#more so because i replayed the game these days and wanted to check my old expression sheets from february i made based on some lines ...

[thedrotter]

redrew a few old expressions from february!!! one never notices how much their art style changes in some months till you compare side by side www

(the old ones for comparison ↓)

[tinyd3ath]

🎀🩰 Bulking Weight 🎀🩰

“Come on mama, fuck! Just be a good girl and take it so I can give you all my cum. That’s what you want right.”

Or

Bakugou gets a little insecure about the extra weight he gained while bulking, and you fuck the insecurity out of him.

Originally posted on A03

🎀🩰

“This was so much fun.” You practically bouncing with joy. It’s been forever since y’all have been on patrol together.

“Whatever dumbass, don’t slow me down.” You throw a glare his way.

“Don’t forget I’m still your wife, your ass will be on the couch if you keep talking to me like that.”

He scuffs in response knowing not to test you, but still wanting to have the last “word”. You giggle at him. You find it cute how unbothered he tries to seem.

Today seemed to be a pretty calm day for patrol. So far you’ve only broken up two fights, saved a cat, and taken pictures with a few fans.

You guys got a call that you can end the day early since it’s been pretty slow all over the city. You two are walking back to the agency now. Bakugou can feel the excitement rolling off you. He can’t help, but crack a little smirk. Seeing his pretty wife practically glow with excitement lights something inside him. He thought he’d be over all the puppy love by now, but watching you walk down the street smiling while the sun hits your skin making your cheeks look like those caramel/chocolate commercials makes him just wanna sink his teeth in you. In a good way of course.

“What are you so excited about anyways?”

“I was planning on watching the new game of thrones series when we got back, and now I get to watch it earlier than planned” You squeal.

Gosh you’re such a nerd. He never understood why you like those British shows. They all look like their bodies, and breath smell like ass. Yeah, the fight scenes are cool, but other than that what do you watch it for?

He was too busy thinking about how weird your taste in television was to notice a group of teenagers boys walking down the sidewalk towards y’all. He’s shaken out of his thoughts by the force of the tallest in the group shoulder checking him.

“Watch old man.” The tall box dyed blonde says to Bakugou. The kid’s friends all snicker. Bakugou stops , and turns to the group.

“Didn’t your parents teach you to respect your superiors? Especially the ones out here keeping your ass safe.”

The blonde teen just rolled his eyes.

“You should be less worried about my parents, and more worried about your beer belly. Fat ass.” Before he can stop, and think about it Bakugou goes to grab the kid by the collar. But you are quicker, and grab his arm before he can do so.

“Come on I wanna go home.” You plead with your eyes for him to let it go. He really wants to teach these fuckers a lesson, but his need to please you outweighs his need to rub some random brat’s face in the dirt. He grunts in agreement, and lets you drag him away. He can hear the boys laughing as y’all walk away. But all he cares about is getting his pretty wife on the couch surrounded by your favorite snacks.

You use your quirk to knock the kid on his ass before you guys get too far. Teenagers fucking suck.

—

While sitting on the couch with you later he couldn’t help replay what that brat said earlier. He noticed he’d gained a little fat, but it’s because he’s bulking. Was it really that noticeable? Why haven’t you said anything? He started to feel as if he led you on.

When you first meet back in school he wasn’t all jacked, but he was far from fat. The body you feel in love with. The one you loved so much your panties would get wet just from looking at isn’t the same anymore.

Did you still even find him attractive?

Bakugou can’t bring himself to ask you about it. He says that he’ll just watch you carefully to see any signs of discomfort . The problem was you look so unfazed. He can’t tell if it’s because you haven’t noticed, don’t care, or if you’re trying to look unbothered to not hurt his feelings.

His feelings weren’t hurt, maybe his ego was a little bruised. But the fact you’re the type to go around problems that aren’t problems to protect other’s feelings only adds to the uncertainty.

What Bakugou didn’t notice was that you picked up on his discomfort. You noticed the long looks in the mirror after every shower. The not wanting to cuddle every night like he usually does. Most of all the lack of intimacy.

You guys haven’t had sex in almost a week. Every time y’all start to get hot, and heavy he just eats you out the rolls over and says goodnight.

Head is great. But fuck, you wanna feel the weight of your husband on top of you as he makes love to you.

You decid you’ve had enough. Whatever is worrying him so much you’re going find out and fix. At dinner you decide to finally speak about it.

“Katsuki.” Almost immediately Bakugou looks up at you.

“Yes?” Worry lines your face. Bakugou starts to panic thinking something happened to make you upset. Just as he was about to ask if you were okay you cut him off.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been acting different. You haven’t been as affectionate or intimate. Are you not attracted to me anymore?”

Now he really starts to panic. How could you, his beautiful perfect wife ever think you were the problem? How could he not be attracted to you? You were hand crafted by God himself. You are the only woman he could ever love. Never once had he ever questioned your beauty. Even in school when he thought you were annoying, he still found you breathtaking.

“Are you crazy there’s no way I couldn’t be attracted to you.”

“Then what’s the problem?” He pauses, and shaky breath in. Should he lie, or let you know that some punk made him a little insecure?

No, he can’t lie to you. For this whole ‘death do us part’ thing to work he’s gonna have to be honest with you. Even if it makes him uncomfortable.

“…I’m afraid that you don’t find me attractive now that I’ve put on some pounds.” He’s too embarrassed to even look up from his plate. There’s silence for a minute. He starts to worry that he’s actually right. But when he looks up to see your face it’s filled with nothing, but love. You get up from your seat, and walk over to him. You reach out to stroke his cheek.

“There’s nothing that would make me stop loving, or finding you unattractive. And I have noticed the extra pounds, but honestly it’s kinda doing it for me.” You giggle at his stunned face. You pull him in for a kiss. It starts off tinder. Full of the love you two share. But with new found confidence Bakugou starts to get impatient. He missed this. Your body against his. The kiss becomes more intense as he pulls you closer to him.

He lifts you by the back of your knees, and carries you to your shared bedroom. You let out a squeal as you’re dropped on the bed. Bakugou chuckles at you, but you aren’t given enough time to say anything about before he reconnects your lips. He starts moving his kisses lower, and nips at your jaw.

Between nibbles, and kisses Baukgou breathes out “God I’ve missed this”.

You let out a startled moan when he goes lower, and sucks your nipple through your thin shirt. You feel his lips curve into a smirk at your reaction.

You start to get impatient from all the nipping,and kissing. You’ve been deprived of him for too long. You whine as you tug on his shirt letting him know you want it off. Bakugou can’t help,

but coo at you, and give a kiss to your pouty lips.

“I know pretty girl, I know. Just let me taste you first baby.” He peels your clothes off before laying between your legs. His mouth waters every time he see your beautiful cunt. He watches as more slick leaks from you. He uses his thumb to spread it across your lips, before giving your clit the tiniest rub. It’s a ghost of a touch, and it drives you crazy. You start whining down at your husband begging with your pretty eyes for more, and who is he to tell you no? He replaces his hand with his mouth.

He loves the smell, and taste of you. He never thought there’d be a day he would be obsessed with a vagina, but after y’all’s first time he’s been hooked. He licks you like it give him just as much pleasure. The room is filled with your moans, and the sloppy sound of your dripping hole and his mouth . You grab at his hair, and start rolling your hips up into his face. Bakugou’s eyes rolling back at the feeling of you rubbing your juices all over his lower face and nose.

Bakugou sucks your clit between his lips while flicking the tip of his tongue against it. The clinching in your stomach gets tighter, and you know you’re close. But when he slightly nibbles on your clit you know it’s over. You cry out as you ride your orgasm out on his face. After you calm down Bakugou sits up on his knees to see your fucked out expression, and heaving chest.

As good as him eating you out was, it wasn’t what you wanted. You tug at his pants with pleading eyes, expressing what you really want.

“What pretty girl you can’t use your words?” He says in that mockingly sweet voice. He likes seeing his pretty wife like this. All desperate, and sparkling eyed. It’s impossible not to get hard while watching you squirm, and beg for his cock. It’s when you pout up to him all big eyed, and desperate that he gives you what you want. No matter how hard he tries he can’t say no to you. His beautiful sweet wife. If he could he’d give you the universe. He pulls his shirt off, and tosses it across the room. He then removes his belt, and pants leaving him in just his underwear. He starts to feel a little uneasy showing all this extra skin to you, but seeing the hungry look on your face burns it all away.

You feel yourself getting wetter as you stare at your husband’s changed body. You felt the extra weight, but seeing it makes you so much more hornier than you expected. All his bulging muscles. Instead of being lean like before he’s fuller. His stomach has become slightly rounder, and his shoulders, chest, and biceps meatier.

“Fuck I need you.” A evil smirk breaks out across Bakugou’s face.

“Come get it baby.” You tug his underwear down causing his cock to flop out. The swollen pink tip leaks with precum. You give him a few strokes before leaning down, and giving the tip a sweet kiss. You suck the tip into your mouth while wiggling your hips in the air knowing how much he loves seeing your ass move. Bakugou groans at the display. But you only get two head bobs in before he’s pulling you off, and pushing you on your back.

“That can wait for later. Weren’t you just begging me to fuck you. I gotta give my baby what she want.” He smugly says to you.

Bakugou pushes your knees apart and, taps his fat dick on your pussy. He enjoys watching the slight jiggle of your fat lips. He sit his dick between your lips, and lets his dick sit snug between the two. He thrust slowly. His tip catching your clit with every upward thrust. He loves watching the contrast of his dick sliding between your brown lips.

After an impatient “Katsuki” he lines his tip up with your hole, and slowly pushes into you. You both can’t stop the low whines from leaving your lips as he stretches your tight spongy walls around him. He looks to make sure he wasn’t hurting you, and almost blows his load right there.

