Fabricant451

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

Marvel's Midnight Suns is shockingly addictive and way more involved than I expected. The strategy part is fun and tactical enough but also with enough random elements to keep it challenging but never in an unfair way. The character writing is surprisingly well done even if you don't know or care about the comic characters. And the activities at the base go beyond just hanging out with Doctor Strange and Wolverine, like there's an entire map with exploration and little puzzle solving and collectibles to find. What a surprise gem

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

Cuz it came out 5 years ago and I barely remember what I did 5 weeks ago.

What shows/movies are you watching?

I don't get the Vegeta reference, but I thought he was one dimensional and cartoonish as a villain.

@BangoSkank

They give him a second dimension but the important part is that, like Vegeta being obsessed with surpassing Goku, Quaritch is now obsessed with surpassing Jake. Only in this case 'surpassing Jake' means 'fucking killing him and his entire family for no reason other than obsessive petty revenge'

It rules he rules

What shows/movies are you watching?

I havent seen the new Avatar.

First one was pretty and I enjoyed it but it had a very predictable cookie cutter plot.

Main Guy Colonizer meets natives. Native girl saves main guy colonizer from his own stupidity. Main Guy Colonizer falls for native girl. Main Guy Colonizer gradually grows to understand and identify with native tribe and girl. More colonizers come. They're all total dicks. They want to kill all the natives or steal all their shit or turn their sacred lands into a Super Wal-Mart. Also they're obnoxiously racist. MGC sides with the natives once he sees how cartoonishly evil the other colonizers are. The End.

But the visuals were gorgeous and the alien design was cool. Cool animal designs. Good effects. And Zoe Saldana. Goddam Zoe Saldana. I don't care what kinda alien she is in what movie, that there Zoe Saldana. Goddam.

I hope Way of Water is less predictable, I'm not too optimistic having heard about the return of Evil Racist Scar Face General Man. You remember him. The guy with a scar on his face who was evil and racist and in the military.

@BangoSkank

They weren't colonizers in the first movie they were miners they were there just to mine a mineral that would be worth a lot of money. Well other than Sigourney Weaver who was trying to teach them english that was pretty colonizer. Also the bad guy is great he's not nuanced at all he is just marine mercenary man who drinks coffee while napalming a sacred location and it rules and he's even better in the sequel because he is the Vegeta now. He is just Blue Vegeta.

ʜᴀᴡᴛʜᴏʀɴᴇ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍʏ

_{Bitch I'm Nice}

---

The first time I felt blood between my nails was better than the first time I had an orgasm.

In the assembly hall as Headmaster Lightwood was giving the same caliber of speech he had been giving every year, the students were seated and most were half listening and half sharing stories of sordid summer sorties and soirees, some being about swapping spit as they always were. But near the back of the hall, not sitting and certainly not listening, was the woman whose name meant queen, Ochanya, arms crossed so tight that the impressive bulge of her biceps seemed to make the short sleeve of her shirt look dangerously close to ripping off from her muscles climbing over each other to remove the binding restraint of clothing. Some first years kept looking back towards her and Ochanya's ears twitched every time she heard them suggest she was a 'gym teacher' or a 'bodyguard' though she wasn't sure which one was more offensive. A bodyguard was probably closer. If she were a gym teacher, especially at this place, she might have wished for a silver bullet.

Ochanya didn't even want to be here, listening to the world's most boring hype man try to fill the first years with some sense of awe and wonder as if they weren't young enough to be too old to be swayed by adults promising magic and mystique. But the current alpha had told her she had to make an appearance as much as the idea made her roll her eyes and want to wring his scrawny neck. He was the alpha. He gave an order and she followed it. For now. The headmaster of Hawthorne had made strides of modernization and that was a massive change. Change was good. Change was coming. Ochanya was sure of it. The only first years she cared about were the ones who would be joining the pack but she couldn't say that out loud. She had to play the long game. If she could she would just challenge the alpha to a fight, but that wasn't how things were done. Sure, she was confident she would win that fight - she was confident she would win any fight - but she needed influence. She needed followers. She needed to play the game. For now.

Both times had me come to the realization that the things I could do with my own hands were better than things people could do for me. Or to me.

