#overworld teams are always my comfort characters

[elysiumarchieve]

Ohh! I have a request, but you may skip if you'd like!

But- what if the reader meets Raiden while going through a commission in Inazuma? (like she was strolling around the city) They're curious to know about his past so they ask questions (they only met Scara while he was still a harbinger) but Scara finds the reader and his mother getting along.

How about he react? 👀👀

Sorry it's so long! ❀

dw that's not long! and i really like the idea actually omg

meeting the raiden shogun by accident

warnings: mentions of scaramouche's past, mentions of ei's past, this is somewhat angsty??, scaramouche being scaramouche, 3.2 archon quest spoiler, traveler is a giant snitch

✧ scaramouche was already upset that he had to help with those stupid commissions

✧ not only was that absolutely below him, he didn't know why exactly he should help random people who could do most of their shit on their own and not ask the adventurer's guild for her help due to their incompetence (in fact, he was now forbidden to do any commissions involving people after he threatened to beat up that one author from the yae publishing house for wasting his time)

✧ thankfully, you were also there (as you also did most of the speaking, too), in the middle of inazuma city helping out ogura mio to find new patterns for her kimono designs, something that you decided would be a good choice to also let scaramouche help

✧ you still got baffled at how quickly he could put a nearly flawless facade, turning from that grumpy and snarky idiot to a well mannered gentleman in seconds when you approached ogura mio, who had already been waving at you

✧ helping her was fairly easy, with you handing her some of the cor lapis you had gathered just days ago that you didn't need (or rather, to prevent a certain handsome wansheng funeral parlor employee from finding you and explaining in detail at how hard it was to gather cor lapis properly)

✧ it was only when people erupted into gasps around you that you and scaramouche glanced over to the bridge leading to tenshukaku that your jaw almost dropped immediately - wasn't that the raiden shogun herself? in town?!

✧ you had seen her just once before, but that was when the traveler had been around as well. much to your surprise at that time, they even appeared to get along well with each other, what eventually lead to you also being greeted by the shogun personally

✧ from her sheer appearance, their similarities were almost uncanny - the hair color, their eyes,,, it was amazing how much he resembled her in terms of appearance

✧ back then, you already had many questions but didn't dare to ask them. you were well aware of how scaramouche was 'created' and that the shogun before you was just another puppet and not the actual shogun herself - but the way she talked was so different from how the shogun puppet spoke that it convinced you that she had also taken note of you

✧ in fact, when her purple eyes landed on you, your entire body shut down. was she deliberately looking for you?! why is she walking towards you??

✧ when you tried to nudge scaramouche's side you feel nothing and you almost panic. did he actually just ditch you the moment he sees his mother?! is he actually for real?! your head snaps around almost furiously trying to find out where your lover had gone within the blink of an eye

✧ ogura mio almost panics as much as you when the shogun halts before you, a hand on her chest as she greets you in a soft tone, causing you to meekly greet her back

✧ scaramouche didn't see this, already far away from where his creator and you were. he did not want to see her nor did he want to hold a conversation with her - he even doubted the possibility of the shogun even remembering him so why should he stay?

✧ he frowned at the thought. there was nothing he could talk about with her and he believed that she wouldn't want to talk to him either, considering she just abandoned him without giving him the possibility to just,, stay by her side

✧ she didn't even have the heart to kill him and free him from a life with no purpose, so what should he talk about with her? he'd probably only get angry at her either way, or atleast that's how he reasons his sudden disappearance when he already finds himself in the middle of nowhere

✧ you, on the other hand, were having a nice conversation with the shogun, or rather as she wanted to be called, ei, in the middle of tenshukaku. if you had any idea your day would've turned out like this, you might have changed your clothing to wear something formal

✧ ei had immediately noticed the person dressed in blue who disappeared the moment she laid eyes upon you behind a house, but she didn't mean to impose nor assume who it was - she might've even partially be aware of who it was guessing from how nervous you were at her appearance

✧ after what happened in sumeru, it was the traveler who came to tenshukaku and told her everything that had happened - about her puppet trying to become god, about how they defeated him and how he even received a vision while staying with the dendro archon

✧ of course, the traveler didn't leave you out and it almost shocked ei that she had met you before - just like you had many questions, so did she have a few things she wanted to talk about with you about kunikuzushi

✧ now that her views had changed as well, on her people and on the eternity she seeks, hearing that you and presumably him were in inazuma city, she didn't waste any time to try and have a conversation with you two so she could see the way he might've changed too (considering that he went absolute hamshit in sumeru, she was interested in what might've caused all of this)

✧ while you felt (obviously) intimated by the shogun, she immediately asked you to not talk to her as the shogun, but to her as ei, as a friend (which actually scared you even more)

✧ "how has he been? i heard that he was in a coma before you two set out."

✧ you tell her that he was,,, pretty okay but that he was still the same old scaramouche you knew. at that you can see her eyes soften - she didn't even know what he was like nor did she ever try to see for herself (she blamed her past self for being too self absorbed in her own grief and failed to ever get to know him)

✧ when you finally dare to ask why she created him in the first place, ei merely sighed. she knew that question would come and it was also natural for you to wonder about this if you were his lover

✧ so she tells you solemnly, about her sister makoto and her demise, about her grief and her desire to protect inazuma from the same fate that had befallen khaeri'ah by keeping everything the same - up to the point to which she was so scared of becoming her own enemy that she created puppets to rule in her stead, something in which she alread failed kunikuzushi the first time

✧ you are certain that the things she's telling you are not meant for your ears actually, telling you all about how she planned to store the gnosis in the puppets and that she was going to meditate endlessly inside her plane of euthymia to prevent herself from eroding (a concept that you, as a mortal, had only heard about in old forgotten tales)

✧ the conversation, though grim and rather depressing, brought to you new inside on how his creator acted and thought about him - and it almost made you even sadder that scaramouche had left the moment she appeared because this is actually a conversation these two should have with each other, not his 'mother' and you

✧ even though he wrecked havoc across sumeru, she tells you that she would never act out against him. she wanted him to live his own life and make his own experiences, set him free from the duty she did not want him to bear (and besides, she also made her fair share of mistakes that she felt terrible about)