Seeing your mouth agape, and face scrunched up in pressure causes his dick to twitch inside you.

He can’t stop himself from breathing out a “Fuck baby” at the sight of you laid out so pretty. He starts moving at a steady pace. He leaves kisses all over your face, and shoulders. He can’t stop himself from telling you how good you are between kisses. Something about your gummy walls makes his mind go foggy, and his tongue loose.

“You’re doing so good baby.”

“Taking all of me so well.”

“Come on pretty girl give it to me.”

“Can’t believe this pretty pussy is all mine.” The steady pace was amazing while you were getting use to his size again,but now you were getting impatient and wanting more.

Bakugou is caught off guard when you suddenly pulled him down by his neck, and cross your ankles around his waist. You can’t stand the no skin to skin. All you want is to feel the weight of your husband on top of you while he beats your walls in.

You look up at him with glossy eyes, and beg “please Katsuki, i need more”.

And who the hell was he to tell you no. He gives you one last peck before getting up on his elbows, and thrusting into you like it was his only purpose in life. Your squeals plus the sloppy sound your cunt starts making, makes his mind go hazy. All he can think about is getting you to cum on his cock then stuffing you full of his cum.

You reach between your bodies to give your clit the attention she’s throbbing for. The added sensation makes you squeeze even tighter around him. It’s too much for you both. Bakugou can’t even hold himself up anymore causing him to lay his full body on you,and starts humping into wet soft heat. He subconsciously starts sucking and licking on your neck like a fucking virgin that’s having their first kiss.

You can’t stop your sobs. It’s all too much, and not enough at the same time. You feel so full, yet you want to suck him in deeper. His tip rubbing against your cervix isn’t enough. You want him inside it, smearing his cum against each area of it.

“Katsuki, fuck!” you wail.

“Daddy please!”

“It’s okay baby you can take.” He coos at you.

“No I can’t, it’s too much!”

“Come on baby take it for me.” He pulls you into a sloppy kiss. When you pull apart he says

“Come on mama, fuck! Just be a good girl and take it so I can give you all my cum. That’s what you want right.”

You get out a little ‘mhm’ between sobs.

You feel your climax on the tip of your tongue. He can tell you need a little something more. Bakugou reaches his hand up, and rolls your nipple between his fingers before giving it a pinch.

Your climax hits you like a wave, and drags Bakugou down with you. He continues thrusting making sure he covers all your walls with his cum.

You two lay there holding each other after coming down from your highs. You run your nails through his hair while waiting for your heartbeats to go back to normal. After a few minutes you decide to break the silence.

“You know, nothing could make me stop loving you.” Bakugou feels an intense swell of emotion in his chest. He tries to hide his red cheeks, and teary eyes by burying his face between your breast.

“Fuck how’d I get so lucky?���

[oureddie]

is anyone else's brain just one big

what do we need him for? what's your problem man. what are we measuring here buck. you can have my back any day. i love kids. i love this one. they weren't my type. i thought you just dressed alike. buck gave me a heads up. does this boy crush on eddie mean you're finally ready to move on from abby. uh, you should meet his kid, though. i can see the pollen. i can hear it. ooooOOOOooo you made him cry. you dont find it son, you make it. you two have an adorable son. why are you in hospital jail. i got you. dear buck you are an awesome firefighter love christopher. GET UP your life isn't over just bc you arent a firefighter anymore. says the firefighter. there's nobody in this world that i trust with my son more than you. BECAUSE YOU'RE EXHAUSTING. did you ever stop and think for a minute what that could do to US. a total impulse buy, not like you at all. c'mon eddie if you're not gonna be honest with frank at least be honest with me. i could still take you. you think so? i know. wanna go for the title? uhhhh this is eddie's house im not really a guest. just wait until he gets to the 'i dont have to do what you tell me' phase. aren't you still in that phase. you hungry? wanna grab a bite after we drop him? weeeee have visitors cap. eddie!!!!!no!!!!!nonononnonoedddie!!!! CLAWS AT THE GROUND. you wanna do a rope rescue??? of course you do. i mean that wont happen to US. to abby. his fiance is ABBY. welp. at least it's not a tsunami. hey man you might want to talk to your kid about playing fair. buck can we go to your house and play video games. uhhhh sorry kid i think we might be kicking it old school for a while. he's on the phone with dr. copeland, emergency therapy session. what do you have to apologize for? did you say anything that wasn't true? yeah she's worried about me *drop kicks a punching bag* yeah can't imagine why. i had to do it. i know you did. trauma bag? yup. sorry whhaaaatttt was that? check. do you ever replay a conversation in your head and worry you sound like an idiot? have you met me. it's like the universe is scREAMING at you and you refuse to listen. the universe does not scream. am i interrupting book club. you're late. there was construction on sunset. had to take a detour. buck. buck you have to help chris is- right here. you sure that's a smile? that's the same face buck makes when he's gassy. but just be sure that you're following YOUR heart. *gets sniped* eddie- eddie i need you to hang on. are you hurt? where's buck? he's got a harder job tonight. the team feels off without eddie. he doing okay? better than me. i kind of lost it when i told him you got shot. hey since we've got a minute... uh is everything alright. it got me thinking. what would happen if i hadnt. so i went to my attorney and changed my will. so someday, if i uh, didn't make it, christopher would be taken care of. by you. don't you need my consent. my attorney said you could refuse. but you know i wouldn't. but you knew i wouldn't. because evAN. you act like you're expendable. but you're wrong. good idea. eddie really shouldn't be exerting himself right now. this isn't me an eddie bagging a turkey in south pasadena. he takes christopher there all the time, got the place memorized. my kid loves her. is that enough. ice goes on the eye bud. *gets kidnapped and held hostage together* my abuela would eat this up. she loves a good telenovela. oh cuz uhhh you don't? i know you watch them with christopher. that's how we practice our spanish. look man you don't need to pretend with me. buck you need to move on, i have. eddie get away from the door im coming in. what are you afraid of. that im never gonna feel normal again. buck already took him to school, figured you could use the sleep. chris drew this? uh, that one's mine i misunderstood the assignment. cuz he got the help he needed, and that started with you. i just wish i could- fix it? yeah. what are you offering? right now? bobby's famous lasagna. buck, you dont even have a couch. bUUUUCK where the hell are you going. you can live without a

spleen- right? she's gonna be ok. how did the age of absolutely turn into alfalfa smoothies? give me one second let me grab eddie. YO. i dont know. feels weird to congratulate him. alright cowbody go get em. BUCK!!!!! do more! i just feel like she sees me. sorry about this. yeah it's gonna suck. uh hey do you have any plans for the weekend? i was thinking about go-karting, place in the desert, supposed to be a blast. welcome back to the world of the living buck. you were missed. actually i was kind of hoping you would. i just dont want him to uh- end up like me? you didn't end up like you. hey cap, need a lift? you took the chevelle? how'd you talk him into this he always says no to me. like sea monkeys! in fact, i havent been able to uhhhh yeah since i found out. yeah. well i uhhh wish i could help with that! this doesn't change a thing between us. i thought you couldn't bring a date to a bachelor party. UBBBEEERRR!!!! we don't need a key we're firefighters. he's crockett he's tubbs. actually im crockett and HE'S tubbs. eddie who's kim. does that poor woman know she's a dead ringer for your ex wife. oh eddie. what you always do. talk to him. i dont wanna break down the door buck i want him to open it. well uh, he probably won't. ok well why does it have to be me? you're the fastest runner. we beat the bees! im guessing it's probably an allergic reaction of some kind. to what bad juju? you owe me five bucks eddie. i never watched glee. give it back im serious. we know you're serious that's what scares us. whatareyoulookinateddiehehehe. he knows how to stay, unlike some people. yup, i am freddie fakeman, you would do that for me? you and for christopher. mmmmm like it's nothing. it's not nothing. look i know this whole thing between us has been messy and hard. you do matter to me. i know. eddie would never do anything illegal eddie has a silver star!! you're his dad. he doesn't have a mom. if you don't damage him who will? dad up!! sorry i had to go to the airport to pick up this one. said i was gonna get groceries. it's fine. doesn't seem fine. the trials and tribulations of evan buckley. a tragedy in 97 acts. you've been spiraling since the funeral and nobody knows how to talk to you about it. i don't know buck i wasn't there. eddie- jerk. airport and texas are not the same. they don't even have the same amount of letters. heard some dick was being mean to you, thought you could use a little cheering up

or is that just me rn

[floylia]

# MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE ⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾

04. I’m so wet tonight 💌

Destiny and fate are liken to strings you can’t untangle with ease. Two simple words with inexplainable concepts. A belief split into millions of definition.

But this might be fate—a doomed fate.

Cerulean eyes meet yours upon striding inside the store. The contact lasts longer than necessary. But within those few seconds, recognition is acknowledged on both sides.

That fateful day when a guy embarrassed himself and you watched it unfold.

You thought that was the last of it. Perhaps not.

You scan the small dairy isle, searching for an energy drink and a bucket of ice cream, while ignoring the pleads in the back of your head—constantly screeching about the humiliating past.

But who are you to feel embarrassed for him?

Why do you feel shame in the first place?

“Cash or card?”

“Cash.” You pass him the total amount, grabbing the wrinkled change you had in your wallet.

He takes it hesitantly, “By the way, about last time...”

Here we go.

“There was a rat in the locker room so I ran out like that. As for what I said… I don’t remember why I did that. But I promise, I’m not… a pervert,” The last phrase was faint as he whispers it in a breath.

You chuckle, “It made me laugh, don’t worry.”

One moment ago he was a grey cutout, now colors are back in his face as a grin reaches the wrinkles of his eyes, “So we’re cool?”

He looks like a dog wagging his tail after seeing a treat.

You nod, “Was that bothering you for a while?”

