’s too much pressure and i would get so bored playing them for the rest of my life even if i loved them so i will not choose

59. Do you play any cell phone games?sort of? i’m big into abyssrium and i like viridi if those Count?

60. Do you know the Konami Code???????????????????????? guess not

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

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?i got the last guardian before getting the ps4 does that answer ur question? (jk that is not the only reason i wanted and got the ps4 but it was One big reason)

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? nah

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?not really? i just use whatever i currently have bc i am lame

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

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?not a nokia but we had this one handheld thing that had a bunch of games in it that included snake i just can’t remember what it was it had like letters and numbers and it needed like regular batteries and you could only play the games that came programmed on it 

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?i cannot think of any right off the top of my head even though i know i played a lot of video games and loved them when i was little. hm it might not count as like a gaming-related childhood memory and more of just a memory of a game but we did have one really interesting little game that i absolutely loved i think we only rented it but u were a scientist who could turn into a mouse and it was absolutely amazing i loved it i have no idea what it was called hm

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?not really we didn’t have arcades around where i grew up

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? there are a lot of rly good ones i can’t choose a best game

70. Very first game you ever beat? like i told anon i’m p sure it was crash bandicoot warped

WHEW this was rly fun thank u for enabling me it took me like two hours to answer this i’m so happy. ilu 2 man hope ur day has been rad!

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

Guys I had a thought and it’s equally hilarious and adorable so here.

But GhostSoap falling asleep on a couch that’s just a touch too small to fit them both so they’re snuggled right up against one another, cuddling and so entangled with one another they don’t know where on begins and another ends.

Soap wakes first and takes a moment to relish in the peace and safety, smiling at a still sleeping Simon (cause the man doesn’t have his mask on for once and he’s not Ghost unless he has the mask) before he decides to get up.

What he doesn’t realise though, is just how entangled the two of them are. So when he goes to get up he ends up just tripping, falling over the side and pulling Ghost with him cause they’re legs are still tangled together.

Ghost wakes and manages to catch himself before he fully crushes the Scot but something has definitely been strained and his knees are definitely bruised as all fuck now.

Soap groans underneath him, rubbing at his elbows and head. A moment of quiet goes by before Ghost huffs a laugh and that just triggers Soap to start laughing his ass off cause he’s positive that they probably looked so stupid just then.

Johnny doesn’t mind too much tho, forgets the pain of the bruises quick when he looks up to find a smiling Simon looking down on him. The man’s expression fond but exasperated, and it’s the softest Johnny’s ever seen him.

[mlpsimta]

The Nintendo Wii Mini

Just one month ago I purchased my very first Nintendo home console a Wii Mini. When it comes to Nintendo consoles I don’t have any experience at all with them. I own a 3DS since the end of August which is a brilliant handheld system (that I should cover in the future), but not a full blown home console. Nope I don’t (and had never own) even have a NES, SNES or an N64. Mainly because Nintendo was the only gaming company that flown under my radar completely as a child. So I was really excited when I found a used Wii Mini at my local game store and I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on my very first N home console!

Eevee used Helping Hand! The Wii Mini’s FPS has increased!

So I booted up and no picture. I thought OK maybe I just plugged the component cables into the HDMI converter in a wrong way. After I confirmed that I’m indeed not colour-blind and plugged in everything in the right order I ventured into the depth of Google to figure out what was wrong with my system. I could hear the menu tone and even felt my controller vibrating so my Wii Mini couldn’t be defected. A few clicks later I found my answer for the lack of video output. As it turns out the Wii Mini can’t use component cables! So if I wish to play with my console I have to fall back to use composite cables. I was a little frustrated at that point. How a system released in 2012 couldn’t handle component output?! If you don’t understand why that is a problem basically with composite (5 plugs) you can get a much better and clearer video signal than with component (3 plugs), even the PlayStation 2 a console which is by the way older than the Wii can handle it. Luckily I own an AV2HDMI Mini converter so after changing out the video cable and converter I finally was able to see something on my monitor.

See?! I’m not a Sony fanboy! I have a Nintendo console too!

Obviously it wasn’t a good first impression from the little device. It’s never good if the first thing after booting up something you don’t see anything. Now maybe I’m asking too much from Nintendo but I was genuinely surprised that I can’t use component cables. Mainly because the normal Wii was capable to pull out such a trick like that. Anyways I knew that I’m going to lack some features with the Wii Mini, like the lack of internet connection (which is absurd too, but I don’t really care about net) and no SD card support but I just can’t understand Nintendo sometimes (most of the times). According to them the Wii Mini is a cheaper alternative than the original Wii but that shouldn’t be the excuse to sacrifice image quality. No internet and SD support? Fine... You don’t want your console to get hacked. Although if you want to avoid hacking provide a better service than the hackers. Also looking up the prices back when the Mini came out it was only a couple of bucks cheaper. So who at Nintendo thought that the Mini is a good idea? It literally makes no sense.

OK. Enough rambling! What does the Wii Mini can offer you? Well in sort you can play Wii games on it and that’s all. If you wish to use it for as a cheap way to play Wii games (I wouldn’t recommend it) than you are good to go but bear in mind that is the only thing that the device is capable of, and if you wish to hack it to increase its IQ and show it what a present day (or 2010) device can and should do than you are shit out of luck my friend. Now I’m not saying that you should hack or mod anything that uses electricity and you should always support the developers by purchasing their games. All I’m saying is that if you wish to do it on this device than you are going to have a bad time (or a nice challenge). In summary; no internet, no dvd player support the only thing you can do on the system literally is playing Wii game on it.