Earlier, before the assembly, Ochanya ran a five mile after dropping her bags off in the same space she lived in the past years she had been here and after christening the room with sweat in the form of pushups. She had to stay active. If she didn't, she would be no better than the lazy blood suckers who took life at a snail's pace because they could afford to. My therapist, mandatory for anger management, told me to 'avoid triggers'. Ochanya wrote in her diary after her pushups, before doing her run, sweat already dripping onto the parchment margins. That's why I'm going for a run. The blood suckers mostly scoff at anything that might cause them to exert effort, but it's not them that causes me the most stress. Causes me to be mad. To want to feel the blood under my nails.

Before the speech had finished, Ochanya was outside, having left in the middle of it. She made an appearance. She fulfilled her obligation. The air was breezy but not cold, an autumnal brisk that matched the almost constant dreary, overcast campus. Ochanya hated that cloudy haze that made Hawthorne feel like its own separate world. Her first year she tried to convince the staff to do away with the overcast sky but she was denied. The students preferred it like that. Not all of them, Ochanya said under her breath and she swore she heard someone say the ones that matter did. Her second year she tried again. She wouldn't try this year. The requests of students like her didn't matter. But that's why change was so necessary.

Being back here. At Hawthorne. While the assembly was still going on, Ochanya was sitting beneath a tree, scribbling her chicken scratch in her diary as an insect landed on her knuckle. The same knuckle that was reddened from when she punched a wall after the alpha told her she couldn't ditch the assembly. She held back. It didn't serve anyone to cause property damage before the term officially started. The insect fluttered its wings and as quickly as it landed it was gone and all Ochanya could see was the markings of her temper. Being back here is a constant trigger.

On the opposite page of her written words, Ochanya tried her hand at expressing her artistic ability. A puffy cloud with raindrops dripping onto a not so amazing drawing of what was likely a wolf under which she wrote a simple FEELIN UNDER THE WEATHER. Art was not her strong suit but the pages and margins were filled with various attempts at drawing her feelings rather than writing about them. On a separate page was a masculine figure standing on the first place pedestal with sounds of cheering and hearts around him while off to the side was a figure with her hair kicking a rock while looking back at the pedestal.

I have an idea. I haven't run it by anyone and it might not even work. But if I'm supposed to work on my anger then I can't just dwell on how badly I want to be the alpha. On how I should be. On how I would be a better one. This place...if I'm stuck here then I need to do what every politician does come campaign season. Make friends. Make promises. But if my plan doesn't work...

Ochanya looked up as she heard the doors open and with it the chaos of people swarming out of the assembly hall and promptly closed her diary, depositing it into her pocket as she stood up. Callen was given the task of showing the new cubs around, a task that Ochanya would have preferred but she was suspecting that the alpha, knowing Ochanya's motives, purposely didn't give her that task. But maybe if he had, she wouldn't have been able to come up with her plan.

While people were heading to the dorms or off doing whatever it is they did, Ochanya also made her way towards Hemlock Hall, sprinting there so as to be one of the first to arrive post-assembly. In her room she grabbed a large backpack and returned to the common room before the first years and the returning dorm citizens made their way back in droves. From the backpack she pulled out a tablecloth which she draped over a large table in the back and on top of the cloth she began placing snacks. Chips. Pretzels. Candy. Soda. Water. Popcorn. And above that, with help of standing on a different table, Ochanya hung up a sign with a simple phrase.

WELCOME HEMLOCK HALLERS!

Ochanya stood in the common room as people began arriving. Politicking started early and what better way to endear herself to the people than by giving them a warm welcome, snacks, and ice breakers.

"I thought I should be the first to welcome people to Hawthorne, or welcome them back if they're returning." Ochanya explained to people who arrived in the common room. "Plenty of snacks to go around. Feel free to mingle. Residents of Hemlock are family now, so let's get along and get to know each other. For you first years, I'm Ochanya Tijani and I'm something of a den mother, so don't be afraid to come to me for anything, okay? Door's always open." Ochanya hoped the alpha was listening. It was for his benefit as much as it was hers.

"Welcome, everyone, welcome." Ochanya repeated the message as people kept coming to the dorm. Whether or not they would appreciate the gesture was anyone's guess, but it didn't matter. She had gone above the heads of everyone for what she hoped was beneficial gains.

It was likely not to be the last time. Change was coming. She could feel it.

What shows/movies are you watching?

Avatar: The Way of Water was good and also it's about time people finally admit Avatar was always good

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

Visually it's fine and I haven't had any glitches or instability or anything other than like one time I beat an enemy and his body did the weird shake dance thing that is always a laugh riot. I mean it's likely been patched out by now if there was stuff but the game is like a perfectly enjoyable 7/10 experience which is likely disappointing since most people would expect anything with the Batman name attached to be like the Arkham games and understandably so.