He breathes a sigh of relief—staring at you as if he had been derived of oxygen, “Yes! I was tossing my body back and forth that night, because my head refused to stop replaying the scene every time I closed my eyes. Can you imagine yourself doing that? Here I thought I was being mysterious.”

Not a single bone in his body was mysterious.

“People remember their own embarrassing moments more than other people’s, don’t stress about it.”

He shows his paper white teeth, “You have a way with words.”

“And you don’t,” You blurt out, recalling that moment.

Laughter engulfs the tense atmosphere.

“Fair enough. Fair enough. I’ll never live that down. My friends tease me enough already,” he hands you your change and the plastic bag worth of snacks.

The pit-a-patter outside makes your head swerve towards the window. Rain droplets fall from the heavens, gearing up as you spend minutes inside the establishment.

Checking the weather today slipped your mind, otherwise you would have brought an umbrella. Even though your dorm is nearby, running through the heavy downpour is not something you enjoy doing on a school night.

Navia would jerk her head in disapproval.

The ginger must have realized your conundrum.

“Here,” He offers you a small black umbrella, “You can use this.”

“No, no it’s alright. You might need to use that later.”

He shakes his head, “The store owns it. We have extra. Just borrow it for tonight. Then you can come back and return it. Think of this as an apology.”

“Thank you. I didn’t want to be drenched today. I’ll return this, I promise!”

A gentle smile pervades his face as he waves a goodbye. He observes you, crossing the street from the foggy window until your silhouette fades with the night sky.

In truth, the store didn’t own the umbrella. They don’t have an extra. It was his — but that is his little secret.

No harm done with a white lie.

NOTES:

kinda rushed (wrote the written parts in one night, i dont usually finish fics in one sitting)

ig he gained aura points?

was gonna post this later but fuck it 🤷‍♀️

SYNOPSIS: There’s a line Childe knows he shouldn’t cross; A line built on years of friendship; A line that happens to cross you, his best friend’s younger sister, grieving her first love; A line where he plays savior, wears a halo, then feign ignorance, because love is a game for fools—and he happens to be the biggest idiot when it comes to love.

When a new stranger invades your life and an old poet writes back.

CHILDE x FEM!READER

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[snowysosturn]

Speeding Car - Matt Sturniolo Part 13

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29

Pairing : y/n x Matt Sturniolo

Summary : After six years with your boyfriend Alex, you start to mentally check out. At a UCLA party, Alex reconnects with his childhood friend Emily, who proposes a double date with her boyfriend Matt. Your attraction to Matt grows as he pays you the first real attention you've had in years, sparking a complicated emotional journey.

Warnings : MDNI, slight tension, angst, suggestive, praise, flirting (kinda), cursing

Matts POV

The sun was dipping low, orange and pink hues painted the sky as I stared out the window. The day had been pretty chill now that Emily was gone, I had some space and could just hang out with Chris and Nick. But now, things were about to get a whole lot more interesting. Nate, our friend from Boston, was visiting for the next week or so and had just arrived at our house. It felt like old times again, having the whole gang together.

“Yo, Matt!” Nate’s voice rang out from the living room. “You ready to lose tonight?”

I smirked, walking in to find him and Chris sprawled out on the couch. “Lose? You mean, are you ready to lose? I’ve been working on my swing, man.”

Nate laughed, shaking his head. “We’ll see about that. My game’s been on point lately.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll put 100 bucks on it.” I said, rolling my eyes and grabbing my phone off the counter. “Where’s Nick?”

“He’s in his room” Chris said. “Probably trying to pick out an outfit like it’s some kind of fashion show.”

I chuckled. “Well, he better hurry up. We’re supposed to leave in like ten minutes.”

As if on cue, Nick walked down the stairs into the room, looking way too casual for someone who’d spent an extra ten minutes getting ready.

“Speaking of the devil” I said, crossing my arms with a grin, “You finally done making yourself pretty?”

Nick laughed it off. “I was just making sure my plus one could come.”

“Plus one?” I raised an eyebrow, not sure what he meant.

“Yeah?” Nick said, glancing around the room at all of us. “I invited Y/n to come with us.”

I felt my grin fade a bit, replaced by surprise. I hadn’t seen that coming. Not that I had a problem with Y/n coming along, but with everything that had gone down with Emily.. things were complicated, especially after last time.

I shot Nick a look, trying to figure out what he was thinking. “You sure that’s a good idea? I mean, Emily wasn’t exactly happy about us hanging out.”

Nick shrugged, looking calm and collected. “If I remember correctly, she said she didn’t want you two hanging out alone. We’re all going, right? It’s not like it’s just you and Y/n. There’ll be six of us total.”

I thought about that for a second, replaying Emily’s words in my head. Nick wasn’t wrong. Emily’s issue was with me and Y/n spending time together one on one, not in a group. And honestly, Y/n was Nick’s friend too. We couldn’t just exclude her because of Emily’s feelings.

Nick gave me that knowing look, a half smile tugging at his lips. “Come on. Don’t overthink it. It’s just Top Golf.”

I sighed, feeling some of the tension slip away as I realized Nick had a point. There was no reason to blow this out of proportion. It was just a fun night out with friends.

“Alright, fine..” I said, clapping Nick on the shoulder. “But you’re dealing with Emily if she freaks out.”

Nick chuckled. “Deal. I told her we’ll pick her up on the way.”

The doorbell rang then, echoing through the house.

“That’ll be Madi” Chris said, getting up to answer it.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the last bit of unease. I grabbed my keys off the counter and turned back to the guys. “Alright, let’s do this. Nate, I hope you’re ready to lose your money tonight.”

Nate laughed, his confidence unwavering. “You wish.”

We all grabbed our stuff and headed out the door, the excitement for the night starting to build. As I locked up, I couldn’t help but wonder how the evening was going to play out. With Y/n along for the ride, things were bound to go one of two ways, to be very awkward or very interesting.

But as I climbed into the car with my friends, I pushed those thoughts aside. Tonight was about having fun. Whatever happened, I'd deal with it together. Just like I always did.

Y/n POV

I blinked at the message, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. I hadn’t been expecting an invitation tonight. Before I could overthink it, I typed back a quick reply:

Me: Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.

His response was immediate.

Nick 💜 : Of course, you’re not intruding! Nate’s visiting from Boston, and Madi’s coming too. It’ll be a good time.

Seeing that Nate and Madi would be there made me feel a little more at ease. It wasn’t just going to be me and the guys, so there wouldn’t be any weirdness or pressure. Still, the thought of seeing Matt again had my heart racing. I wasn’t sure how it would feel being around him tonight.

Me: Okay, sounds fun!

Nick 💜: Great! We’ll swing by and pick you up in about 30. See you soon!

I set my phone down, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. This was just a casual night out with friends, no big deal. But the potential thought that I’d see Matt again had my mind racing with thoughts I couldn’t quite push away. Shaking my head, I decided to focus on getting ready instead of overthinking.

I pulled open my closet and sifted through my clothes, trying to find something that was cute but casual enough for Top Golf. I settled on a cropped tank top with a flannel shirt layered over it. I paired it with my favorite jeans and some comfy sneakers. After giving myself a look over in the mirror, I decided to put a little extra effort into my hair and makeup. Maybe it was silly, but I wanted to feel confident tonight.

I was just finishing up when my phone buzzed again, this time with a message from Nick letting me know they were outside. I grabbed my bag, gave my reflection a quick nod of approval, and headed out the door. The nervous energy in my chest made me feel ridiculous, but I couldn’t shake it.

As I walked outside, I spotted a familiar car waiting at the curb. Matt’s car. My breath hitched for a moment. I could see Matt in the driver’s seat, Chris up front with him. I walked up to the car trying to not make direct eye contact with anyone. Nick slid open the back door and flashed me a welcoming grin.

“Hey girl! Hop in!” he said, scooting over to make room for me.

I climbed into the car, trying to keep my cool as I greeted everyone. “Hey guys!”

Matt glanced back at me through the rearview mirror, his expression softening as our eyes met. No words were exchanged, we just gave each other a half smile, the kind that made time feel like it slowed down time. I returned the smile, feeling a warmth in my chest that made me even more nervous.

“Hey, I’m Madi” said the girl sitting in the third row, offering me a friendly wave.

“And I’m Nate” added the guy next to her, a tall guy with a laid back vibe. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too!” I said, glad to finally meet the people I’d heard about from Nick.

The drive to Top Golf was surprisingly quick. Everyone was in high spirits, chatting and laughing, and I found myself relaxing as the conversation flowed easily. We unloaded from the car once we arrived, and Matt, being the gentleman he was, swung open the door on my side. Our eyes met again as I stepped out, and we exchanged another one of those small, lingering smiles.

“Thanks” I said softly, feeling a flutter in my stomach.

“No problem” Matt replied, his voice low and easygoing. The moment was brief, but it left me feeling strangely content.

As we all walked into the building, I found myself sticking close to Nick, who was happily chatting about how excited he was to see Nate again, and Matt stood on the other side of me, silent. “I’ve never done this before” I admitted to him as we waited at the reception desk. “I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s all about.”

Nick gave me a reassuring grin. “You’ll love it. It’s a good time, especially with this crew.”

We got our bay assignment from the receptionist and made our way up to the second floor. The place was buzzing with energy, people laughing, music playing, and the satisfying whack of golf balls being hit. We reached our booth, which had a great view of the range, and Matt immediately took charge of inputting all of our names into the machine.

I stood back, taking it all in. The setup was way cooler than I’d imagined, with all these targets spread out across the field in different colors. “So, what’s the deal with all the rings out there?” I asked out loud, walking past Matt to get closer to the yellow line on the ground to get a better look.

Matt joined me, leaning in slightly as he explained. “Each ring gives you a different amount of points. The farther away it is and the closer you get to the centre, the more points you score.”