The starting library, still need to buy a couple more games....

When it comes to games the Wii Mini can handle all of the Wii titles relatively well, just bare in mind that with component cables the picture quality will be a little washed up. Basically the image quality looks like a moving water painting. So I would highly recommend purchasing a basic component to SCART converter that will help a bit. Oh also if you have an old tube TV that would be the best option to hook up your console to. Ok enough image quality back to games... The titles that I currently own are running fine and it’s really interesting to use motion controls too. Currently I own Twilight Princess, Cod MW/WAW/MW3 and other games that I wish to cover in the near future, but this time I only wish to speak about the console itself. I have never really used motion controls in the past so I was a little hesitant first how it will turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised. It took me a few minutes to get used to it and after few hours when I was completely confident and stopped pressing the wrong buttons and learnt how wildly I have to swing the Wii Mote or Nunchuck. Also using the two controllers are really good and they fairly comfortable to hold not to mention that you don’t have to hold your hands close to each other like with any usual controllers. So most of the times I’m just hanging my hands down by my sides while playing (well at least when I don’t have to point at the screen) and it is just sooo comfortable and I really enjoy it!

Gimmicky? Yes. Fun? Hell yeah!

So far I’ve finished Modern Warfare, World at War and I’m halfway through MW3 and Twilight Princess. Using the Wii Motes for aiming in cod is hard at first and it is something that I still not really used to it but it is a really interesting way for playing an FPS game and it gives a good twist to it that I like. Maybe I shoot bullets all over the place not hitting anyone at all but man I like it! Maybe it’s because I have completely missed this motion control nonsense so it’s still new to me but I really want to see this concept not to die. Especially that Sony already has it so maybe if they would do something about it that would be nice. Not to mention if someone who hasn’t played a game before than motion controls is a great and simple way to teach them how to play. Speaking of which!

Also I got my hands on a normal Wii that is protected by Sylveon!

The biggest reason I love this little machine is that it was capable of doing something that I have failed countless times. Mainly introducing gaming to my family members and other friends who are normally trying to stay away from gaming as far as possible. My father really got into Mario Kart! Since I showed him each day he request to play a couple of tracks which is insane because I showed him games before that he would like but never got into them, so to see that he is the one wanting to play is an absolute joy! Other than my dad’s liking of Mario Kart Wii my mom and sister has an interest in Wii Sports and Just Dance 2014. They haven’t really got hooked into them but if I see them bored and I suggest playing a few rounds of bowling or dancing they don’t hesitate to say yes.

Over all the Wii Mini is maybe not the best device (and as of writing this I already got a normal first model Wii) but if you find one at a yard sale and there’s absolute no way for you to buy a normal one, go for it! Playing games with motion controls as I have already stated in this mess of a review a dozens of times is really fun and well made also if you are trying to introduce gaming to someone you care about than a Wii is an excellent system! I often like to give shit to Nintendo when they deserve it, but man when they do it right they do it an outstanding performance. So now that I own some consoles from the Big N and played some of their games I have to say: I’ve got some catching up to do and play some games that I missed completely.

—————————————————————————————————-Shameless self advertisement starts:

Don’t forget to like and share this article if you enjoyed it and press the follow button if you wish to read more like this.

Follow me at twitter where I absolutely do nothing interesting: https://twitter.com/MLP_Simta Read all of my previous “work” at: http://mlpsimta.tumblr.com/ Shameless self advertisement over —————————————————————————————————-  

Obligatory question so that you can comment under the post: What is your favorite game on the wii that I should buy and do you like the system too?

[drinkingbuddiez-blog]

Call of Duty World War II

Call of Duty: World War 2 (COD: WWII) has been such a surprisingly phenomenal game. With a lengthy campaign covering key points of World War II, multiplayer that introduces  new concepts to the franchise, social zones that allow for laid back chill time when you’re three whiskeys too deep and on the verge of throwing your controller through the tv, and of course Nazi Zombies. I quite honestly didnt want to put the game down to write this review I’ve had such and amazing time. Let’s get to it though.

Slight Spoilers Ahead

Campaign

The campaign was a grueling, lengthy, and unforgiving time that stretched over the course of eleven missions from June 6, 1944 to March 7, 1945. The game covered several key points from America’s involvement including D-Day and Battle of The Bulge. 

The campaign was one of the most challenging campaigns the series has produced reminding you time and again you can not rush through these missions carelessly.With on onslaught of Nazi’s gunning for your life, and allies that seem to have no combat functions, some of these missions make you earn your right to be in the Bloody First. 

From mission one you’re struck with a depressing feeling of loss as men are killed left and right no matter how hard you fight. Even your close friends are put into danger, and strong leaders left to die. Even through this you must press on capture territory, and try to save your brothers and sisters on the battlefield. I’m trying to vague and cliche as to avoid any real spoilers in the game, but this story covers the lives of these soldiers so well it creates a bond to where you know they’re your brothers. I would give this campaign 10/10 all around. Despite it’s length the developers managed to make me play straight through never wanting to put it down. Like binging Band of Brothers this story line will draw you right in.

The story focuses on several different items. The ones that stuck out were the value of life, importance of relying on your brothers/sisters, and awesome shit you can collect during war time (mementos).