✧ when you glance outside and see that the sun is setting, you almost panic that he might get mad at you for having been with the shogun for so long - although you feel like yo should rather get mad at him for running off like that)

✧ ei takes notice of your sudden worry and she just smiles. considering that he had ran away before she actually had a chance to talk him herself, he must probably already been waiting for you to come back

✧ you can tell that ei really wants to see him atleast once, but you tell her that the next time you two happen to be in inazuma city, you'd bring him with you so they can finally have the heart to heart talk they should've held already a long time ago - she thanks you (which made you incredibly nervous) and tells you that she'd come with you to take you back to inazuma city

✧ and in fact, he was in the middle of inazuma city and almost fuming over the fact that, according to ogura mio, the shogun herself invited you to take a walk through inazuma city before both of you just headed back to tenshukaku

✧ sitting on top of a random roof, he waits for any sign of you, until he finally catches a glimpse of you and,,, her

✧ his first instinct was to leave again, but then he sees the two of you and something in his chest hurts - he can see you smiling and giggling and even the shogun seems to be,, in an incredibly good mood herself

✧ no, he did not yearn to be part of this. he doesn't even want to be near her nor talk to the person who betrayed him right after his creation, but seeing you teo get along so well really pains him

✧ scaramouche sees the shogun handing you something and his hand subconsciously clutches onto the golden feather dangling from his vision - she was giving you the exact same one and placing it gently into your palm with a smile

✧ he wonders for a short time, did she hand him that feather the same way or did she leave it with him when he was already asleep? he couldn't remember it, but he remembers very strongly about what so many people had once said about it

✧ when you finally depart from her, he waits until the raiden shogun is far away enough from him before appearing sround the corner, almost scaring you as you had been too focused on your new accessory in your hand

✧ his arms are crossed and he asks you with a deadpan stare if you were having fun - when you answer yes, he's almost irked at how happy you appear (but he's also glad that everything went well)

✧ you notice rather quickly how he focuses on the golden feather in your hands and you grin, proudly declaring that the shogun gave you the same feather as him and you jokingly say she did it so you could have matching accessories - and he just stares at it with a look you cannot quite pin down (it's like he's trying to figure out whether or not she actually said that)

✧ "i think, next time we're here you should talk to her"

✧ at your suggestion he huffs. why should he do that? there is nothing that needs to be discussed between the two of them anymore

✧ "oh, and, she said she's very proud of you. she's glad you found your own way."

✧ he almost thought he didn't hear you correctly so he just stares at you wide eyed, but he catches himself and immediately turns away from you, an unreadable expression on his face

✧ "it's not like she contributed to any of it."

✧ you laugh at his stubbornness when he simply walks away, his hat pulled down into his face as you follow him with a big smile

✧ "this gold ornament is a proof of identity granted by the almighty shogun, a symbol of my, ei's, gratitude. thank you for keeping him safe. he should be proud about his growth."

[hall0wedwyrm]

Minecraft Headcanons for the anniversary

Happy birthday to the biggest brainrot ive ever had.

I wanna share my own hcs for the Block People!! because I haven't escaped them in all of my conscious existance. I am required by law to also include Herobrine. Okay here you go <3

Steve is ancient. As the first mortal being, he's been around for a very long time and watched the world change countless times. They still find exploring very rewarding, as they're always finding new things.

think of the world as like... when you update the game and the unexplored chunks have the new content... its just like that.

Alex is not as old... but they are still very very old. As the second mortal being, they are not as experienced but they know a lot about the world. They're a thrill seeker, and they looove danger.

Steve still panics when they jump into danger, even though they have been together for centuries at this point.

Alex is a free spirit, but they also have their own comfort in their base and being in familiar territory

They're very much the kind of player who has the huuuuge main base with all of their mob farms and projects being close by or easily accessible, where Steve would just have their one home and expand accordingly (a room for... basically everything)

Now... Herobrine is like. THE Oldest Being. He literally made the Nether, and Mobs, which were already around when Steve first appeared.

I have this headcanon that Herobrine is the sibling of the End Poem entities? Where hes their cast out brother because he was 'messing with their perfect world' and they decided to put him in the world. He wanted there to be a challenge but they were having NONE of it

If you know Narinder from Cult of the Lamb... like that.

He got assigned as the ruler of monsters after the individual monarchs had acknowledged him as their Creator. He lives in the Nether.

He's currently working on his Overworld Mansion (i.e. Herobrine's Mansion if you remember) since his siblings presence has faded away, and hes jumping at the chance to adventure into the overworld. He's picked a spot thats nicely tucked away in a deep forest

Herobrine originally believed that Steve was made to be a mockery of his new form, but ended up getting attached to them instead.

He then met Alex and they unintentionally swept him off his feet. They were a very fresh breath of air in his life and he appreciates them greatly.

He thinks Steve is okay (Hes obsessed with them).

Yeah... i'm a Hero/Steve/Alex shipper. I'm also the enjoyer of Steve/Herobrine and Alex/Herobrine as stand alone items too... basically im very open to any variation of this ship i just love them together lmao.

Herosteve enemies to lovers

Hero is Pan, Alex is genderfluid bi and Steve is demiboy bi there you go

I love masc Alex... but i do also like Alex being buff and fem.

Although i do love they them Steve a lot too... maybe at somepoint Steve tried just they them and was like 'this is kinda cool and also i dont mind either'

The newer characters (Noor, Sunny, Ari, Zuri, Makena, Kai and Efe) have built a community spot together. They're like a smp server where they announce "hey guys I'm heading to the mines anyone wanna join?" and there ends up being a little team who heads out.

Alex and Steve are the cool mentors who visit sometimes and help out. Alex brings cool trinkets and rarer items while Steve provides extra blocks and food.

Steve's advice is shit but Alex is actually pretty good at it???

"You just gotta go find it" vs "Oh heres a detailed explanation of how to find what youre looking for"

Herobrine is the 'creature that hangs around in the shadows sometimes' and watches over them. He's not malevolent towards them, so they assume he's somekind of protective force

Ari and Sunny saw him first, and Kai n Zuri did not believe them when they told them. Efe though it was cool though, but Makena didn't leave their safe area for like a week until Noor reasoned with her and said it was probably nothing.

okay yeah im doing part 2 for this with world building headcanons and for the other guys because i made basic ideas for my interpretations of them but this is kinda long already

[pinchraccoon]

I think I'm gonna write an actual like, real review of it, but here's my mini review of Pokemon Violet to get my thoughts summarized.