I turned to him, genuinely surprised. “Wait, so there’s actually an aim to this? All this time I thought you were just hitting golf balls as stress relief.”

Matt let out a laugh, the sound making me smile. “Yeah, it’s a little more than that. But it’s fun either way.”

Chris was up first, so Matt and I moved out of his way, still chatting. He pointed out the different clubs sitting in the box beside us.

“So, these are your options” he said, picking up a golf club that was easily as tall as me. “This one’s a driver. Good for getting the ball as far out as possible.”

I eyed the club, tilting my head. “That thing’s huge. I don’t think I can even hold that properly. You’re sure I won’t just end up swinging and missing completely?”

Matt grinned, the playful glint in his eyes making me relax a little more. “It’s all in the technique. But if you think it’s too much, there are shorter ones too.” He handed me a smaller club, our fingers brushing briefly. “This one might be more your speed.”

I took the club, testing the weight of it in my hands. “Okay, this feels better. I can actually manage this one.”

“Good choice.” Matt said, his tone teasing as he picked up another club for himself. “But remember, it’s not just about the length. It’s how you use it.”

I rolled my eyes, laughing at his playful manner. “Right. I’ll keep that in mind, golf pro.” I blushed slightly. Was he flirting with me? No he didn’t mean it like that..

He chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners in that way that made it impossible not to smile back. “I’ll show you some tips when it’s your turn.”

“Thanks, I’ll need them!” I admitted, feeling more comfortable around him than I had all night.

We all watched as Chris took his first swing, sending the ball flying towards one of the targets. Everyone cheered, and I found myself getting more excited to take my turn.

As I stood there with Matt, bantering back and forth about the clubs, I realized that maybe tonight wasn’t going to be as nerve wrecking as I’d thought. We were just a group of friends having fun, and Matt’s easygoing nature was making it hard to feel anything but relaxed. He was one of those people I instantly felt comfortable around.

When I looked up at the screen to check whose turn it was, I noticed something that made my heart skip a beat. Instead of my full name, the screen showed my nickname, one that only my closest friends used. My face flushed as I realized Matt must have been the one who put it in like that. It was a small gesture, but it made me feel warm inside.

Feeling a mix of anticipation and nerves, I stepped up to the mark and placed the golf ball on the tee. I took a deep breath, trying to channel the confidence Matt had given me earlier, and swung the club. 

But instead of sailing out into the field, the ball shot straight into the netting below me. I froze in place, wide eyed and embarrassed as laughter erupted behind me. Turning around, I caught their amused faces and couldn’t help but laugh at myself too.

“You’re hitting the ball like it’s mini golf!” Matt called out, his voice full of laughter. His teasing was light hearted, and I could tell he wasn’t trying to make me feel bad.

“I’m scared to swing it properly!” I confessed, still laughing as I turned back to face him.

Matt shook his head, still chuckling as he made his way over to me. “Here, let me help you.”

My heart skipped again as he came closer, standing directly behind me. The next thing I knew, Matt was wrapping his arms around mine, placing his hands on top of mine on the club. His touch was gentle but firm, guiding me into the right position. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, and suddenly, we were practically spooning while standing up. My heart raced in my chest, beating so loud I was sure he could hear it.

“Just relax” Matt said softly, his voice close to my ear. We swung the club back together, and in one smooth motion, he guided the swing, sending the ball flying down to the bottom of the field. I watched it soar, feeling a rush of excitement at how far it went.

“Do you feel better about it now?” Matt asked, his voice still low, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine.

“Yeah, it’s a little less scary now” I admitted, smiling up at him as he stepped back.

With my newfound confidence, I picked up another golf ball and placed it on the tee. Matt walked back to his seat, and I focused on the ball, trying to replicate what Matt had shown me. I took the same stance, swung the club the same way, and to my amazement, the ball flew straight to the furthest ring.

Everyone cheered in unison, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. “That’s the girl!” I heard Matt yell from behind me, his voice full of encouragement. My cheeks flushed at his praise, but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

I took my last two turns, each time sending the ball further than the last. Every time I hit a good shot, the group cheered, and Matt’s voice always seemed to stand out above the rest. After my final shot, I put the club back in its slot and turned around to see Matt standing there with a big grin. He held up both his hands, and I gave him a double high five, our palms smacking together in a satisfying way.

We both sat down, still buzzing from the game. Matt and I started chatting, the conversation flowing easily between us. It felt good, natural, like we’d been friends forever. Before I knew it, the hour was up, and the game was over.

Nate won by a country mile, with Chris and Matt tying for second. I won’t mention where the rest of us ended up, but let’s just say it was clear who the pros were in this group.

‘Time to cough that 100 bucks up Matt.’ Nate teased.

As we all started gathering our things, Chris groaned. “Ugh, I’m not ready to go home yet. Can we do something else?”

“We could all go for a walk on the beach?” Nate suggested, his tone casual, but the idea sounded perfect to me.

Nick lit up at the suggestion. “Fucking brilliant idea, Nate.”

Matt looked over at me, almost as if he was checking to see if I’d be up for it. Our eyes met, and I gave him a reassuring smile. “The beach sounds nice. I love the beach at night.”

With that, the plan was set. We all piled back into Matt’s car, the mood even more relaxed and happy than before. I slid into the back seat next to Nick again, feeling the cool night air on my face as we drove toward the beach.

It had been a fun night so far, but something told me that the best part was still to come.

a/n : i wasn't going to post this until sunday but here you goooooo (but now you have to wait until sunday for the next part lol)

taglist : @muwapsturniolo @anitahunt @sturnfannn @jayde510 @chrissfavhoe @babyalliah-777 @v33angel @urmom69lol @willowrites @ribread03 @2muchofaslvt @sturnsaver @sleepysturniolo @jcsturniolo11 @jessie-essie @hoeforchrizz @mynbbys @sturniolopanini @mattsturnxoxo @delicatechrry @t77te @sturnsyaper69 @hotdismylife @maggot3647 @ivysturnss @noplaceissafeanymore @mattssgf @yourfavsturniologirl @maethem0nth @sillyponygrl @mattyblover07 @imjusthereforthesturniolosmut @dominicfikeenthusiast @mattsfavbigtitties @ncm9696

[l3viat8an]

Rooo!!! I have Levi brain rot rn, and I need to share Grand Admiral! Levi thoughts with u :/

As an important figure in the military, Levi has to go out sometimes to check up on the outskirts bases of the Devildom. Make sure that everything is working as they should.

This usually lasts for weeks, and today you had found out how long 2 weeks can feel when your loser gamer boyfriend is out on assignment.

Finding solace in his uncharacteristically empty room, you cuddle up in the bathtub bed, desperate to feel anything that reminded you of your beloved player 1. Using his favorite jacket, watching replays of his old streams, sleeping in his bed, that's slowly losing his scent and feel.

But one day, while curled up in his gaming chair, rewatching his old clips for the thousandth time. Levi comes home. Still in his uniform as he marched into his room, not expecting to find his PC on.

Once you realized he was there, you quickly jumped into his arms, peppering kisses all over him. When you pull away, you expect to see the usual sight; Leviathan a blushing mess, stammering about something you can't quite make out. But now, he wasn't blushing at all. He barely changed his stoic demeanor.

"L-levi...?"

You asked confused, removing yourself from his embrace to look at his attitude. Giving a hurt look as you basically pouted. Throwing a small tantrum that he didn't miss you at all

Unbeknownst to you, Levi was freaking out. After weeks out on field he just wanted to sleep and go back to his shut-in lifestyle. What he didn't know was that what he needed was to see his player 2 dressed in his jacket. Being an adorable tsundere as she pouted.

"On the bed, and strip. Leave the jacket on"

Levi commanded, looking serious as you stood there. Shocked at his words.

"E-excuse me?"

"Did I stutter? Strip, on the bed."

"W-wait–"

Shocked and confused, You stood their unsure of what to do. And why the hell that turned you on so much

It wasn't the first time Levi was in control, but he was usually so sweet and gentle. Not this... demanding. You're not sure if it's the uniform, the attitude, or the fact it was Levi being so assertive. But you followed without hesitation.

And you're so greatful that you did, because the two weeks waiting for him were quickly rewarded. Levi being as merciless with you as he took what he wanted. Leaving you a blushing mess, passed out in his bed, as for the first time in two weeks, you slept with him again on his bed.

The next day, he profusely apologized at how rough he was, while all you could think about was when could you bring that side of him out once more

(AHHH IM SORRY FOR GOING ON FOR SO LONG BUT I NEEDED TO SHARE IT SO BADLYYY 🙏 IDK IF THIS IS SMUT OR FLUFF BUT I JS LOVE HIM AHHHH)

Nsfw!

Looks like fluffy-smut to me- holy shi 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 ‘n idk what happened but my add-on is definitely smut helpjdksj

Levi didn’t actually expected you to obey his command so quickly. He watched as you stripped down, leaving the jacket on like he had ordered. Fuck you look so good It took his breath away and he has to shake his head a bit, collecting himself as you climbed into his bathtub bed.

He quickly joined you, climbing on top of you in the bathtub before pulling you closer and kissing you, moaning softy as he deepens the kiss, sliding his tongue to tangle with yours.

His hands didn’t stop either, roaming over your body, exploring every inch of it, as if trying to burn it into his memory again.

Honestly there was something about this side of Levi that you couldn't resist. It was as if you were being taken by a completely different person, one who was confident and assertive…the grand admiral....it’s really hot-

You moaned when his fingers finally found their way between your legs, pressing against your already dripping cunt. He thrust two fingers inside you, causing you to moan loudly.

"You- you look so beautiful like this." Levi breathed into your ear, his voice low and husky. "I've been waiting for weeks to feel you again…..and I can’t wait anymore.”

He lines his cock up with your ready pussy, waiting for you to nod before sliding in and letting out a little whine he just can’t stop from slipping out, “S-so, good, messed you so m-much..”