 During each mission you’ll be presented the opportunity to perform heroic acts in which your actions have consequences and can cost the lives of  fellow soldiers and civilians. There’s generally only a couple of these to perform during each mission,  and mostly just being dragging a fellow soldier to safety before he bleeds out. 

There’s also memento scattered throughout each mission. Each mission consisting of three. You can find those here

Multiplayer

Multiplayer introduces a new social zone. The area has target practice, streak practice, short 1v1 matches, classic mini-games, an area to claim rewards and select challenges, as well as a Quarter Master who will offer out contracts and unique unlocks for the right price. Also offering supply drops for multiplayer and zombies. These are gained from contracts, objectives, promoting, and randomly after almost every match of multiplayer.

All the classic modes remain in COD: WWII if you’re interested in awesome game captures of that click here

Nazi Zombies

Nazi Zombies returns to COD with a beautiful new look and challenging new arenas. There’s two maps for the moment. The smallest is Groesten Haus. A small house piled with zombies that gets cramped fast. The larger with an awesome easter egg is The Final Reich. This map consists of alleys, mines, bunkers, town, jump scares, and rotting corpses trying to devour your precious flesh. 

You can play as Jefferson, Drostan, Marie, and Olivia with six spits hidden away for characters in the future. Even more unique than getting to pick your own character is the fact you get to customize your class.Want to have a power up that gives you infinite ammo, makes you invisible to zombies, or makes you attract zombies? COD has you covered. Tired of the same old weapon? Want to select what you start off with and its attachments? COD has you. There’s so much customizing to Zombies its ridiculous and provides each player with a unique way to take on the swarm. 

Overall this game has been perfect, despite its startup flaws. This COD has been a long time coming and honestly has regained the respect of so many fans. If you did not preordered this game go out and buy it as soon as you can! You will not regret your decision. 

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Gamers! 1 | Chronos Ruler 2 | Boku no Hero Academia 28 - 29 | Katsugeki 3 - 4 | Princess Principal 2 | Saiyuki Reload Blast 3 | Classroom of the Elite 2 | Reflection 1

Gamers! 1

Apparently this is an alright comedy, so it’s the second-last debut of this season I’m trialling. I probably won’t attend most of my anime club sessions as a result of tackling most of the debuts within my reach, but I never really socialised at my anime club anyway…(?)

Kiniro Memories…Like, a parody of Kiniro Mosaic or Tokimeki Memorial or something?

I don’t see what’s so appealing about her, despite the flowers and such cueing me into how I should see her.

Super Chips, LOL. That makes me hungry, but I just ate.

…Gah? I’m only a casual gamer, so I don’t get the appeal of the back of the box.

Tasuku grabbed the cat by the plastic ring? Well, I’ll be. That’s inventive.

This guy is…such a…jerk!

The joke about King Koopa is because he uses itadakimashita at the end of his first sentence, which is really formal.

I don’t find it very surprising that girls like gaming. After all, these days, we’ve basically gotten rid of the stigma around “nerdy stuff” being “not for girls”. *thinks for a bit* Although the IT industry still suffers from a lack of girls…

This show has some gorgeous cherry blossom scenes. I pause just to observe the level of detail in each tree.

These fanservice shots are downright disturbing…

Another Gakuto this season (the second after Sasajima in 7O3X). It’s a shame I dropped 7O3X from the commentary…

G-Guh! I-It’s COD (Call of Duty)! Never thought I’d see an anime parody of it, ever! I’ve heard people speak about it, but I don’t bother with it.

A crank is “a pejorative term used for a person who holds an unshakable belief that most of his or her contemporaries consider to be false”, while a scrub is “a now generalized term used as a synonym for a “noob” or “newb,” which is someone who is bad at a video game or activity in general”. I’m not very used to gaming lingo. *sweatdrops*

Wow, that slap in the face really got me by surprise. I howled when I saw Amano’s reaction face though.

Now there’s an honorable guy! I still prefer Shiki from 7O3X, but at least now he’s not a no-face harem protag.

Who the heck is Choshinnomori? The illustrator?

I think Gamers is good enough to continue, but not enough for a commentary. Aside from Reflection vs Chronos Ruler, the lineup’s pretty much settled.

Chronos Ruler 2

Wooser’s…Casino? Never saw that one coming. Was that an intentional riff on Sanrio?

As soon as Kiri starts spouting off about negligence and goals, the Kunikida bells go off.

Nice pun! Kiru can mean “to cut”, and since there’s a metaphor involving “homeland” already, it’s a pun on a pun.

Michiko Yokote’s on this? Wow, she must get a lot of my views. I’m seeing her and Natsuko Takahashi everywhere ever since Boueibu happened.

This kaeidoscope thing reminds me of Kiznaiver. Lay Your Hands on Me is sad when you remember it was a last project of Boom Boom Satellites’ lead man.

Nyuh-huh-huh-huh…(what? That’s just a weird laugh!) Why would you call a city C’est La Vie? Well, if anything, the name is appropriate.

Wait, I just realised they had Victo naked without his strange orb in his body…for the sake of fanservice. I didn’t mind because naked dudes are my cup of tea, but still…lack of consistency is a real markdown for this show.

Kiri looks like he’s floating on that stone floor…what.

Wasn’t Victo here earlier? Why is Kiri here now?

I-It’s Hellsalem’s Lot! In Chronos Ruler! Well, wonders never cease.

Victo doesn’t even look remotely angry as he faces his old foe.