But it's more like the Avengers game with slightly less combat depth but a much more enjoyable loop.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

I got Gotham Knights for 40 dollars (down from 90) and while I can understand why people would be turned off by the gameplay loop, it resonates with me as someone who enjoys the ability to play as Batgirl for like a couple hours, punch out dudes, and get shiny items to make number go up. I am a simple person.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

Game (okay all) Journalism summed up with The Escapist article that I stumbled across.

Headline: "The Guy Who Disrupted The Game Awards Has Been Arrested!"
Last Line: "Well looks like he won't be laughing now. Because he's been thrown in prison!" Smug smug
Update in less than a day of publishing: "He has not been arrested."

@SleepingSilence

To be fair, Geoff himself literally said the kid had been arrested and offered no further context or explanation. And technically he was arrested he was just not imprisoned or held beyond questioning. And also arrested sounds cooler than detained.

Either way it's still fucking hilarious that two different but also boring and lameass awards shows in the same calendar year has the only takeaway being "Will Smith slapped Chris Rock" and "A fifteen year old kid trolled a show where literally one of the celebrities was like on acid"

Finally, video games and movies are on the same page. Truly video games are finally art.

ʜᴀᴡᴛʜᴏʀɴᴇ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍʏ

Himani | WITCH

_______________________________________________ Himani Chakrabarti | "I have a crush on a girl but I'm not sure what that means because I just think my crush is pretty but, like, everyone at this place is pretty except for me so a crush doesn't mean anything, right? It could mean nothing. Or anything. Or everything. I'm pretty sure my crush doesn't even know who I am or that I exist but it's okay because I know she does and...oh, we're done talking? Thanks for listening! Nailed it" | E8F631 | Witch ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ 21 | Female | 5'5" | Third year ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ☀ Sociable | Outdoorsy | Inquisitive | Meticulous | Excitable ☁ Diffident | Self-Conscious | Overeager | Wordy ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ LIKES History, specifically world history. History in general, of cultures and especially civilizations. Stuff like myths and ruins. Archeology, in another word. | Museums. She'd make for a good museum guide assuming tours wouldn't mind a guide who talked for 10 minutes nonstop at every exhibit. | Journaling. It comes with the job. She has boxes of filled journals at home and in her dorm room. She is rarely seen without a notebook. | Omelets. It's the only way she'll eat eggs. | Abandoned buildings. They always have history! DISLIKES Escape rooms. They're overly obtuse and not very intuitive. | Beverages that are too cold, she does not much care for milkshakes because it's just slightly soft ice cream but with milk poured into it. It's like what children do. | Ketchup. Enough said. | People that stick gum under tables. Also when you step on gum. | People who wear shoes inside the house