He wanted nothing more than to keep you close, to let you feel how much you meant to him, as he fucked you faster, harder-

It was as if he had been holding back for weeks, waiting for this moment to release all the passion that had built up inside him.

“G-gonna cum soon….need, need you to cum with me.” as he leans down to kiss you, one of his hands slides back down to you clit and his thumb rubs against it roughly. Making Levi moan against your lips as you tighten around him, soon as he feels you orgasm take over your body Levi cums. rutting his hips into yours, riding through your orgasms together.

Panting Levi hides his face in your neck for a moment and he can hear you let out a little giggle, before whispering "I've missed you too, Levi." and Levi laughs, pressing a few soft kisses along your neck~

The next morning you’ll wake up to your, sweet boyfriend acting like his usual self. Looking over your body and apologizing endlessly, he promises he’ll be more gentle next time!! Wait no- he didn’t mean it like that!!- he did-

[sen-sational]

What’s the secret BTS stuff you know?

I'm just going to give you a long ass list of my notes I've put down due to me not be able to necessarily know HOW to write down actual important stuff so I just put down things that seemed interesting and things that they bring up or things that wouldn't really be known to this day

So here is my terrible lists of notes I've made while watching all EIGHT videos after midnight (I am exhausted but wanted to do this anyway 👍) sorry if it doesn't help with what you asked but it's what I have provided

+ plus and extra or two

- Sun and Moon Transform into Eclipse VRChat -

Reed originally tried to be game accurate with his moon voice

a mouse can be seen multiple times on davis' side of recording

Reed had originally pitched the idea of both Eclipse and Lunar

The original editor put in too many damn sound effects

Eclipse's original voice was a mix of sun and Davis (in his words) being a prick

They indirectly made a kingdom Hearts reference

They used to not be able to curse or make jokes along the lines with a swear so they pushed the family friendly field

they've thought of getting both sun and moon their own custom models at some point

- Sun Meets Eclipse in VRChat -

was possibly published on July 16th on purpose

The piano in 'golden Freddy's' home was very loud

a lot of things were added because of Mario (va of golden Freddy, glam rock Freddy, Freddy, etc.) You should definitely check him out at MarioMania on YT & Twitch

They planned on keeping eclipse dead after the 'solar flare' incident indefinitely

Reed was the one body acting eclipse in this video

Reed also had to keep adjusting his headset which can be seen multiple times

most of the old video were recorded late in the day, possibly at night.

Eclipse was being plain out stupid

the raw footage was around 30 minutes

reed's old moon voice just turned into Jack's voice

Eclipse was always meant to be an ass- not so great guy

they've had the exact end title card for 2 (3) years now (currently there is no more end title card)

- Sun and Moon Fight Gets Worse -

Davis' mouse can be seen once again

Reed's old moon voice continues to change and not necessarily for the better

the height differences were an issue due to oculus

the first time kill code became a problem and was mentioned and made up a idea of Bloodmoon a small bit possibly

'Cringe moon era'

moon started getting better when his voice sounded better (Reed's words)

'Hallmark with no Romance'

Davis hated the video due to him constantly looking back at the mirror

they have talked about doing a reboot of sams, which did happen in a way

'This is just bloodmoon' 'this is just alpha bloodmoon' 'it's just cringe Bloodmoon'

most replayed being moon punching the shit out of his brother and Reed laughing immediately

next to never do they redo videos unless they think they are very bad

recon of them feeling pain

the word hell being censored

old moon being a hypocrite

camera angles being horrible at random times

the episode led into the wither storm saga which became complicated but the best thing they added to the story at the time

Reed didn't know how to record at the time on oculus

- The Death of Sun and Moon -

didn't care to do the takeover

different daycare set

gross moon voice is still present

the entire month of the takeover Reed was gone which ended up them binge recording videos for an entire month

video was not as good compared on how much better they can do now

eclipse's voice changes

og eclipse voice is more like dark sun's

they made eclipse evil so they would just have a villain and eclipse happened to be there along with the model

very strange editing for lunar finally taking over moon

'ew' - Reed, after hearing lunar's old voice

unreasonably long ass magical girl transformation for lunar followed by 'what?'

Reed and Davis do not have the liberty of editing the videos

hyperactivity Reed moment

moon voice gets better AFTER being locked away in his head

- The Wither Storm Saga -

basically a mod showcase that got turned into lore

both Reed and Davis HATED using the original vtuber models

bad moon voice getting better

many changes due to the saga happening

wither storm was originally going to stay as a one world thing

Reed cheating by 'using magic to make a nether portal'

stated that sun should not have accepted Moon's apology due to it actually just being an adrenaline apology

once again cheating in the next video by having netherite armor

had to wait a while for the nether storm to grow which ended with Davis just letting Minecraft Run for around 30 minutes in creative so they could continue

the only thing they legitimately did was defeat the wither storm

reed was the one who found the mid

davis dying after falling from the wither storm with a cut

reed possibly dying a couple times with them going back to spawn

reed cheating again with his magic to make an anvil

Eclipse talking down to moon while casually enchanting sun's items

pokémon reference when Davis doesn't even play pokémon, unlike reed

davis' hatred of how he used to voice sun

moon using his magic to escape which was just ending the video

davis recorded B-roll footage in creative while waiting for the wither storm to grow

cut back to cheated items

the reward being the nether star they spawned in due to not getting it originally for killing the storm

↑ they then immediately then said to that 'new lore drop nether star is actually a wither shard the whole time lolz'

- Moon's Death in VRChat -

First meaningful death

current moon voice finally settling in

davis body acting KC due to it still being just them at the time

horror dimension moon model would have been killed code's model instead of the one they used for him if they had found it earlier

didn't know what to do with kc or sun at the time

kc with a lisp/ not being able to understand kc and wishing it would've been changed

davis and Reed being # 1 oculus haters

if Reed could change how he voiced kc he would have made him less 'breathy'

'kill code was a nothing character'

unstable camera hate (valid)

big reason for killing off was because 'it made sense and moon was a hard character to write with him originally going to be more like the game version and a jerk wanted them to make him fall off on being said jerk

moon should have not changed due to doing nothing for a year but did because, death

'there was no reason for sun to talk to this guy (moon)

entire world fucking disappears randomly

'great angle of the sand dude'

davis staring into the horizon as kc while Reed looking around thinking kc was going to be trying to see what moon and computer are talking about

'moon goes back in time: computer how about you die and I go back out with kill code?' 'Not possible'

'crazy idea, flash drive' (for kill code instead of moon dying)

davis finally looks over making himself seem a lot bigger

reed asked the editor at the time to do something with the horizon which ended up not happening

moon dying on dazzles birthday, unintentionally

''i hope the next me is kinder to you've" 'aged like fine milk'

- The Sun and Moon Show Horror Dimension in VRChat -

was a little inspired by the infection au's they saw from the community

wanted moon to go on a dimensional trip and made it the perfect video

davis had the idea of nexus finding the dimension, looking in it and saying 'you know what. I'll find something else' 'I want a shard but not that badly' ← Reed adding on ofc

reed spamming his censor button to be Moon's phone trying to call sun

davis watching some of their videos, Reed watching none

reed being the one to voice the horror Chica

editor ending up using davis' POV of him crawling instead of Reed's which would have been creepier

the Chica model being very bright no matter how far away someone was

reed needing to hug the wall to find 'the escape' and being lost, Davis and the body actors also getting lost trying to chase him

found the horror models by going into a public instance

- The New Sun and Moon -

reed had already been talking of change lunar (cosmos) around the time before laes ended

not a big fan of the pizzeria map, especially the lighting

'sun and moon's mother' video accidentally mixed up and published before 'the new sun and Moon' video due to mother's day

davis knows what he's saying as grandpa Monty but not understanding after

reed has no idea why Freddy's whole personality is 'lick' despite voicing and 'yeah' (which is great, love it)

one of the cat models turned orange at some point, needing them to reshoot that portion (they missed a piece of footage that had the cat model still orange)

They had Nova stand in a specific spot in the closet as to not have the messed up lighting on him

nova and frost being designed by Damien-Candle (is also Davis' thumbnail artist at times and has some great personal art work, go check em out)

nova/Frost's body actor being very great at body acting them

reed not yet settled in with a voice for frost yet so expect that to possibly change a bit I guess, same with Nova at first with davis

possible inspiration for frost was snow miser

they do wish NovaFrost's limbs could be stretchy but are unsure if it's possible due to VRChat

'frost is...a creature'

not wrong about Nova frost being like a Bloodmoon except 'this guy actually has a personality'

nova and frost are not siblings but acquaintances

grandpa monty's tail being inconsistent due to multiple body actors playing him at different times

Extra!

The VA for Roxanne is Pluless which you can find on YT and I'm pretty sure Twitch as well, with having great content, especially in their mcrp's which I really recommend watching!

Davis has a creature called DDavis that will not go away no matter what Davis does to get rid of him, he always comes back (this info is from Davis streaming Sally face, which you should watch as I personally enjoyed and you might too.

Now I'm going to sleep because I have finally finished watching all the video and it is like 6 in the god forsaken morning, good day to all

[fanfoolishness]

I started replaying Jedi: Fallen Order last night, and it's been like an hour and my heart is breaking all over again. Look at this kid. Cal Kestis is barely 18 here, and he's just a baby covered in grease and oil leaping around incredibly dangerous wreckage in a job that's more like indentured servitude than a career. Passing through the scrapyard you overhear workers coughing (and not wanting to get it checked out) or complaining about company scrip. Prauf calls it out in a heartbreaking speech that engineers became scrappers, that their pay got cut, that things got more dangerous when the Empire took over. Cal's working in a death trap with nowhere to go. No wonder Prauf tried to tell him he should get out of here. How could you look at that face and not want to protect him?