The latest entries to pokemon, while a bold step in a new direction, may be a step into Alaskan snow in flip-flops. The game has some great ideas and lofty ambitions, and for what it does accomplish, there's clearly a lot of fun to be had with the product that was delivered, however, the preparation given to bring these ideas into fruition was far under prioritized.

To speak kindly of the game before speaking ill, I have always, and will always, love pokemon. It's a series that is very near and dear to me, and there's a certain magic that comes with learning all about the new creatures that have been added to the growing roster of canonized monster designs I've come to love, especially on a semi-blind playthrough, the magic of learning about and hunting down as many new pokemon is unmatched. SV does deliver on this, as I feel that this generation has a series of lovely pokemon designs that I have fallen in love with in my short time with them. (Tinkaton, Revavroom, Ceruledge, Meowscarada, and Chi-Yu are all new favorites)

Additionally, the story of SV is quite well done, easily one of the best-executed stories in pokemon in a while, and while I don't think I'm comfortable calling it "better than" the story of BW/BW2, I feel that it's comparable in quality. Characters, themes, and plot points all feel surprisingly natural in a game that theoretically allows you to go off and challenge its many hurdles in any order, utilizing the scripted events that it does have cleverly, and to great effect. I particularly enjoyed the Team Star narrative, and how it takes the "evil team" formula that pokemon has had for a long time, and juxtaposes the idea of a group of bullies onto it, only to learn over time that they're just bullied people sticking together, and aren't bad, just misrepresented.

On the basis of the typical gameplay loop, SV delivers Very well. The incorporation of overworld encounters and optional trainer battles allows the player to feel free and uninhibited by the game itself, and free to engage with exactly as much content as they would like to, whether this be picking and choosing what pokemon to battle in the wild, or which trainers if any, they feel the need to battle. SV's design philosophy seems to be prioritizing freedom as much as possible, while also meaningfully rewarding progression, and I feel that the game flow comes off as organic.

This is to say, that this game has more team-building potential out of the gate than just about any other pokemon game, with countless pokemon accessible to the player even moments from starting the game, appealing to collection freaks and competitive fans alike.

Then, what's the problem?

In short, the game is unfinished. The game, at launch, would routinely dip to what I could ascertain to be 12-17 FPS regularly, and while steps have been taken already to make the drops in framerate far less drastic, the time to do that incredibly important work is before release, not after. The framerate, the chief among issues, and generally its lack of optimization for switch hardware, sometimes spoils the other wonderful parts of the game. Finding pokemon is less intriguing when extreme pop-in only allows you to look at pokemon less than 20 feet away from you, and somewhat harms the immersion of the experience. And while updated models and style of the pokemon have been made, and they're quite impressive, it's hard to say that the pokemon "look good" when after 4 appear on screen at once, or even two pokemon with some attacks, their frames drop far below what they should.

Additionally, while this game loads quickly traveling between areas, smaller, more subtle, but similarly important loading times feel far, far too long. The boxes take far too long to load the images of your pokemon in each individual box, which somewhat harms the collection fantasy, and upon starting a battle with a wild pokemon, their "low poly open world" model will still be loaded long into the first turn. Additionally, menuing remains rather clunky and sluggish, which quickly becomes annoying when things like Wonder Trade or other such "quick" menuing activities take a minimum of 45 seconds due to their lack of optimization.

The issues I'm listing sound comparatively minor, however, in an experience as dependent on a lack of obstruction as SV are clearly trying to be, the failure to deliver on a product that runs consistently and reasonably is a major slight against it.

These issues are not deliberate design choices that simply do not work, these larger issues are a product of the dev teams' inability to put out the product that wouldn't have these problems, and the issues with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are by and large issues with management, not the dev team themselves. The worrying pace at which Pokemon games are released, especially considering that SV is not even our first major open-world Pokemon release this year, is clearly harming Game Freak's ability to provide a product that will meet the expectations of both fans AND the artists themselves.

SV is in many ways, an extremely fun game that has been weighed down by the weight of the industry, and as much as I loved the time and fun that I had with it, its issues cannot be overlooked. I can't say that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, in their current state, are "good" games. Violet is a game that I enjoyed, it's a game that perhaps will be good in the future following patches and performance updates, but at current, the development issues that are so apparent and the clear lack of optimization for switch hardware made by these issues genuinely harm my perception of the game quite a bit.

Is it fun? Yeah. Is it good? No.

[kulaiyin]

NEW PATCH!!!! lots of exciting things to look forward to, but the biggest thing for me was... i could finally use my blue fates on the standard banner! i was hoping for lots of dehya cons hehe (*^ω^人) just 24 blue fates and low pity, so i wasn’t expecting much, but what if...?! well...

i got my FIRST mika! i’m so glad because i was pulling quite a bit in shenhe’s banner for sucrose constellations and a chance to get him (i like to have all the new characters accounted for...) and now he’s here!

i just have sara, faruzan, and kaveh as my missing 4 stars, and faruzan is in the bag thanks to the version event 😤

also... I GOT A FIVE STAR EARLY IN MY STANDARD BANNER PITY AWKJLWAJDL i couldn’t believe it! i was hoping for dehya, but constellations for tighnari are always welcome!