*trying not to giggle* Why is eating pasta through the nose always a punishment in anime?

Yeah, it’s now too inconsistent for me to deal with. I’m dropping it until The Reflection comes along.

Boku no Hero Academia 28

I thought it was Full Cowl…? By the way, for some reason Izuku passes an Indian restaurant twice…or is that Arabic, or Thai? I dunno, it’s hard to tell without pausing…

LOL, I laugh so hard at Bakugo’s combed down hair. It reminds me of neat!En from the Boueibu manga.

I haven’t seen Tsukauchi in a while. Hisashiburi! (Long time no see!)

Stain’s just said what Hans (Rokka no Yuusha) said about a year or two ago…hmph. It seems quite a few assassins follow that belief, eh?

Huh, that’s actually very logical…to have lots of crime where there are lots of people, so on so forth.

Manual has Tsukauchi’s eyes. Are they related somehow?

Oh no…There’s a winged Nomu, and the only one with wings in this show is…a kid from Bakugo’s friendship group! *tries not to cry*

It’s Gran Torino, kids. Regardless of whether it’s the car or the movie he’s named after, it’s Gran Torino.

I realised Shigaraki really likes spectacles. Not glasses, though.

It’s honestly so scary to see Iida this mad…

“My name is Tenya Iida. You crippled my brother. Prepare to die!” – That’s the line you want, right, Iida? Take a note out of Inigo Montoya’s (Princess Bride) book.

Boku no Hero Academia 29

Wow, I knew Endeavour wasn’t liked, but I didn’t think his sitch was that bad…

The framing choice (white, insular fadeout) was a good one, I think. Shows Deku’s blinkered thinking at a crucial moment like this.

W-Wait. They have a hero called The Fly?! You’re kidding, right? That’s a great name! Creepy, because heck, just seeing screenshots of the Cronenberg movie is enough to make you pee your pants, but…heck yeah! What a name!

Seriously, how does that hand stay on Shigaraki’s face???

Japanese society is full of modesty, but Tensei is something else.

As much as I hate to admit it, Stain’s right Iida…sorry. Thinking selfishly doesn’t work in the hero biz.

Didn’t I say Deku looked scary back in ep 13-ish? Yeah, you can see the shadow of the monster right here…Gotta take note for Half-Paid Heroes!

I was going to use the ping-pong technique in Half-Paid Heroes, actually (the same one you saw Gran Torino use a few eps back in his apartment). I think Deku might use it here…

I see! That’s why Shinso had to apper before this!

A-hey. Stain’s kinda like a vampire. How didn’t I think of that earlier? (because I already kind of knew the secret behind his Quirk)

See? I knew Deku would use that ping-pong technique! It’s perfect for covering your defences simply through speed, which is exactly what I needed for one of my characters.

Well, today I reaffirmed why I love BnHA, and why even something like Katsugeki can’t beat it! That is the love of a superhero fan, right there!

Katsugeki 3

Seriously, is it “alright” or “all right”???

I never thought Kane-san would be so willing to kick butts and take names. Or…just the kicking butts bit.

Wait, what’s a roushi?

I still don’t know what a roushi is, but it seems the Time Retrograde Army are just giving catastrophic events in the time they’re in a nudge. The ripple effect, y’know?

A touken is a sword.

Were those roushi…CGI?! Blasphemy!!! Just when the backgrounds were looking really lifelike too.

Ah, a roushi = a ronin. There you go.

Mutsu’s surprised face is…hilarious!

Tosa people have accents? I don’t know much about accents, so I gotta learn…

Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a rogue touken danshi (sword boy)…hmph.

That constable looks like Heizo Hasegawa (Onihei).

The saniwa should be a gal, didn’t I say that in a previous ep?

Kitsune are meant to love deep fried tofu.

Whose line is “I’m going to seize the world”? Mutsu’s, probably.

Katsugeki 4

The closed shop appears to be called “The Tsuda Shop” or something like it, due to something that’s been written on to the paper screens.

Satchou is this alliance.

The shop you see Tonbokiri in the doorway of is called the “Murata Shop” (Murata-ya).

Again, foxes are meant to love tofu, but here’s what a pipe fox is.

There’s a sense of foreboding looming over this anime, and it kind of scares me, but it’s par for the course in a show like this.

Mutsu’s eating an onigiri. “Same old, same old” really are the right words to use here.

An ootachi should be significantly weaker in smaller quarters, like a bridge. However, they have longer range, which means that multiple swords in the party this Saniwa has could defeat it. By the by, I consulted the wiki, and it seems we’re going through era 1 (Meiji era), so there shouldn’t be any closed quarter battles here (I think there was one in the first ep of Hanamaru).

I bet Mutsu’s gonna pull out his gun sometime during this battle, eh?…Yep, a few seconds after I predicted that, it came true. Mutsu, you nut. I know this is close to the Meiji restoration if not in the middle of it, but still, don’t go showing off your gun everywhere…

Cue “You shall not pass!” moment from Tonbokiri. (I think I should say “again”, but my memory’s being sketchy right now.) LOL.

Everyone has that one experience as a Touken Ranbu rookie where their tantou has had way too much and dies…it’s always so sad, and often a player’s first death in their party. I know, because my first tantou was a Sayo and of course, he died on me.

I wonder if Kiwame will be shown in this show…hmph.