Here's Cal in his Luke Skywalker era. Except where Luke wanted off a planet where he lived in the sticks (in the dunes) and nothing ever happened, Cal looks out over a planet where everything is scrap and trash and wreckage, and the Empire's boot smothers everything, and he has no dreams except old nightmares.

(Also, look at this gorgeous photo. This game is just stunning. It's incredible how they recreated the look of all of the beautiful matte paintings from the time of the original trilogy.)

Aaaaand here we go, the game gives you about 5 minutes before you dive headfirst in Cal Kestis' trauma, even if you don't know what exactly it is. The look in his eyes here is heartbreaking. Prauf was so strong to look into that thousand yard stare on this kid's face on the daily and not just lose it, honestly. Prauf, you the real MVP.

The panic when Cal uses the Force to save his friend -- and in his surprise, Prauf calls it like it is, says Force and Jedi -- is devastating. Cal's frantic, taking his friend's face in his hands, begging him to please forget it, please forget it, please stop talking about it, please don't think about it, the way Cal tries not to think about it every single day --

He's so, so scared.

I wonder if Cal's fractured relationship with the Force was a desperate act of self-preservation. While Cere cut herself off from the Force knowingly, what if Cal subconsciously did so as a way to protect himself? He must have crash-landed absolutely overloaded with terror, grief, anguish, even hatred for the clones who had turned on them. But if his connection to the Force splintered, if it shattered -- then those emotions couldn't lead him down a dark path. What if Cal accidentally insulated himself from the dark side? Because this is a face that is so frightened, and the dark could offer a solution for that, power that could save and protect him from such emotions.

Ugh I'm rambling. More nonsense to follow.

[skysometric]

why, thank you for asking! i've been thinking it through for the last few days, i just wanted to make sure my answer was all written and ready to go first. all... checks notes... 4,000 words of it.

ICYMI, last week i sent asks to a bunch of my friends with a simple question: "what's your favorite game you played this year?" as i hoped, y'all gave a bunch of EXCELLENT answers, all of which i reblogged on my side blog @autumatically! (if you didn't get an ask like this and you want to join in, ping me – i sent too many asks to keep track of and i probably just forgot to send one your way!)

of course i wanted to answer this myself, but i wanted to write about more than just one game! and when i sat down to write, i just kept going, and going, and going...

so we're splitting this up! every day this week, i'll be counting down my top 5 games that i played in 2023. not all of these are games that i've streamed, and only one of them has shown up on anyone else's lists so far, so i'm really excited to reminisce and share my experiences this year ��

maybe you'll even find a new game to try out? i'm certainly really excited to dig through y'alls lists and try some of the ones i missed out on this year!

to kick things off, let's start with:

Honorable Mentions

two games came out this year that i would probably put in my top 5, no competition. so why didn't i? because i didn't actually play them!

see, as much as i love to play video games, oftentimes i also like to watch them just as much. this has always been great for games that i never intended to play in the first place, like the Final Fantasies and Fortnites of our day… but lately it's also let me take turns with my partner on who plays which new releases.

in fact, for both of the games i'm about to list, i watched my partner play them in full and i've watched no less than two separate people stream them as well. which means, with all that oversaturation, it's probably gonna be a while before i play them myself…

either way! here's my top two games that i didn't play in 2023.

Pizza Tower

this one likely needs no introduction! Wario Land 4 is one of my favorite games of all time, and the way Pizza Tower extends those basic concepts is a masterclass of game design. the moveset is perfectly geared toward accessible speed tech, the level layouts are top notch, the different forms are unique and funny, the art style is GORGEOUS, the combo system adds incredible replay value and pushes the player to their limits…

honestly the only thing stopping me from playing this right now is that the levels are too fresh in my mind, and i'd like a little time to let those memories fade before i dive back in and experience everything in a wave of nostalgia. seeing so much of the game already was totally worth it, though – i had the distinct pleasure of watching my partner learn how to P Rank most of the levels, and the simple joy of watching her build up her skills is one of my standout memories of 2023. proud of you, love!

god, Pizza Tower is a perfect slice of video game. i can't WAIT to play it myself!

Super Mario RPG

as a young kid, i always wanted a physical copy of this game. i could never justify it, though, because i already owned it on Wii Virtual Console, and it was one of the more expensive SNES games i had my eye on… a whole $40 in 2007 money! fast forward to the modern day, and not only do i no longer have easy access to that old Wii copy, but a physical cart now goes for like $90???

blessedly, along comes the Switch remake. i still can't believe this exists – it's a perfect remake in every way, shape, and form! the sprite-based animations are lovingly recreated, the battle system is rebalanced in fun ways, and the music is PERFECTLY re-arranged. even the dialog, which i expected to be completely retranslated… it's smoothed over, but mostly unchanged! the original game's unabashed weirdness and charm is fully intact, and i did NOT expect that out of modern Nintendo.

this is one that i didn't mind watching others play; Super Mario RPG is all about the vibe, and this remake captures that vibe perfectly. i'm excited to play it myself once it's had time to settle! but, for now, i'm perfectly content just vibing with others~

[shadowredfeline]

Two in One Post

For my Filipino Friend's On this Day Post

I played Excitebike too. I have played the NES Version a lot. I also played the Nintendo 64 one too, but it was tricky to get used to the controls and the gameplay. And this can be just like when Rita was also competing in the Motocross tournament while she was pregnant. Either before or after.

Debby 😺📱🖥️: Do your Best Rita! I know you're the greatest Cross Driver ever. And maybe Windy and I can watch you compete just like how we watch our sons compete in the racing games too.

And for a Response to both my A-Pal and my Filipino Friend

Yeah maybe if there's another Nintendo Direct, I bet we can both voice chat together if we want to. Because when I watched Nintendo Direct a few days ago, I couldn't tell if I would watch it alone, or watch it with some YouTubers or watch it by voice chatting with friends. And also I understand how you feel when Rare was just a subsidiary by Microsoft, it's a bit like how Atlus and Rovio are both subsidiaries to Sega. Because even with so many companies selling franchises to their companies, like Angry Birds, Etrian Odyssey and Shin Megami Tensei Persona, and when we find out who owns it, sure enough, they call around saying that Sega owns them. Much like with Bayonetta, it used to be made by Sega, they call around saying Nintendo owns it even though Platinum Games is the ones that own the series despite Nintendo publishing the game. So Bayonetta was counted as a Somewhat known Title, which is what Nintendo makes besides games based on their properties like Mario, Animal Crossing and Zelda. And back to Rare, what's also bizarre is that not only Microsoft had Rare as the developers, but I just heard that they made Sea of Thieves on a different system like the PlayStation 5. And when I just watched the Direct, I heard Horizons, a PlayStation title is gonna be on the Switch, but in Lego style. It was kinda confusing that so many of their titles owned by their own companies are now being shown on all the different systems. Because with Xbox Titles, they're usually only for both Xbox and PC, and I also heard when for classic Nintendo 64 titles, I know they just put in some M Rated titles like Perfect Dark and Turok, and what's confusing is why not buy the remastered version of Turok on the eShop? I talked about it with Deev on Discord voice chat last night and he said it was a stupid idea. Because we can just buy the remastered version because it was better and we can also buy their sequels too. Even when we can get Turok on different systems like PlayStation, Xbox or PC. And it would be confusing if they brought more M Rated Titles to Nintendo 64 like Conker's Bad Fur Day, Resident Evil 2, and Mortal Kombat 4. And ever since I got the Rare Replays for our A-Pal for his birthday, I know he's trying some of the Rareware titles when I last check on what he's up to.

Speedy 😺👟: We sure are, Mrs. Windy! And normally Grandpa wanted to try it, but he wanted to stick with being a PC player and rarely play a console.

Paul 😺⚔️⚒️: Well it's something. Sorry Guys, but I hope I'll try playing the consoles if I get the chance. Normally I've only played the original Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2 Echoes, and i haven't played 3 Corruptions and neither has Shadow. Plus I know the Multiplayer of Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is good since Shadow, Speedy and I played it together as well as for Caleb.

Speedy 😺👟: Yeah the Multiplayer is really fun. I sure played it a lot with Dad and Uncle Caleb. And maybe we should try it out together too, Mrs. Windy.

[draw-you-coward]

yeah maybe you reblogged that thing like 2 days ago but I'm going slow right now so if you still want to do the character ask thing, maybe mr Aloth Pillars of Eternity?

ogh im just happy to get one! lol

First impression: he's just a sweet lil lad. a sweet boy.. he seems so nice and shy and somewhat pathetic... i take pity on the lil squishy wizord in deadfire: damn aloth's old and cynical now lmAO

Impression now: this is tough bc i've slooowly started replaying deadfire and i forget most of my impression of him 🤔 I remember thinking that he makes a lot of very funny snarky comments and I liked how they gave him nervous stims esp with his hands. he just seems so done with all the bullshit and i feel that. I do wish he still had some of that sweet ladness left under all that cynicism though... but I think Rake thinks it's a little sexy

Favorite moment: bruh he propositioned Rake in the bathhouse literal seconds before tekehu did... i've been wanting to write a fic about it. besides that, there was a bit in the first game where rake failed a str check and aloth also failed a str check to help him and dislocated his shoulder and I just thought it was so sweet :-) so little rng things i guess... although i do like the comment he makes after you kill the memory monster in the wael dlc

Idea for a story: ok ok u know how i do like. vignettes. well i've been wanting to replay deadfire and sloowly make a fic abt their relationship? starting with the first time they enter the bathhouse maybe ahaha it'll be more playful in tone. my writing's improved a lot since i started the rake series and I still think about one comment I got that said they were so glad i was writing because barely anyone else did male watcher/aloth... 💀 i wrote like. three things and i still feel guilty about it sometimes