s k í l l s & w є α k n є s s є s ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ STRENGTHS Himani has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of historical facts and cultural tidbits. It's a pretty good party trick but it also stems from her love of history and of stories. Her two best classes at Hawthorne are History and Archeology. She is fascinated by older things, which is why she tends to like the vampires (the ones who aren't annoyed by her, anyway) because they have lived lives that mortals like her can only dream of. It might be hard to tell from looking at her, but Himani is quite experienced with 'roughing it' and has a love of outdoor activities like rock climbing, camping, hiking, and picnics. It stems from her 'off-season' activities. In-between semesters, especially in the longer break periods, Himani goes to a different country or monument and explores. She's been to archeological sites and spelunked and raided tombs. Not really raided but explored. It was all above board. Every new semester she tries to share photos of her trip, but most people don't want to hear her go on and on. But she loves it. She might not seem like a typical magical or supernatural being since her best subjects are the ones that seem to have the least to do with magical business or supernatural interests, but rest assured Himani is a wizard when it comes to charms and spells having to do with her elemental affinity of earth. She is quite a natural when it comes to protection charms. WEAKNESSES Himani's greatest weakness is her lack of confidence. She doesn't feel like she belongs where she is and her own issues, particularly with her appearance, tend to keep her from realizing her own strengths. To her, being surrounded by people who are all so 'next level' when it comes to their appearance and ability only keeps her feeling like she is unattractive by comparison. She thinks her 'thick, bushy brows' and her slight overbite are what keeps her from being like the others. In a way, her readiness to accept what she thinks are flaws is a confidence all her own; she doesn't let her perceived imperfections hold her back from trying to socialize, but she does use those 'imperfections' as a reason as to why she seems to not belong to any real social circle. Himani doesn't quite know how to say "No" because she wants always to seem useful and helpful. The downside is this tends to have her bite off way more than she can chew and, in some cases, have people take advantage of her. She has stayed up all night doing history homework for half the class before at the cost of her own grade on an assignment. It's not that she doesn't have a backbone, it's just that she is desperate for people to like her which stems from her self confidence issues. Despite her knowledge of cultures and mythologies and history, when it comes to the more earthly pursuits of the supernatural, such as herbology and alchemy, Himani struggles. She still tries hard, but if a cauldron melts or explodes in class, chances are it's because of Himani. She has gone to the nurse's office a record number of times in her second year including a rather infamous incident where her skin turned yellow and her hair a sickly green. It could've been worse. It could've been like the time she almost drank an accidentally made poison in her first year. She wants to get better, though, if only for a well rounded education. OUTLOOK / IDEALS / PERSPECTIVE ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Himani is a fan of the vampire students from a purely educational perspective. She will often try and partner up with them on assignments and probe them for any information about things from before her time. She is fairly certain they all find her annoying, except for Hyoon who Himani acts as sort of a secretary-slash-gopher for, but that never stops her from trying to sit with them at lunch and them all moving to a different table. The werewolves she has no strong feelings towards. She likes their whole community and family vibe and respects their boundaries enough to not try to butt in on that. She's not one of them, she doesn't want to appropriate their werewolf culture stuff. But if she were to ever ask any students to join her on a hike or something, it'd be a werewolf. They just seem less likely to complain. Her fellow witches and wizards are who she often compares herself to, in addition to the vampires. Some of the upperclassmen all seem so perfect and together and magical and Himani can't help but to be intimidated, inspired, and afraid she'll never measure up to them. She admires them. She wants to be like them, but being a great witch seems so far out of her wheelhouse. She can't even fix her eyebrows or her stupid overbite, how could she ever be like them? How could they ever even notice her? AMBITIONS ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ➽➽➽ Himani wants to be a great witch. But she also thinks she might like to be a teacher. But her more immediate ambition is to work up the confidence to talk to her crush. And then friends. FEARS ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ➽➽➽ Himani's biggest fear is that she will never truly find her 'place' in life. Her interests seem so 'pedestrian' to some of her peers and she doesn't feel that she measures up to the more supernatural and magical sorts around her. She feels like she's trying hard but to no avail, and if she stopped and thought about it for too long it would destroy her. So she doesn't. в í σ g r α p h ч ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ▿ ▵ ▿ ▵ Himani Chakrabarti, and yes she introduces herself with her full name every time, doesn't come from a noble magical family but she does come from a large one. The Chakrabarti's have their origins in Bangladesh but in more recent times they have settled in Europe - something which makes some of the older Chakrabarti children laugh in the sense of "We left the British Raj but wound up in Britain anyway." which seemed a lot less funny to the older generation. But children rarely cared about the experiences of their elders. Every Chakrabarti has magic in them and every Chakrabarti has gone through the Academy system for as long as it has existed. Himani has looked into the origins of her family, but it's difficult to get the full picture as many of them are long since passed. Her father, like her grandfather before him, runs the Chakrabarti Cafeteria, one of the prime spots for supernatural sorts. They're known for their curries as well as their cakes and chai teas but more to the point they enforce a strict neutral territory policy on the premises. Vampires and werewolves are forbidden from starting things as long as they're in the Cafeteria and for those wayward supernaturals who are unable to pay or are newly overwhelmed, they offer sheltering services but her father often says "We're not a charity" even as he lets those with nowhere else to go stay a while, free of charge. It's because of this upbringing that Himani was able to grow a fascination with various cultures and histories, because some of the vampires had lived for three, four, five hundred years and that was fascinating to her. Himani's older sister is in magical law enforcement while her older brother is a famous cricket player. Naturally she has a lot to live up to given their successes and since her younger brother is being charmed into taking over the family business, it leaves Himani at a weird spot where she isn't quite sure what her future holds even though she is technically an adult. Her aunt, who runs a perfumery, has told Himani that it's okay to not have her life figured out, but Himani can tell - or so she thinks - that her family talks about her and what a disappointment she might turn into. They seem to support her regular trips to various ruins and historical sites, being the ones to give her the funds to travel. All they ask in return is that she stay safe and never forget who she is. The problem is that Himani Chakrabarti doesn't quite know who she is at all. Maybe she'll figure it out.