C2! ╰(*°▽°*)╯ and just in time too! here’s hoping i get more tighnaris and dehyas in future pulls!

that’s all for my standard banner round up. i haven’t been posting super frequently because i’m expected to get busy soon so i have just been taking my time 👍

(warning!: contains references to leaked content)

small ramble about future pulling plans... 

i’m eye-ing nilou and baizhu, but i really should hold back. my impression on both their characters lean positive, but i’m not a dedicated fan or anything like that, i just think their kits could be fun to use

but for nilou... she’d just be for abyss usage for easy clears... i really love the comfort of my (reverse)melt rosaria team for not needing an ungodly amount of clicking, and i think nilou could provide that same comfort. but gah, i really don’t know, abyss is such a non-essential part of the player experience <( _ _ )> (also i just got dehya and want to use her as much as possible)

baizhu would bring immense QOL in the overworld as i prefer to have at least one healer, and he supposedly brings that in huge amounts, but it’s not as if i am extremely attached to his personality (yet! his story quest might change that). for example, what if a banger character that fit my character design and personality biases in the future also brings lots of heals?! i might regret baizhu if it came to that... 

in the future, i definitely want to secure focalors, the hydro archon. i have a good feeling about liking her based on in-game descriptions, and well, if you know, you know... 

i also want arlecchino! and cloud retainer-- (IMMEDIATELY GETS DESTROYED) sorry, i know it’s really unlikely but i just really like handsome women and mature glasses women... o(￣┰￣*)ゞ but yeah, those three are my top priority!

like i said, i think i’m about to get really busy soon, so i probably can’t farm primos as consistently in the future... gotta be smart! 💪 i’ll stay strong for focalors, arlecchino, and cloud retainer!!!

(maybe)

[crystalsoulstudios]

New commission type just dropped!

🧵Cross Stitch Cushions!!🧵

Three different types to choose from:

Small Single Sprite: Perfect for small sprites like those found in menus or in the overworld, like in Undertale, Zelda, and Fire Emblem and such. Fits nicely into ita bags!

Single Detailed Sprite: For larger more detailed sprites, like Pokemon battle sprites

Multiple Small Sprites: For when one small sprite isn't enough! Great for pairings such as a Pokemon team, a group of your favorite characters, your favorite item set, etc. As few as two, as many as nine

Wanna add some extra flair? Three additional features available! Pockets, frames, and text!

Have a custom sprite you want stitched? No problem! I'll even do minor sprite edits (ie palette swaps) or convert official art or symbols (ie RWBY and Smash Bros symbols) into sprites (within reason and for an additional fee, of course. Ask if you're unsure!)

Interested? Then check below the cut for finer details and the link to the form!

Custom Sprites: While I'm more than happy to use custom sprites you provide, if it wasn't made by you then I'll need explicit proof that the original artist is okay with it. A screenshot of a DM is fine. I just want to make sure I'm not using stolen art or something randomly found on Google as I typically count that as theft.

Colors: While I can occasionally find special colors for cross stitch fabrics, these have become hard to reliably find at my local stores. The colors that always seem to be around are White, Off-White, Black, and Oatmeal (a textured beige). As for the backing fabric, I just need a general idea of what colors and/or patterns you're interested in, and I'll look around and send you whatever suitable options I find to choose from.

Converting official art: This can be anything from making a pixelated version of symbols to drawing over official art (and only official art plz). I mainly have this listed as an option for folks to have an option for Pokemon sprites from Gen 6 and above, since we went 3D at that point, but I'm open to hearing about your ideas! And while I have a price of +15 USD listed on the graphic, this can vary based on complexity (ie a Smash Bros symbol wouldn't cost that much, but a detailed conversion might cost more). Tell me your idea, and I'll make an estimate.

Payment: At the moment, I only do payments via Paypal Invoices. I am looking into other options, but as of writing, PP is all I have. I'll make an edit here once I have more options. Also, after consulting with you about your idea and putting a concept together, I will let you know the cost. I will require half payment before I can begin stitching for material costs, so this will be non refundable. Anything past that halfway cost is refundable, though. I am also open to doing partial payments if you can't pay all at once. This counts for the required half payment as well. I just won't be able to send you your commission until I receive full payment.

Things to note: Obviously, you have to be comfortable with providing me your address, as this is a physical product. Also, I am currently unable to ship to the UK. I'm looking into solutions for that, but as of now it is unfortunately not an option. Also, minor disclaimer, but I am limited by the thread color options available, so some colors may not be accurate to the concept. I will do my best to keep colors as close to the source material as possible though. Lastly, I do have a cat and a dog living with me. Keep that in mind if you have any severe allergies.

Any questions not answered here? Feel free to send me a DM or ask! I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have!

So, still interested? Then please send me a DM/ask and I'll send you a link to a Google Form to fill out to keep things organized on my end. I'd link it here itself, but I'm scared of Tumblr possibly suppressing this post because of a link ^^;;; On a similar note, any reblogs to spread the word will be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for at least checking this post out! 💕

I'm looking forward to stitching things for ya! 🧵

[poppopopopopi]

Settos GOTY 2020

2020 was a hell world and life is dogshit now. Also I only browse tumblr these days but I like keeping track of this stuff so!...yay.

I’m gonna be honest even I’m not sure what order I should put these games in.

I think I’m done with ordering by top 10 and just gonna put all 10 here equally.

I’ll also show some games I liked for specific reasons but didn’t put in the top 10.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Probably my second favourite Yakuza game ever, Like a Dragon introduces Ichiban as a new protagonist and boy is he a keeper. This keeps that classic Yakuza charm and good writing along with a new gameplay style of JRPG turn based combat. It’s fun, engaging and genuinely full of a love for the genre. I can’t wait to see the future of Ichibans adventures.

Nioh 2

I genuinely love this game. The soulslike genre has been all over the place the last few years but this one deserves the award for the most complex and well done entry in the genre. Everything about Nioh 2 kept me playing through the game multiple times. It truly is a game where you can build your character in so many different ways that you won’t ever play the same way twice.

Animal Crossing New Horizons

I’ll always love AC. New Horizons has a load of new wonderful features but is lacking a lot of what made previous entries so wonderful. I’m kinda tired of being drip fed content that was just in New Leaf from the get go. Other than that I enjoy the time I spend wandering around my island and customizing it to my liking. A very comfortable experience, that was well needed.

Disaster Report 4

Honestly one of the most endearing games I played this year. You can tell the developers had a lot of passion and despite the unbelievable jank, it shines in many places. This game had so many memorable moments and characters that overall I just fell in love with it. It really drives home the feeling of being in a natural disaster and seeing the cataclysmic destruction it leaves on not only the country but also peoples lives.

Sakura Wars

I’m probably bias because I’ve never played the RPG entries in this series. However I loved the character driven story and general way the game played out. I can’t really say much else, I just adored being in this world and seeing these characters grow together. The gameplay is alright, it’s basic mech based action combat, but I don’t think that’s the big draw here. Azami best girl.