Unpopular opinion: oo boy! i feel like i stay so far away from fandom that i dont know what anyone thinks anyways LOL. ig just a general thing for me which is I'm not really a fan of romance? shippy stuff kinda gives me the ick 😅 For characters like aloth (esp bc i. dont like men lmao) I'm mostly drawn to their vibes and personality, and I really liked his whole wizard deal plus iselmyr and the abusive dad backstory ; i feel like there's a LOT of potential to dive into how that affects him that no one really explores

Favorite relationship: with edér :)) just two good ol boys. i like how theyre pals

Favorite headcanon: oo i dont really make these for characters esp if I like canon. i guess i'd like to further expand on how iselmyr functions for him, esp since in game it doesnt seem to follow specific rules or guidelines. does she come out when he's triggered? does she come out just to yell at me for friendly fire or to be upset when my unkillable ghost dog dies? how did he learn to function well in combat if she delivers attacks sometimes ("i dinnae con the spellybooks" girledfriend then woter u doing here? 😔) i guess i'd headcanon that there'd be a learning curve, esp since his first instinct was to fight/suppress her 🤔

from here pls feel free to send me more i love attention

[sapphire-weapon]

It's about time that you got an ask that says your blog rocks. I really, really appreciate the effort you pour into explaining your viewpoint and analysis of RE, the symbolism and overarching stories. You use fact. Canon material and manage to use it in a way to start a dialogue about how the majority viewpoints may wrong. You're so smart and checking out your posts every day is truly a joy. Yeah, soooo sappy, but I'm glad you exist! And I apologise for the MANY annoying anon asks I've sent over the past couple of weeks, lol!

uwu you guys have all been so nice to me lately, and I'm not sure if I live up to all of the compliments I get, but I appreciate it so much.

I'm actually surprised that anyone listens to me at all. But fandom in general (not just RE) has this obsession with religiously following Word of God, and it causes them to miss the forest for the trees.

Capcom and Akira Toriyama were who taught me to develop and practice "Death of the Author" very early in my hobby of analyzing stories. Even today, I'm surprised at how I end up with more accurate predictions for where a story is going to go over people who pick apart "Word of God" -- because development teams and writing teams change, and the new people who come in build the new titles off of what's shown in the old ones and nothing else.

I promise you guys that there is not a single person in all of Division 1 who's digging through old promotional shit from 1998 and referring back to ancient interviews in order to keep "the lore" consistent with every single little thing that was ever said or released. The team that's working on RE9 is probably looking at what happened in 6, Vendetta, and DI for a reference point for their story for 9 and literally nothing else -- if they're even doing that at all.

When they were working on RE4make, they said that they just kept replaying OG RE4 over and over and over again. Looking at the final product, that makes sense, because RE4make is a very tightly self-contained story. They were not at all concerned at how the game was going to lead into RE5 or RE6. External story factors like that aren't taken into account during development.

That's why I get so crazy about "what does the game actually say? No, I don't care what Developer #738 said -- what is in the actual game itself?" Because that is ultimately all that matters. Market trends aren't influenced by Word of God. Market trends are influenced by the content of the games and nothing else.

So, yeah. I'm probably more grateful for you guys than you are for me. Because most people don't want to hear it. So thank u.

[circle-bircle]

jrpg/srpg recs? old or new doesn't matter, but it's easier for me to get around to games if they're older so I can load them on my psp or 3ds or whatever. in return I give you uhhhh have you played any of the department heaven games? they're more like weird srpgs, st!ng loves experimenting with their games. gungir is my favorite cause it's the most depressing (imo) and there's sibling angst

department heaven looks cute! t'will have to check it out someday :) sibling angst is always fun!

onto the recs:

jrpgs:

standard ff2 plug (20th anniversary edition is my fav personally...), the FFIV collection for the psp is complete and also the best way to play 2D FFIV (imo). of course the 3d version is also on DS so YMMV. I liked Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest for what it was, Final Fantasy Legend and its sequels are games that Exist but I didn't particularly enjoy them just because i don't like GB games. But they are out there!!

I know I'm not the kind of person to shill DB but I had a fun time with Buu's Fury on the GBA... and it's not a JRPG but if you like pressing buttons really good this might be up your alley.

Golden Sun exists, I think everyone should play Chrono Trigger if you have not already. I talked about it briefly in my last rec post but Lufia 1/2 are JRPGs that exist for sure. The Suikoden series is cool and I am itching to play Eiyuden Chronicles one day!!

Dragon Quest has handfuls of fun games, SMT of course exists as well and I am partial to Nocturne. I have never played Bravely Default but all of my friends who are into JRPGs more than I am sing of both games' praises, TWEWY exists, and for the 3DS I actually really liked Monster Hunter Stories which is nifty and very cute.

srpgs:

of course fire emblem as the SRPG probably everyone around this blog knows about. I wish I liked Tear Ring Saga more but it's not my thing personally, but if you like the kaga sagas I would recommend it! There are pretty people, so no complaining from me :P Vesteria Saga and the other games exist too. I haven't played them though, so no opinion from me! But they exist!!

OFC have to say FF Tactics, FF Tactics Advance, FF Tactics A2. I love FFTA but I know FFT is way better according to everyone. There's also Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings which people usually put as a JRPG but it's definitely not a traditional JRPG. I personally think it's very slow to control but it's not the worst game you could be spending your time playing.

People really like Tactics Ogre... I did not. There were two characters I liked but I just didn't want to sit through multiple routes - but hey, there's multiple routes if you like that stuff!

I have heard good things about both Project X Zone and Triangle Strategy, but I'm poor so I've never played either. However, I think a fun game is Summon Night 5!!! I haven't played any of the other games, but the characters are very cute and it is an SRPG so I am putting it here!

That's all off the top of my head. I have a million more I could probably recommend, but I'd be repeating myself and shilling FF2 more than I should. I hope some of these games inspire you to look for yourself! Or replay an old gem, or something :P

[artylo]

Revisiting New Vegas - Part Ⅰ

As a sort of reward for myself for getting through some bureaucratic bullshit, I've been replaying Fallout: New Vegas these last couple of days - maybe weeks at this point; I can't tell.

It's kind of the only game that makes me want to keep saying things like: "When I go old and senile, just put me in front of a computer that auto-runs this on boot, please." It really is just my favorite thing in the whole world to completely annihilate my day and compulsively ignore any biological needs with. I also keep saying that I'll only ever play it once every decade or so: A) because I know what it will do to me, and B) because it will have been a long enough time to where things are probably staring to get fuzzy in the ol' memory department.

All that to say, this is my second kind-of-proper big playthrough, in which I know I've left a bunch of things unexplored the first time around. I don't even have a stipulation to do anything really different each time - just do whatever makes me happy, you know!

This time around, I am just stunned by the sheer size of the experience. I feel that whenever I played this around the time it released, I was mostly just some kid beelining it to the next main quest and getting things done whenever I found something along the way. Now, I've been essentially ignoring the main path and dipping my toes into the absolute shitload of faction side-quests that seemingly always existed in there, but I never found.

There are these weird new impressions forming in my head, since I'm not really committing to a choice of faction in the big picture kind of sense just yet, but I am walking around the ranks of the big players and helping them out of sheer self-interest. This has earned me a reputation of being a "Smiling Troublemaker", which is new to me in a mechanical sense and in a personal one. I've learned that being an absolute baby-faced, blue-eyed angel isn't the only way to approach the sliding scale of characters' opinions of you in this game. You can be good to them, but also take your cut whenever they seem to benefit from your services a bit more than what they paid for.

I like to think that even before engaging the big players on the map, I've already made a name for myself and established where my ideology sort of lies, so that by the time anything actually important to the plot happens, I will have some sort of in-universe reference from which to draw.

Some of the things I wanted to try out this time were learning how to play Caravan, checking out some of the more obscure unmarked quests, and getting all companions, while completing as many of their personal quests as possible.

I already know what you might be thinking. You want to learnt the thing no one ever bothers to learn; You want to learn Caravan? I felt like I had to do it, because I keep gushing about how much I like this game, yet I ignore massive chunks of it. That and I like retaining niche and relatively useless information for potential financial benefit. Turns out, you can make a lot of caps playing Caravan - especially if you get good at it like I did. First couple of games were obviously rough, but eventually I stacked the deck in my favor and robbed a merchant of all their money the moment I bought a bunch of stuff from them. I went on a 37 game streak after that. I still go back to the Mojave Outpost every once in a while when I'm strapped for cash. I play the lady at the bar for all she's got, repair my stuff back to full and then pickpocket most of that money back on my way out - life is good.

Anyway, this post is getting longer and longer - definitely more than I set out to write - and I'm getting a bit tired of typing at four in the morning. I'll continue this line of thought tomorrow.

[faithisforthetranspeople]

Hex's 2021 Media Thread Archive (2021 Part 2)

SSSS.Dynazenon was a fun watch I decided to pick up because I had some friends who were really about it. I had watched Gridman before and that one had a slow start but I loved the heart put into it during the later half with Anti and other characters getting some big moments. This sequel was a lot better overall, although I must regret I don't really remember much about it at this point in time so it didn't stick with me that hard. Like most trigger works for me it's a good and fun watch but won't leave me thinking about it forever :P.

Kamen Rider Blade was a really great watch! Every now and then I'll just binge a Kamen Rider for the hell of it which is how I've gotten a decent knowledge on the series (my favorite is OOO if you were curious) and this one is real special. It introduces maybe my least favorite rider ever who just sucks shit all the time in Mutsuki, who imo doesn't even get that great a resolution, but it also introduces one of my favorite riders ever with Hajime aka Chalice. It's a real slow burn with a lot of ups and downs but the ending is something really special and I just love the suits and belt gimmick of this one :).