Wowsers, I held my breath so hard at that point where Yagen seemed like he was going to lose…but hey, what a great debut for Tsurumaru! Unfortunately, I don’t know the relationship between Yagen and Tsurumaru, since I don’t own a Tsuru, but I’ve been trying to get one for the longest time. Update: Oh, that “are you surprised that someone like me came here so suddenly?” is his line when he’s obtained, meaning the saniwa must’ve smithed him and dropped him into the fray.

Princess Principal 2

I think they’re trying to pull a “moe” route with Ange right here…which is not my style, but I’m neutral on it…

S-So…Dorothy sucks at smoking? L-LOL.

How do these women live with their metal dresses? Corsets are one thing, but actual metal, like knights but all over the dress? Yeah, definitely a sign of “no pain no gain” fashion.

Wait, there’s stolen blueprints?…Oh, okay then.

Really? CGI dancing couples? *rolls eyes* This is probably second to the fedora monster (Rokka no Yuusha) as to how bad CGI can get.

This Duke…he reminds me of Rosenberg (Royal Tutor), and that is not a good sign.

Saiyuki Blast 3

Go! Play them cards, Hakkai!

The concept of a sky burial could probably make an entire anime. I should keep better notes on this stuff. Plus, birbs. Even if they’re vultures, they’re cute!

I think the thing that makes Saiyuki special, despite it being a reboot of an old show, is that it’s able to convey deep themes without ruining the mood. I think that’s missing from a lot of modern anime, especially some of the more apparent commercials.

Y-Yeah, Goku…kicking a man through the roof is overkill. (laughs anyway)

Mmhmm. I like me some dudes in tight shirts like Sanzo’s. Azrael from Ro.Te.O is designed the same way, which is one reason why I love him so much.

Trigger warning for death but, “He died from the epidemic six days ago…”

“I thought really hard about what you asked me yesterday.”

I’m not gonna stick around for UraSai this time. So not worth it…

Classroom of the Elite 2

Oh gosh. I come here for a good time and they go with Gainaxing? Really?

Well, that was unexpected. I thought Ayanokouji was going to be a blushing wreck, but he’s less harem protag and more Houtarou Oreki (Hyouka).

Mm-mm. I like me some bishie like that, Horikita. You’ve got some good taste.

Dangit, this lunch is making me hungry, and I just ate!

Well, I can’t see how you’d have bad grades if you got into an advanced “nurturing school”, so I get Horikita’s point, but I can see how people can fail with the S-System. Ayanokouji and Horikita are basically Misora and Kei from Sakurada Reset though, and that’s bad news for this show…I might need to put Youkai Apato and 7O3X back in the places they used to be in.

I think this show is focussing on Kushida fanservice too much, too early into the game. Fanservice shouldn’t be this early into a series unless the series is fanservice from start to finish (e.g. ecchi).

Best moment of this entire show was Horikita shutting down Ayanokouji, LOL. See? I work a lot better without fanservice in my commentaries.

Ah! A tiger mum, but in the form of an older brother? I see, I see *nods*.

Actually, I now think Ayanokouji’s martial arts skills passed off as “piano and calligraphy” is the best moment.

Hmph. I never thought that Horikita’s inability to get along with others was what got her into Class D. Come to think of it, Ayanokouji is probably there because he rigged the scores and isn’t very sociable either…

It’s interesting that they list the points next to the cast credits. I was losing interest in this show, but the small things are what make me sit up and pay attention!  

Reflection 1

I’ve been waiting for this all season now, so here it is!

The first thing that hit me about this show was the colour palette. It’s like I’m watching a moving painting. Or a moving comic book, which I think was the point.

*sighs, somewhat happily(…?)* You know it’s America when the skyscrapers are plastered with the Stars and Stripes…Only American creators can be so proud of America, y’know? People naturally write about what they know, including the patriotism of their homelands.

It seems they even have WcDonald’s in this too, Plus DNN and so on, so forth.

Seeing the skyscrapers light up with relevant effects is cool! Real cool!

Now, if only comics would learn to empower their women better, then I’d be happy…*grumbles into distance*

Also, can someone please stop making all the minority races evil? I think I’ve seen enough evil dudes from that genre, and I haven’t even watched majority of the superhero movies that make the genre what it is.

The background scenery holds on for a little too long, a la Tsukigakirei.

Holy ninjas, Batman! That was a Russian ninja, apparently! Much cooler than an ordinary Japanese ninja, eh? (By shonen standards, at the very least?)

“At least tell me you did a ‘good job’.”

Why is it that everything in America is handled by the FBI, from aliens to superheroes? I don’t get you sometimes, America.

“Sorry, I actually live in LA.” – L-LOL!!! What even, don’t go around revealing your place of residence! Villains will come after you, don’t you know that, I-Guy???

The flat aesthetic means CGI doesn’t stand out too much, thankfully…

Huh, I never thought in my entire lifetime Stan Lee would be tackling the discriminatory nature of the term “hero”. He just never seemed to be the sort who would.

Yeah, I kinda knew 9Nine were involved with the ED, but I never quite guessed it would result in something like this. It’s a fairly typical ED, by anime standards, but still – you can tell it was done well, by a superhero great (better than trying to imitate anime a la Heroman), but it’s not to the same highs as Boku no Hero Academia or Katsugeki can take you. Therefore, Classroom of the Elite will be going on hold while I try to figure out what’s so good about this show.