Pokemon SWSH DLC

Can you spot the Galarian Moltres in the above picture?.

I actually loved SWSH, it’s got a load of problems but the overworld and raid dungeons made me play for far longer than I ever thought I would. Honestly the DLC just made the region even better designed and felt like a breathing Pokemon world. I’ll still buy new Pokemon games constantly because I adore their designs and the characters and just everything about the series.

Hades

I liked Greek mythology before it was cool.

Hades really drives home the narrative between these famous chracters of Greek mythos. It’s got such good writing with almost always new things to say every time you do anything in game.

The gameplay is a lot of fun and honestly it’s more of a bridge to progressing your dynamic with everyone. I couldn’t be happier it’s getting the recognition it deserves.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

A genuinely fun game that builds on the musou style combat in massive ways. Every character feels incredibly unique and the gameplay loop keeps remaining fun. Honestly I can’t say much else. It’s a fun Musou game built on a familiar franchise. If you like them, you probably already own it.

Clubhouse Games 51

I mean it’s 51 board games with online play, designed by Nintendo.

It’s fun as hell and has Koi Koi, Of course I bought this.

If you like board games, you probably bought this too. It’s good, get it.

MOON

MOON was never translated upon its original release on PS1. It was a game a younger me looked at and it really set in my mind what I love about videogames.

Designed by the same team as things like Chulip, it takes a familiar formula and turns it on its head. MOON out of all games i’ve mentioned here, really set in stone the idea of what an RPG could be about and how characters could be developed through the game design. 

Playing it fully translated, it’s really clear to me how much of an inspiration this game probably was for a lot of more indie based developers and their games.

MOON makes me feel something I don’t feel often in games and that’s that something like this is so special it only comes around every now and then.

This game means a lot to me and really is a seal of actual wonder that I wish I could see more often. A message of Love and care and just genuine passion seeps through the entire thing.

If I was gonna give GOTY to a game it’d probably be this but I feel it’s worth more than that. MOON really establishes what I feel is a high point for all videogames.

Anyway here’s some other games I really enjoyed. I won’t talk about them much but i’ll put them here

Immortals: Fenyx Rising just came out and is...just a lot of fun. Buy it.

Kamen Rider: Memory of Heroez is a decent low budget action game with a lot of fanservice for toku fans.

No Straight Roads isn’t.....the best as a videogame. But it’s gorgeous to look at and genuinely funny and creative.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is lovely and well worth playing if you wanna farm rice and fight demons as a small angry goddess.

The Pathless is a very nice game that reminds me of Shadow of the Colossus a lot. It’s a lot of fun to explore and solve puzzles, while keeping a good flow with movement and ....may be connected to Abzu which is cool. It’s also very pretty.

A final game that hasn’t even come out yet but I know I will love is

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2.....I mean It’s Puyo Tetris so ...yeah it’s good.

I hope you all have a good 2021 and a good holiday season. 2020 was awful but you hang in there, okay?.

[writing-the-end]

WS Chapter 38: Red Raid

Previous Chapter

Masterpost

I love this chapter, and you’re all gonna hate me after this. I promise, things are better than they seem- i mean, we still have more than twenty chapters to go!

Red Belongs to @theguardiansofredland

Ecto belongs to @cooler-cactus-block 

Warning: This chapter contains violence, battle scene, mentions of blood, and character death 

Avon cuts Xisuma free of the vines, letting his elytra open up so he can keep some dignity with landing. Keralis and the other hermits quickly explain why they’re at his base, as well as who the strangers are. 

“I knew that portal was tampering with world magic. At the time I was just happy to think that Doc might become another wizard with me. I could always use a helping hand breaking the natural laws.” Xisuma picks some dirt from his helmet, the yellow mask mimicking that of a bee. Antennae flick dirt away, moving independently of the wind billowing from the savanna. “I just can’t believe it still works. That must be one strong portal.” 

“You know Doc. When he does something, he does something right. GOAT, and all that.” Scar waves his hands flippantly. 

“But I assume you three aren’t really interested in the mechanics of world hoppin’, are ya?” X sighs, looking at the wanderers. The group follows him down the white walkway, entering into a hexagonal building. Red gasps, eyes widening to see that it’s filled with bees, bumbling around busily with butts full of pollen. X offers his visitors some tea- of course with lots of honey. 

“We wanted to ask if you knew anything about someone who attacked us.” Avon states, sipping on the warm drink. It’s a comforting taste, practically healing her from inside out. 

“They came through a nether portal. His hair was like fire, flickering and moving like flames. Anywhere he walked, things would smolder or catch fire. And we always smelled brimstone when things happened.” Ecto recounts, pouring her tea out. She’s focused on the mission right now. 

“That definitely sounds like something from the nether, though...I’ll say I’m thoroughly stumped. I’ve been to a lot of worlds, and never heard of these...these hellspawns you’re talking about.” Xisuma shrugs. “A lot of worlds have something unique, or something that is only shared between a few other worlds. Take these bees for example. In the last world we called home, we didn’t have the little buggers.” 

“Do you think this is something only our world has?” Red questions. “Because he...he looked a bit like me. Short, with similar face structure. But completely different.” 

Xisuma hums. “Y’know, the nether is an unusual place. It’s smaller than our world, a parallel dimension to the Overworld. Distance works different there, as does time. It’s a hellscape, but a mimicry of this dimension. Perhaps in mimicking the Overworld, it also mimics the people that call it home.” 

“This is hurting my brain.” Grian whispers, and all three Wanderers nod in agreement. 

“Sheshwamey, didn't Tango do a lot of work in the nether? Didn’t he spend a lot of time there?" Keralis questions. 

“Ah, that’s right. His base a few worlds back was nether inspired. He knows a lot about the nether. ” Xisuma sets down his cup, eyes blinking rapidly as he begins to piece things together. He stands up, so abrupt that it knocks over his chair and spills his tea. “We have to go talk to Tango. Right now. To the Nether portal!” 

The hermits jump to their feet, Mumbo, Grian, and Stress a lot more careful with their tea than the others. Red and Ecto are also quick to stand, following Xisuma up the vines of a tree. But Avon hangs back, nervous. They’re really going to the nether? After just talking about a danger that could be lurking among it? She’s from the End, the exact opposite place. She hates quartz because it’s from the nether, it’s all unnatural for her. It’s only with Ecto and Red’s help are they able to drag Avon into the hell dimension. 