Lobotomy Corporation made me really need to get one after playing it. Because this is Tumblr and my friends are LGBT or allies I don't need to talk too in depth about why I love this game because there's hundreds of other women who will snarl and froth over it. If you're curious my favorite Abnormality is Knight of Despair and my favorite character was either Netzach or Chesed.

Lobotomy Corporation: Wonderlab. Even more proof I'm definitely normal, I read this entire thing in a day after finishing Lobcorp. I love and adore the designs in this comic and it's really tragic they ended it so soon. But I'd definitely recommend it if you loved the game!

Blaster Master Zero 3 is one of my favorite games that Inticreates has made. I picked a wonderful time to get into this series as the third game was only a couple months away after I had finished the previous two and it was so exciting actually playing a game the second it released again and going through it all 100% in one sitting. Everything about it just plays so good and I love how well they mixed mechanics with narrative in this one. Also if you know the source of my icon you can tell a certain scene had a big impact on me.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster is a great way to play FF1 if you don't want any of the bonus content from the GBA/PSP releases but still want some quality of life such as a minimap and generally easier battles. I think when I go for my inevitable FF1 replays I'll probably aim for PSP just cause I actually like the extra content but this is definitely one of the better deals for the pixel remasters if you're interested in checking the series out :).

Metroid Prime is one of my favorite games I played growing up, and in 2021 I experienced it again using a specific emulator set up to emulate the trilogy and bind your camera movement to the mouse, turning the game into a Mouse and Keyboard style game. While I think the Prime trilogy actually feels like one of the better FPS series to play with controller it was still a fun and easily accessible way to trek through a game I've played before.

Psychonauts 2 is probably one of the games that's closest to being a perfect sequel that I've ever played. Most the time with these revivals of old IPs you have to temper some expectations after so many years have passed and accept some flaws from the process of making a newer more modern entry but for me this game feels exactly like what I'd want from a Psychonauts sequel and it doesn't lose the heart that made the first game (which is one of my favorite games ever) such a special experience. The narrative was really touching and they really knocked all the different level themes out of the park in such a satisfying way. Please play both of these games if you haven't and can tolerate a 3d platformer with some collectathon elements.

No More Heroes 3 is a game I don't know how to go about describing why it's so cool and fun to anyone who doesn't know the series and already get the appeal. Instead of spending forever explaining all that I'll just say the bosses in this one are probably the best in the series in terms of overall quality with no super aggressive difficulty spikes but some can still get you if you're careless. In particular my favorite is the "RPG" boss fight the dialogue is so goofy in that one.

Touhou Luna Nights doesn't try to hide it's inspirations (like all Touhou fangames really) and instead creates a really unique Castlevania-themed game focused around throwing a megaton of knives in various ways and finding out how to interact with everything using time slowdown/stop mechanics. The game can be pretty tricky trying to learn how to manage all your resources but after enough upgrades and time spent it's extremely easy to shred through enemies (and even bosses) in a very satisfying way. Any game where you can stop time and stand on your own knives as platforms will always be cool.

Warioware Get it Together was a fun timesink and had pretty good systems in place to get you to replay a bunch of microgames with its online elements, but unfortunately I never really spent as much time with it as I wanted to. It was very fun with so many ways to complete every microgame with all these characters who play differently and I hope they keep this series going!

Touhou Puppet Dance Performance - Shard of Dreams (Extended) - is the last game I'm going to put on this archive post and it's a real special one. While I adore pokemon as a series and am probably one of the people who can't bring myself to dislike an entry in the series, this game combines it with one of my biggest interests in such a special way that it's probably my favorite Touhou fangame as well as my favorite Pokemon fangame. Even with official content only there's characters from Every Single Game (and even the books!) from Touhou 1 all the way to 12 (15 with shard of dreams), and there's a very high quality mod in SoD Extended that adds in all the missing characters so you can play with all of them, as well as balancing trainers around all the new content they add for these characters and making the game less of a stomp and sometimes an actual real challenge. The customization of a puppets EVs (and eventually IVs) along with being able to freely switch natures and learn/forget moves as long as you have enough points means that there's a very high chance no two playthroughs will ever feel alike, and the typing chart fits in really well with no types feeling too powerful compared to the other cause no matter what there will always be a trainer that just folds one of your puppets out of nowhere. As a bonus while I sign this post off, for my playthrough I used a gimmick team where I could only have one puppet from every 3 games (ex: if i choose sakuya i can't use any other puppets from 4-6, if i choose nazrin that's 10-12, etc.) and it ended up being both a bit of a challenge but also very fun to try and get good type coverage. See y'all in the next archive which should be the final one for 2021!

[prokopetz]

It might still be too early for this kind of question, but what have been your favorite video games you've played in 2022? :3c

Given what the release schedule over the next three months looks like, yeah, it's probably jumping the gun, but what the hell. I'm going to arbitrarily restrict my consideration to games actually published in 2022, or else we'd be here all week, though.

(I make no apologies for the high concentration of sequels on this list. I know what I like!)

Amber City is a spiritual sequel to 2017's Flood of Light, and its gameplay is in much the same vein, being an atmospheric walking sim with light point-and-click puzzle elements. If you enjoyed the idea of The Witness but wish the puzzles didn't hate you personally, this might not be a bad one to check out.

Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince isn't going to break any new ground for those who’ve played its predecessor, though it's somewhat more adventurous in its dungeon design; if you enjoy casual 2D Zelda-likes, you'll probably enjoy this. Fans of 1980s fantasy media may also get a kick out of its pop culture pastiche elements – let’s just say the narrator is definitely taking advantage of the fact that his grandkids have never seen Labyrinth!

COGEN: Sword of Rewind is a Mega Man Zero style hack-and-slash platformer that does one of the first interesting things I've seen in years with the time manipulation formula, essentially merging your "mess with time" gauge with your health bar. The damage-boost routing in the speedrun is something you need to see to believe.

Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils is a retro platformer from the makers of 2020's Zelda-like dating sim Prodigal. Comparisons to Celeste are, perhaps, unwarranted, as the mechanics are very different, but I felt something familiar in the role of momentum in its flow of play. Visually, it's incredibly pink, which is something I always appreciate in a game.

Dungeons of Dreadrock is a short logic puzzler that one could be forgiven for mistaking for an old-school roguelike at first glance. Each level is a set-piece that borrows from the conventions of the grid-based roguelike genre to create situations where only one sequence of actions leads to survival, and challenges the player to find it..

FAR: Changing Tides swaps Lone Sails' landship for, well, an actual ship. The engineering sim gameplay remains largely unchanged in spite of that. Some of its elaborations on the previous game's formula don't work as well as they might have, being challenging more due to the limitations of the physics engine than anything else, but the frustration factor wasn't high enough to ruin my fun.

A Game with a Kitty 1 & Darkside Adventures is me flagrantly breaking my own rules, since everything in this anthology actually came out in 2005–2008 – it's just the anthology itself that's a 2022 release; I'm mostly throwing it in because this list was otherwise light on free-to-play titles. It all held up remarkably well on a replay earlier this year, though.

Gunborg: Dark Matters is a run-and-gun precision platformer that seems to have flown entirely under the radar, having just 11 reviews on Steam at the time of this posting. I'm not sure why – I mean, it's got a great soundtrack, and you play as a woman with a sword the size of a surfboard. What else do you want?

Jack Move is a JRPG-style title that blends self-consciously silly 1980s cyberpunk with contemporary anime aesthetics. I have to confess that I'm cheating a bit by including this one, as it's been out for all of three days at the time of this posting, and is the only game on this list I haven't played; I have, however, followed its development for some time, and I've had a lot of fun with the various demos the dev team has put out over the years, so I'm confident in plugging it here.

Recursive Ruin takes a page from 2019's Manifold Garden and basically asks "what if it was super fucked up?" The recursion here is fractal rather than directional, with progress "inward" eventually leading right back where you started. The story is naturally pretentious as hell; whether that's a criticism is a matter of taste.

RUN: The World In-Between wears it Celeste influence on its sleeve, but really takes more from classic endless runners like Canabalt. The "procedural generation" is just the same dozen or so puzzles for each zone being strung together in various orders, and the story is thinner than the trailer makes it look, but if you're a fan of the "running from left to right set to awesome music" genre, you could do a lot worse.

Submerged: Hidden Depths picks up where 2015's Submerged left off. The gameplay is substantially similar, though with a heavier focus on exploration puzzles and fewer linear set-pieces. Even so, it's not exactly what I'd call challenging – it's better approached as a pretty walking sim with light parkour-puzzler elements.

System Purge is about as basic as it gets for a precision platformer. No fancy moves here: you run; you jump; you get your face melted off by a laser. There's actually quite a bit of blood and gore, which is something I rarely have the stomach for, but the game is short enough that the lurid bits don't overstay their welcome. Fair warning!

Taiji is... well, remember when I said Amber City is a good one to check out if you like the idea of the Witness but wish the puzzles didn't hate you? This is one to check out if you do enjoy it when the puzzles hate you. There's a lot here that will be familiar to fans of the latter, though the puzzles are somewhat more varied owing to the fact that colouring grids is a more flexible game mechanic than drawing lines.

Vain Ascendance is a a roguelite precision platformer whose art style and mechanics put me strongly in mind of 2018's Overclocked, though the dev teams are unrelated. When I've plugged this game in the past I've been teased that my obsession with games about red haired women who can air dash is showing, but this I must protest: her hair is purple.

As for unreleased games available in demo or early access versions that I've tried out in 2022, I'll keep it brief, since these aren't proper recs, but you might have a look at any of Dormiveglia, Garbage Girl Louise, Gigasword, Keylocker, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara, Little Witch in the Woods, Rebel Transmute, Rose & Locket, Ruin Valley, Shards of Gravity, Star Hearts: Launch Point, Undergrave, Venus Looks for Jupiter, Vermillion Descent or War Girl.