[ase-trollplays]

-- liberatedRaptor [LR] began pestering tapeFace [TF] --

-- liberatedRaptor [LR] began pestering tapeFace [TF] --

LR: why tape tho

TF: Because my voice hurts people. :c

TF: Taping my mouth stops me from hurting people by accident :D

LR: oh thats actually kinda sad

TF: It's not that bad once you get used to it. :) I never liked the sound of my voice anyways.

TF: So! Why don't we introduce ourselves! :D

TF: My name's Cacoph

LR: im Wynter

TF: :O Nice!

TF: It's good to meet you, Wynter :D

TF: So, how's your night going? :)

LR: ah all things considered id say its pretty good

LR: ive been walking since i got up tho which was hours ago

LR: im a little tired :v

TF: Yeah, I bet. D: I hope you're close to where ever it is you're walking to.

LR: still a few nights off but HEY i wont make progress if i dont work hard so

LR: i just keep looking forward to seeing my friends again

TF: Good luck! I'm sure they're all looking forward to seeing you again, too!

TF: I hope whatever separated you from them wasn't anything too awful or serious. :c

LR: eh

LR: so question

LR: if you cant speak because of your voice being dangerous

LR: do you sign? :O

TF: Yes I do! Though most of the time I end up using a white board.

TF: Not many people bother to learn sign language. :/

TF: I'm assuming you have, though :O

LR: i know sign!! :O ugh yeah i hate it, no one knows it so im always like "wtf"

TF: Oh, I know! DX I wish learning to sign was included in basic schoolfeeding like learning Alternian.

TF: Out of curiosity, what made you decide to learn sign language?

LR: uhhh its a long story that basically ends in "im mute"

TF: Wow, I've never come across a fellow mutie :o

TF: This calls for (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ～『✧~*SPECIAL EMOTES*~✧』

TF: Granted, I would have started using those eventually anyways. (◕ω◕✿)

TF: I lost track of the website I copy them from for a bit. (●︿●;;)

LR: thats cute wtf

LR: im lazy and never use things like that even though theyre adorable

TF: Thank you! (◠ω◠✿) I'm always worried they make me seem obnoxious or something, but they're just so much more fun and expressive! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

LR: im a firm believer that if someone finds you obnoxious then theyre just missing out

LR: be yaself

TF: Exactly! (ﾉ◠ヮ◠)ﾉ Who has time for that kind of negativity? Not this mime!

LR: YOURE A MIME

LR: oh my god

TF: Is that a good "oh my god" or a bad "oh my god"? (●﹏●✿)

LR: a good one lol

TF: (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ Great! I was worried for a second.

TF: Not many people enjoy mimes. (″･ิ_･ิ) I guess I remind them too much of the clowns.

LR: i mean i guess i could understand that

LR: but mimes are usually harmless so like

TF: It really sucks. ┐(‘～`；)┌ But what can you do other than keep on keeping on, right? (´･ω･`)

LR: yeah! thats a good way to look at it

LR: like

LR: fuck them

LR: lol

LR: you seem pretty cool either way

TF: ∩(◕//ω//◕)∩ Thanks!

TF: You seem pretty cool, too (✿◠ヮ◠)

LR: cool? im ice cold B)

LR: YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH

-- tapeFace [TF] plays a sick ass guitar riff B3 --

TF: Also, can I just say I love your text color? (⊙△⊙✿) I'm a sucker for super bright pastels!

LR: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA thanks ^^ its really beautiful huh? it sounds like im trying to toot my own horn or something but just

LR: i could fuckin stare at it all night

LR: so like do you for reals stand outside all night and just mime at people

LR: what u do

TF: I actually work as a janitor at a library. (◕︿◕✿) It's not very fun, but miming on street corners doesn't keep me fed and sheltered.

TF: But on my nights off, you can find me in the park being a miming dork to my heart's content (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

LR: being a janitor sounds terrible RIP

TF: It is, but sometimes I get to have a little fun. ԅ(≖ω≖ԅ)

TF: The library I work at has a real problem with people doing the frick frack behind the bookshelves or under tables.

LR: Oh what the hell,

TF: My boss pays me extra to expose anyone I find.

TF: As mean as it is, I get a laugh out of ruining the mood for some people. (n゜ω゜n)

TF: Their expression are priceless when they realize they've been caught

TF: Though some of them get very angry and try to kill me. (⊙︿⊙✿)

LR: not surprised in the least

LR: but like...... why a library

LR: why would they fuck in a library

LR: BOOKS GET ME SO HOT

TF: Libraries have to be one of the unsexiest places, yet at least twice a month

TF: THERE THEY GO, HUMPING IN THE GEOGRAPHY SECTION

LR: JUST SLAM A BOOK CLOSED ON MY DICK JUST FUCKING DO IT

TF: The only thing worse than breaking up couples is people who bring in food and hide their food trash because then we get ANTS. (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

TF: I CAN'T TYPE LOUD ENOUGH ABOUT HOW MUCH I HATE ANTS.

TF: Just looking at one makes my skin crawl! {{p´Д｀q}}

LR: ugh ants are such a gross hassle

LR: especially trying to figure out where they come from??

LR: how the fuck did they get in

TF: I don't know but they need to STOP ( ≧Д≦)

TF: They're the absolute worst and I hate having to get rid of them! They're so little and they get everywhere, and they have the nerve to bite!