But luckily for Avon, they aren’t really in the nether. They’re atop of it. The hermits step out calmly, searching the radiating lines of carpet, dirt, and glass for Tango’s path. All across the roof of the nether, in the liminal space between dimensions. The eternal heat of hell below their feet still percolates through the bedrock, causing the group to sweat as they walk on the flat surface. But Avon would rather deal with the inferno than all the monsters that call hell home. 

“How’d you guys do this?” Ecto questions, impressed by the unusual form of transportation. She gazes down a small hole in the roof, the bedrock blown apart. Blast marks still mar the grey material. She was sure that bedrock was unbreakable. And yet these hermits manage to do it. Magic? Science? 

“Get high enough into the sky, and you end up standing on the roof of the nether.” Mumbo states.

“I think it was Impulse that was the first to pioneer this in the new world, but I could be wrong.” Iskall pulls on the collar of his hoodie, starting to sweat against the rising heat. 

“Here we go. If this ain’t Tango’s, then it’s definitely one of the other members of ZIT. Either way, we’ll be close enough.” Xisuma motions, holding his hand into the rift like he’s holding open the door. 

“Such a gentleman.” Stress chuckles, hopping into the open portal. She’s quick to escape the confines of the frame, because a minute later it’s packed full of the boys. Swearing and struggling to all get through at once, they are pushed out when the wanderers come crashing in. Stress was starting to wonder if the teleporting would mix bodies at that point. 

The arguing pauses only when a low bugle mutes their voices. “Does...does Tango have a raid farm?” 

“He wouldn’t have one so close to his iron farm, would he?” Iskall rubs his head, having knocked it against Grian’s thick skull. 

Rockets shoot into the sky, the silhouette of a flying person blasting towards space before leveling out. Red eyes, framed by a mess of fiery hair. “Hey! You guys come to join the party?” 

“Tango! We were coming here to ask questions...but it seems you’re busy!” Xisuma calls, already pulling out his sword and strapping on armor. 

“It’s nothing I can’t- gah!” Tango flutters as a crossbow bolt tears a hole through his elytra, grounding him among more than a dozen pillagers. High up, the hermits and wanderers watch as the raid party swarms towards Tango.

Grian is the first to leap from the platform. “I call the evokers!” 

Everyone else jumps after, even Ecto. Despite being wingless, she manages to survive the fall. And that leaves Red at the top, biting her nails as the battle rages beneath her. She shrugs off her backpack, leaving it at the entrance of the portal. Leaving Fred safe from harm. She’s always stayed far away from pillagers. Most creatures that live in the overworld want no quarrel, even creepers just want to be left alone most of the time.

But not pillagers. They thrive off of the pain of others. Evoker magic is a dark art, relying on the death of others to fuel their spells. Selene told Red that the scholar she learned magic from was raided by pillagers. Any spellbook that they deemed worthy was stolen back to their mansion. The rest was burned. 

Red’s instincts say to stay far away from the raid below, to let the warriors take care of the swarm of illagers. To stay out of their way, out of trouble. But Red grimaces as Ecto barely escapes the fangs, snapping from the ground and ripping at her scarf. He needs to get into the fight, to be helpful. To not be useless. He may not be able to fight, but maybe he can help with distracting the attackers, or bring potions between those that need it. Even Scar, the worst hermit combatant, is in the midst of aiding Tango with ravager wrangling. He should help. 

Avon throws her trident into the tough hide of a ravager, ducking under the iron hatchet swinging for her neck. She kicks the vindicator into Ecto’s awaiting blade. The two may bicker and train by fighting each other, but when it comes to being on the same side they are a masterful team. While Avon waits for her trident to return to her hand, Ecto glances across the battle. “Avon! Red’s falling!” 

At the mere mention of their friend, Avon takes to the sky. Red’s tucked into a small ball, protecting his head from the ground below. The two let out a  simultaneous groan as they collide, Avon’s fingers grabbing onto Red’s vest and landing them both on the ground. “What are you doing?”

“I came to help! Maybe I can kite the pillagers into traps? Or hand out potions and food?” Red winces as Avon raises her wings like a curtain, stopping vex from reaching Red. Iskall leaps from a tree, spearing three of the summoned spirits with a single arrow. 

“You don’t even have a weapon! What if they attack you?” Ecto hisses, retreating behind Avon’s wings. Avon turns, finally grabbing her trident only to throw it back into the mix. Hopefully, it will hit a few raiders on the way out as well as the way back. 

“I’m small! I’ll be fine.” Red squeeze between Ecto and Avon, charging into battle with an armful of food stolen from Mumbo’s farms. She slips between the legs of a ravager and the flanks of vindicators, tossing the heated spuds to the hermits in battle. She yelps as an axe comes terrifyingly close to hitting her, but manages to dodge away with less than a scratch. 

Ecto and Avon can only continue to battle, and keep watch of their friend. Try to stay as close as possible in case Red needs help. But he’s holding his own. His small stature is just under axe swinging height, and he’s creative enough to find passages through the battle no one else would think of. 

“Scar! Take some potions!” Red croons, holding up a bottle of regeneration swiped from Mumbo’s base. 

“Thanks, little fish!” Scar chuckles, removing the stopper and chugging the ambrosia. “Whoa, watch out!” Scar shoots an arrow, downing a vex from hurting Red. He’s not about to let them get a bad rep among any more of his friends. 

Red smiles, and scampers away. Towards Keralis, holding his own against not one but two ravagers. For such a sweet, shocked face, he’s quite the warrior when he wants to be. Red’s path becomes blocked, grey skin and severe vest of a vindicator between her and her friends. The malicious face only grins at the sight of an easy kill. He laughs, and raises his axe to kill the kipling. 

“Red! No!” Ecto screams, running down a pillager and stumbling through the crowd of fighters. One moment, she sees the glimmer of the sunlight against the iron blade. Her vision is blocked by a ravager, chasing after Tango as he kites it towards a mine trap. And when she looks again, the axe has fallen. 

The hatchet lays useless in the grass, metal dirty but not bloody. The vindicator’s arm is still raised, but he’s frozen. Quite literally. Across the field, water has solidified into ice, capturing a number of illagers within it’s cold grasp. And completely encasing the one about to kill Red. Relief floods across Ecto, and Avon above banks to congratulate Red. For standing up for himself.

Red rises to his feet, brushing off the dirt on his trousers. “I told you I could handle on my-”

The world stops with Red’s voice. The sounds of battle die back for all the wanderers, the only ones who see the sudden charge. Across the plain, Ecto and Avon can hear the ragged breath escape Red’s lips. From over Red’s shoulder, a pillager lowers his crossbow, the cables still humming with release. 

Red’s face doesn’t quite register what she feels. Eyes gaze across the battlefield, to her friends. Hurt, but standing. She sinks to her knees, gasping for a breath but still strung with shock. A blank face, even as a shaking hand reaches up to grasp the tip of the bolt. Red finally looks down, seeing the metal tip protruding from her chest. A perfect hit, blood blossoming like a poppy across her vest. He can taste metal in his mouth again, lips turning a new shade with each breath out. The color of Red’s name. 

Avon and Ecto scramble to reach Red, anything to cross the distance between them and their friend. But no matter what they do, no matter how fast they reach him. It’s already too late. Red is gone by the time Avon crashes into the ground. Gone from life. 

And gone from the battle. All that’s left is the bolt, bloody and broken.

[lumiose-fletchling]

Okay, now that I’ve set down the game after playing all day, here are my 12 hour thoughts (while having a cold):

I think the graphics are really pleasant to look at. While there are things that lack detail (lamps, other small decor items), overall, character design is nice and character animations have been improved. Hop does have one repeated animation that is absolutely carried over from Hau; is this lazy? It’s... visually boring if you’ve played SuMo. He does have his own quirks, though.

Did you know Leon has no sense of direction? He gets lost! Haha, gosh, is he bad at knowing where to go. If he didn’t have Charizard... Well, who knows where he’d end up! Leon’s hopeless at these things. Why, he’d be wandering the Wild Area for years if you didn’t give him a map, and even then, can we please stop hammering this point every time we see him please

Sonia is interesting to me, because it seems like she’s holding back for a reason. That comment that Hop made about how she came out of the Weald in a huge state is... compelling. What if she doesn’t want to find out the truth? Or what if she knows too much, and this is pushing her to lie about it? Her relationship with Leon is tense, too. Did he move up and onward while she seemingly stagnated? Who is Leon when he’s not The Best?

Customization in terms of clothing is really good, and you will spend thousands on your Look.

Controversy over Nessa’s outfit and Nintendo’s trend of creating dark-skinned characters with revealing clothing is a tough one to judge. Believe me, I get it-- the trend is there. But place Nessa in the water gym where everyone is dressed like that, give the player a chance to wear her outfit, and put her amongst other water trainers in the series, and she fits right in. Heck, what she’s wearing is a professional racing suit. But again, following Olivia... there’s an argument to be made. I’ve also seen cosplayers and artists who identify as poc love her, and I’m not about to tell them they’re wrong, so, I’m not sure there’s a clear answer here. I see both sides.

Other controversy was over “void backgrounds,” which largely happens inside buildings. It does come across as incredibly lazy. There couldn’t have been a background created with hotel counters or walls or... something? It’s strange.

However, there are plenty of environments that are well done and nice to look at. The cities and towns have a wonderful feel, and I’m liking them immensely.

Pokémon have their own personalities that really come out in camp. I love camp. I just watched my Dubwool, Sage, race my Dottler, Pepper. Sage won by not just a mile, but at last a few minutes as Dottler slowly crawled across the screen to her, dust cloud and all. It was ridiculous. I loved it. This, as I sat there waving a pokétoy and trying not to get killed as two other team members pummeled the dang thing. Have you ever seen a giant snapping turtle chortle with glee at a jingle bell? Dear Arceus on high, camp is the best.

Making curry is fun! And I really like how all this stuff is actually a huge help when things are dragging in the overworld, or you need to rest. There are so many benefits to this feature, and I’m glad they put it in.

While moving along, I genuinely ran into the problem of leveling up too quickly? Things evened out, but by the first gym, I had some sassy teens in the group who could only be smoothed out by that badge. Journeys between towns go by quickly, but I almost feel like this is going by too fast? 12 hours later, and I’m on my third badge. That’s not... fast... but it feels that way.

I think there’s a rushed sense to the plot so far where Hop is barreling forward, always racing his own race, saying how slow we are, and even Oleana at the second major town is like, You. Go get your water badge. Now. And I did. Yeesh! Did we even eat with the Chairman? Hot take: Oleana is obviously evil. Chairman Rose is well-meaning but easily led. He’s also too powerful for comfort. Powering the region, owning major companies heavily invested in the Gym Challenge? Yup. I found the plot!

But, maybe this will be tempered soon.

What I did like, looking back, is that my team is all new pokémon. Even now, as I’m picking and choosing who goes where, there’s enough to explore and wonder about. Snapple the Applin is... confusing to me. I don’t know what he does yet, but, he’s in a box until I find out.

Honestly, at this point, there is no justification that I can think of for no National Dex, so either you can get over it or you can’t. The boycotts are really silly at this point, and I doubt we’ll see any major change. Still having fun regardless.

And that’s what it comes down to-- I’m enjoying myself. Things are different for me, enough so that I like exploring, and I’ll continue to play the game because there’s still a lot of joy to be had here.

[caulo]

Here are some of my Pokemon Let’s Go ( Eevee ) opinions so far that nobody asked for. These are from someone who enjoys basically everything Pokemon has to offer. When I play your standard Pokemon game I collect and fill my pokedex, I breed competitive teams, I shiny hunt, etc. I’ve also played every single Pokemon game available to me, so I’ve always been open to changing mechanics and game styles in the franchise. Basically what I’m saying is that I’m apparently way more open-minded towards what a Pokemon game can be than like 3/4 of metacritic.

Negatives:

I’ve been having FPS issues. Nothing about the game requires any stellar reflexes or anything like that ofc, but it’s unfortunate and jarring. So far this is worse in Viridian Forest than anywhere else I’ve been. My guess its from the number of wild Pokemon spawning at any given moment.