TF: And it's hard to be sure you got all of them because they're so small and they completely disappear on carpet (┳Д┳)

LR: plus the leave that gross chemical trail for other ants to follow

LR: eugh

TF: ((brb))

TF: UUUUuuuugh, literally everything about them is awful (╬ Ò﹏Ó)

LR: id say i hate spiders more tbh

TF: I honestly don't mind them too much (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) the small ones are adorable

TF: Jumping spiders give me a fright, though (●︿●✿) I don't mess with those.

LR: all spiders terrify me

LR: its dumb

LR: even the harmless ones

LR: they just got too many legs.................

TF: Eugh, I can understand that. (●﹏●✿) Centipedes creep me out for the same reason.

LR: fffffffffffffffUCK those things

LR: fuck all things with more than four legs

TF: Some things with more than four legs are so cute though! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ Like ladybugs and butterflies and praying mantises

LR: one of those things is not like the other

TF: One of those things just doesn't belong? /(●△●✿)\

TF: I think praying mantises have an underappreciated cuteness to them. (´◡ω◡`) And it's so funny watching them chop at things (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ

LR: i watched a video of one give birth to a terrible parasite that drove it to seek out water and drown itself

TF: (⊙︿⊙) ...

TF: (´＿｀。) They can't always be cute

LR: its a darn shame too

TF: That poor thing. （；￣д￣） Who would even film that? It sounds awful

LR: apparently its common

LR: hairworms?

TF: Yikes. (◕﹏◕)

TF: That kind of make me think of those flies that infect bees.

TF: I hope those never adapt to infect grubs or something. (⊙﹏⊙)

LR: THAT

LR: IS TERRIFYING

TF: I KNOW RIGHT??

TF: I MEAN WE'RE BASICALLY SUPER EVOLVED BUGS

LR: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

TF: (⊙∩⊙✿) I immediately regret this line of thought. I made a terrible mistake

LR: i regret your line of thought too

LR: i am

LR: scarred for life

TF: THEN HOW ABOUT A NICE UNSCARRING SUBJECT? (ﾉ⊙ヮ⊙)ﾉ

TF: Do you have any quadrants you're looking forward to seeing?

LR: YAS

LR: i miss my mate and my moirail

LR: and some fucker who is sorta my kismesis but like

LR: its complicated?

LR: noncommittal "eh?" sound

TF: (◕△◕)Oh wow, you have so much going on.

TF: What's your sorta-but-not-really kismesis like?

LR: hes a dick but also i guess hes attractive? i think? im not actually sure

LR: i dont really feel that way about people so its hard to tell

LR: i guess he looks good

LR: BUT YEAH were just

LR: dicks to each other all the time

TF: Sounds like fun (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

TF: What about your matesprit and your moirail?

LR: oh my god so my matesprit is literally the coolest person in the fucking universe (no offense to you Cacoph cuz youre up there) and shes cute and she bakes a lot and shes good at it and she has her OWN BAKERY (which i work at) and she memes on me all the time and we just have so much in common

LR: she makes my heart do the backflip things

TF: (ㄒoㄒ) Oh my god, that's so sweet! You sound like the cutest couple

LR: yeah except i never told her i was going anywhere and its been two weeks i think so shes probably angry as fuck

LR: shes gonna rip my face off when i come back

TF: WELP

TF: It was nice knowing you

TF: Your memory will live on forever in this chatlog

LR: here lies Wynter: their mate fucking murdered them with a glare

TF: Killed before their time, they will be missed. (◡︿◡,✿)

TF: Did you at least tell your moirail?

LR: yeah

TF: Good, so you won't be double dead once they see you again. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ

TF: I really hope you can smooth things over with your matesprit once you see her again. (◕︿◕) It's really gonna suck if you lose her.

LR: YEAH IM PRETTY SURE ID JUST

LR: DIE

LR: ON THE SPOT

TF: PLEASE DON'T DIE ヽ(´□｀。)ﾉ WE ONLY JUST MET

LR: RIP,,,,

LR: two weeks is the longest ive gone without video games

LR: im dying

TF: What kind of video games do you play? (◕△◕✿)

LR: anything i can get my soulless little hands on

TF: That's a lot of games probably (✿◕△◕)~★

TF: I mostly just play casual things like Stardew Valley, Minecraft, and Lusus Crossing

LR: i do all of those things

LR: an also COD and Halo and Overwatch

TF: I tried playing COD, but the online players were so rude and negative. (≖︿≖✿) I doubt a single one of them was older than six.

TF: I haven't tried the other games you mentioned, though

LR: you should try :O Overwatch is super fun

TF: Really (◕△◕✿) What's it like? I see memes and fanart all the time on bubblr, but does it really live up to the hype?

LR: its grossly addictive

LR: and you get matched with people of similar skill so when you first start out you probably wont run into the gross types that play COD because theyre just starting out as well

TF: That sounds great (◕ω◕✿) It'll be nice not to have wrigglers screaming at me to git gud just because I haven't poured my entire existence into the game

TF: Does it run better on hisktop, or should I get it for the game system? (◕△◕✿)

LR: i play it on console but i believe theres a bigger playbase on husktop

LR: i would suggest only getting it on husktop if you have an external mouse

TF: Alright then, husktop it is. (◕‿◕✿)

TF: Eugh, that emote didn't come out well (◕﹏◕✿)

LR: o vo

TF: ⊙v⊙

LR: oh god

TF: ಠ_ಠ I'm suddenly very bad at emotes.

TF: why this

LR: cant always be good at it

LR: what about you, you got any quads youre gogo for?