My character keeps switching between running and walking. I saw some people say they fixed this by changing Joycons, but I’m using the Switch in mobile mode. It just seems rather finicky about making sure I’m pushing the joystick to the side harder than I actually feel comfortable doing.

I am mainly using the Switch in mobile mode because the motion sensors for throwing Pokeballs with the Joycons while it is docked really is unreliable at best. ( It’s possible the FPS would be better while docked though? )

It doesn’t bother me in a ‘They simplified everything too much’ way but abilities have been my favorite gameplay ( ? Mechanics? ) addition to Pokemon since gen one and I’m kind of sad not to have them even though I understand the need considering the integration with Pokemon Go.

I wish there was more touch interface usability than there is. Just sort of a minor convenience/intuition thing.

Positives:

Literally everything else this game is fantastic and I love it and there should be a picture of the Let’s Go games next to the definition of ‘charming’ in the dictionary. I will include its very successful appeal to nostalgia in this vague point by saying that the music is wonderful and the models/animations for these old Pokemon are delightful to see. But also in addition to that:

The ease of everything regarding switching Pokemon to your party, nicknaming them, etc. from anywhere is fantastic and a wonderful step from the positive ones they made in SuMo

In relation, I’ve never felt more free to change my party around on a whim. Not because I feel no attachment to the Pokemon I’m catching and using in my party or anything like, but because it feels exciting to run into something new and how easy it is to go back and forth! It practically feels like your party isn’t really limited to six Pokemon at all. Having your primary partner stick around with you even if they’re not in your battle party is also great and something I didn’t think they’d do.

I didn’t expect to have any strong feelings on seeing wild Pokemon in the overworld vs random encounters but there’s actually just something great about actually seeing the 18 caterpie hanging out in a patch of grass instead of running into them every 2 steps. This is especially true when the size of a Pokemon is notable, like seeing an Onix next to your tiny little trainer.

Chaining in this feels relaxing and rewarding and is probably my favorite way to shiny/iv hunt that the series has provided so far and I’m looking forward to doing it more when I am not limited on money.

All-in-all I’m really hoping that more games like these are released along side the standard series.

[bellyflopling]

I'm watching this guy's legends Arceus review and I'm laughing so hard- most of the complaints are because he's just bad at the game and can't grasp the concept of stealth.

Read more for a rant

"the Pokemon keep spotting me and forcing me into battles!"

1) clearly ur not using the stealth feature correctly nor taking advantage of the bait system

2) you act like this is different from,,, any pokemon game ever??? Being forced into pokemon battles is a classic situation.

"The crafting system and resource gathering resources are meaningless bc you burn through pokeballs and health items"

girl 😂 that is literally WHY they introduced a crafting system,,,, you also just explained why it's NOT a meaningless feature in ur criticism.

"the game deliberately tried to force veteran players out of their comfort zone"

Yeah,,,, bc the old way of playing was getting repetitive and players were already complaining Abt the lack of diversity in the main series games- the whole idea of PLA was to change the series with new gameplay

"it doesn't make sense that strong moves aren't always stronger than regular moves"

And then the man's compared rollout (a normally weak move) to bite (a pretty decent dark type move that does WAY more damage than rollout) like,,,, dude- those are two different moves???? Rollout isn't that powerful even when boosted bc it's not a powerful move in general lmaooo- thats like complaing that 'tackle' isn't as powerful as Earthquake.

"agile style moves aren't any better bc they don't change the move order"

My dude- it literally does affect the move order,,, you're just not noticing it bc your pokemon are already faster than the opposing pokemon.

"I can't catch this level 30 with my level 15 team!"

U r not using great balls. U do realize that stronger pokemon have,,,, always been more difficult to catch, right? You've played the other games, yeah?

"the wild Pokemons guard is always up-"

That is why it gives you the options to throw berries. To distract the Pokemon. So you can sneak up behind it- the very feature you claim doesn't exist.

"it's a waste of time to try and battle them with no real reward"

Okay,,, so don't battle them???? It's not like the game doesn't give you chances to physically escape battles lmao. You can leave,,,, and then come back and catch it when ur team is stronger and u have better items,,,, it's not like you can't go back to the area literally whenever you want.

"why add a level 40 pokemon if youre going to completely ignore it and can't catch it"

BRUH- to add ~diversity~ and a feeling of danger when you're in a reasonably dangerous area. Like,,,,, idk how to tell u this?? Bc it's common sense as to why that's in the game- they literally show the player character dodging attacks in the trailer- and for some reason u didn't think that they'd have massively over leveled pokemon occasionally spawning in the overworld

"I found a scyther and could catch them"

Probably because you were too far away for the PokeBall to work correctly????? Sneak up closer and then it'll work. The restriction you are complaining Abt simply doesn't exist- you can catch any pokemon at any level- you're just,,, bad at the game man.

[crashed-in-deep]

so, i made some Guzma sprites as if he were in Diamond and Pearl. I love him so much :,)

tbh thinking about doing a team skull rom hack but im not sure. more members will come in the future!

Edit: I had made these for a rom hack I might be working on. I need your help, though! I have a ton of side trainers that I need and I would love to use your OC’s if you let me! They could be a Team Skull grunt or even just a random trainer, just please send me your characters that you would like! If you want to make sure your character is the exact way you want them, please send me your overworld sprite, battle sprite, the things they would say, and perhaps their team! Just please, nothing over powered. Thanks for your help, dudes! If you don’t feel comfortable sending it over Tumblr then you can always hit up my email (gbailey97@hotmail.com) or my Twitter (@rubbertrain). Thanks for the help again

[crashed-in-deep]

Hi, reposting this to get people's attention! So, a little while ago I posted this picture of a Guzma sprite I had made for a rom hack I might be working on. I need your help, though! I have a ton of side trainers that I need and I would love to use your OC's if you let me! They could be a Team Skull grunt or even just a random trainer, just please send me your characters that you would like! If you want to make sure your character is the exact way you want them, please send me your overworld sprite, battle sprite, the things they would say, and perhaps their team! Just please, nothing over powered. Thanks for your help, dudes! If you don't feel comfortable sending it over Tumblr then you can always hit up my email (gbailey97@hotmail.com) or my Twitter (@rubbertrain). Thanks for the help again!