TF: No, sadly not. (◡︿◡✿) I've had crushes, but they never amounted to anything

TF: On a whim, I signed up for a matchmaking thing just for curiosity's sake, and I got matched with a highblood. ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

LR: oh shit highbloods dawg

TF: I'm actually pretty nervous. Looking over his profile, he seems really grumpy and serious. (●﹏●✿)

LR: oh shit x2

LR: good luck

TF: Thanks, I'm gonna need it. ヽ(°ロ°)ﾉ

TF: I had a lot of fun chatting with you! (◕ω◕✿) Unfortunately, I need to get going.

LR: oh sure

LR: lemme know how ya date goes!

TF: Will do, friendo! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ Good luck making it back to your friends and quadmates!

-- tapeFace [TF] ceased pestering liberatedRaptor [LR] --

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

There’s something a little fucked up in Ghost’s head for him to find this attractive. It pretty much goes without saying given his past but this moment seems to solidify it for him.

Johnny’s using the tricks he taught him in Las Almas, making a bomb with a mouse trap and some black powder they had come across. It’s not even done in a remotely provocative way but something about it is setting Ghost’s chest alight.

His gaze is focused purely on the man’s fingers as they deftly wrap the bomb and set the mouse trap, face set in concentration as he occasionally glances over the barrels they’re hiding behind.

Simon swears that if he didn’t have an ounce more control over himself (and if they were in a place that was even remotely a little more private) he would’ve dragged the Scotsman in and had his very happy way with him.

But as it stands all he can do is watch as Soap looks around breifly, spotting where his next target is before throwing the bomb in that direction, ducking once more right before it goes off next to the group of men. It’s enough to make Ghost’s pants sufficiently uncomfortable.

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

Oh my god what if! Instead of usual brooding Ghost who doesn’t change much from how he usually is unless they’re behind closed doors. We get a Ghost who turns into a literal puppy?

Like it’s not the full on shabang of a puppy but it’s like the subtle or quiet little actions of a puppy.

He sees Johnny walk into literally any room he’s in? He locks onto the man and perks up from wherever he is. He hears Johnny’s voice somewhere nearby? He trails after it until he finds the man and then hangs around.

And don’t even get me started on how he’s like when they’ve got actual privacy. The man is surprisingly clingy and always wants attention and just general affection. Soap’s fine with it. Fucking adores giving it to Simon whenever the hell he asks for it.

Simon trails him all over when he’s up and doing something. Even if it’s something as simple as washing his face Simon’s in the door and watching him, waiting patiently for him to finish so he can start hugging him again.

The man still doesn’t talk much, but Johnny can see the ears perked on his head and tail wagging behind him whenever Johnny’s giving him attention. And it’s the cutest fucking thing he’s ever seen.

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

The moment Soap realised he was in love with Ghost he nearly broke his ass.

They were in a mission and for once Soap was playing over watch while Ghost went in for recon. There was no good spot that allowed him a full vantage so he has to climb a tree for it.

He’s sitting up in a tree, making all his usual comments as he watches his lieutenant make his way through the compound.

And it’s so stupid and so embarrassing that Soap swears to hell and back that he’ll take the mistake to his grave.

But there’s a moment where Ghost bends over to snap a guys neck and his ass is just on full display for Soap and he very nearly falls out of the tree he’s in because of it. Then the man so effortlessly pulls off another kill, looking like sex on legs and Soap suddenly realises that he’s in love with the man.

He doesn’t know what the hell does it for him or when it even happened but he watches the kill and his immediate thought is, “fuck, I love him.”

And that makes him actually tip out of the tree, barely managing to roll at the last second so he doesn’t break anything, before falling flat on the ground and groaning in embarrassment. He’s just lucky Ghost had found what they needed and was on his way out.

When Ghost realised he was in love with Soap he nearly stabbed the man in a blind panic.

They were walking down the halls of base, usual ribbing and chatter from the Scot bouncing off the walls in an all too familiar fashion.

Ghost is nodding along, giving noncommittal hums as if he isn’t listening intently and taking in every little detail he possibly could, when Johnny’s eyes are widening, hand shooting out toward his face and making him tense.

Ghost nearly throws the other against the wall but then the hand is going past his head and grabs something from behind him. Soap’s eyes are hard and angry, his body manoeuvring around him so he can slam the person who was apparently behind them in the wall.

Ghost is too shocked to do anything, watching as the Scot threatens the ever loving shit out of a rookie for god knows what. When he shoves the rookie away and said man scampers in order to escape Ghost thinks he’s got enough control of himself to try and ask what that had been about.

But then Soap’s turning to him, bright smile on his face as he gestures to the still fleeing rookie as he speaks, “Couldn’t have him ruining the reputation aye Lt.?”

Ghost finally realises what that had all been about and he sees the worry and understanding in Soap’s eyes because somehow, the man had managed to worm into his heart and figure out every little flaw and vulnerability. But despite it all, he’s still here, standing by his side.

And Ghost could kiss him with how much love overwhelms him in that moment. And in the very same moment he could stab the man and kill him for the panic those feelings induce in him, cause he’s never allowed anything nice. Not in this lifetime and probably not in the next.

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

Soap going all nerd and ranting about the latest season of something or the coolest theory of another and he thinks Ghost hasn’t got a damn clue about any of it, is just being nice and listening to his interests.

But then Ghost says some throw away comment about whatever Johnny’s talking about and its the sort of comment that only a fan would be able to make. With info that only someone who knows would have and Soap falls about 10 times harder for the man in the process.