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neighbourskid · 3 years

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2020

What a year, huh? Surely not anything anyone has expected to happen when we woke up on this day a year ago. I certainly haven’t. I’m not even sure, now, where to begin to sum up this year like I’ve done years prior. But then again... I may just as well just dive right into all the media I consumed this year, as I have done every year. I haven’t kept track as detailed as I have last year, but my year was definitely punctuated by pieces of entertainment that have come into my life.

Continuing on from 2019, my obsession with Good Omens was still going strong. Which was ideal, since I was gonna spend the first half of the year writing my Bachelor thesis on it. The intensity of the obsession may have waned a bit since, but I still love that show and book dearly and hold it close to my heart, and I don’t think that will ever stop. But while Good Omens was certainly an overall theme throughout my year, there were some other things that actually stood out.

With January came new episodes of Doctor Who, and having returned to that particular bandwagon the year prior, I was all about that. Jodie’s second season finally brought what I had longed for in her first--a darker kind of Doctor. She wasn’t quite as bubbly anymore, you could finally see some of the depths in the character that I loved so in the previous regenerations, which made me love Peter’s Doctor so incredibly much. In this season, I felt, Jodie was finally becoming the Doctor. Overall, that season catered to me personally every single episode. So many of the time periods they visited were of people I loved, and the introduction of Sacha Dhawan as the Master was absolutely....well, masterful. Sacha is brilliant in that role and I am utterly stunned by his talent. Although both John Simm and Michelle Gomez brought things to the Master that I liked, it’s Sacha’s completely unhinged take on it that made me finally like the character. He’s a madman and I love it.

The next major thing was The Good Place. I tend to have a talent of getting into shows just as they either ended their entire show, or the final season is just coming up. It’s happened quite a bit, and it was the same with this. I finally binged the show early in January and it would end its final season at the end of the month. True to form, I was completely obsessed with it for about a month, before I only occasionally thought about it again. But, thinking back now, I get this incredibly fond feeling for this show, and I remember that the finale absolutely wrecked me and I basically ugly sobbed through the entirety of it. Also very true to form, actually. I want to rewatch it again some time, but honestly preferably with someone who has never seen it before. Which, obviously, is a difficult thing to do given, well, everything.

Next up is something that surprised me a lot. In the middle of having to write my BA thesis, my procrastination thought it would be a great idea to rewatch and catch up on the entirety of Criminal Minds. And so I binged 15 seasons of that instead of writing my thesis. Which, coincidentally, had also just aired its final season not long before I started my binge in March. Rewatching this, I realised just how little I took in of the actual, like, stuff in the show when I first watched it as a teen. Although I mostly cared about the characters and their found family this time around--although I do find the cases really fascinating most of the time too--I noticed just how much I am not watching this for the fact that they are in the FBI. I was hyperaware of how often they shot at people before doing anything else, how many of the suspects died before ever being questioned or being brought in, and it made my skin crawl. I am aware how fucked up the criminal justice system is, and especially in the US, how the police functions and how incredibly glorified they are in the media. But rewatching this show, I realised how little I actually paid attention to anything when I was younger. Big yikes. Still, I remembered my love for these characters, and I really enjoyed that rewatch a whole lot. Found family will always get to me.

Once I finished writing my thesis and handed it in early in July, I then found my next momentary obsession: Community. The show had finally come to Netflix earlier in the year and a friend of mine had watched it then. I remember watching that pilot episode back then and being completely uninterested in watching it. The comedy felt like it wasn’t quite up my street, the characters were entirely unlikeable, and I especially disliked Jeff who the show was more or less centred around. I binged Criminal Minds instead, but then decided to give it another try. And, well, I watched it twice through without taking a break to watch something else in-between. Ironically, and maybe actually unsurprisingly, Jeff ended up being my favourite and I found myself relating a lot to him and his arc throughout the series. I even found myself writing some short ficlet-like things in the notes app on my phone. I made an attempt at starting a third watch, but I guess then the month was up, and my brain decided it was time for something else. My hyperfixations usually tend to die out after about a month. Which is why my complete devotion to Good Omens was a pleasant surprise. I did, however, end up watching quite a bit of Joel McHale and Ken Jeong’s The Darkest Timeline podcast throughout August.

Early in September, while already preparing for the new term at uni, and my first semester in my Master’s studies, I then turned to New Girl. Friends of mine had seen it and recommended it, and I remember watching probably the entire first season on TV while I was in San Diego the first time around back in 2016. Or at least I think it was the entire first season. Either way, I binged that whole thing, realised through Nick Miller that the go-to character I am drawn to and tend to project on in any piece of media is usually what I like to call “the garbage man,” which Nick is a prime example of. And although I spent a month watching the show in-between starting university again and volunteering at a film festival, I didn’t spend much time afterward thinking about it and moved on to other things rather quickly. I enjoyed watching it, that much I remember, and I’m pretty sure I cried at the finale because it was done wonderfully, but seeing as another month was up, my brain was probably like “okay fine that’s enough”.

I then spent most of fall and early winter watching every single bad Christmas movie available on Netflix, which was quite fun. In that moment of festivity, I also watched a movie I found absolutely brilliant and fell in love with immediately. It’s a beautiful movie called Jingle Jangle, it has a magnificent soundtrack and is absolutely incredible. I had no idea Forest Whitaker could sing and he completely blew me away. If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend it. It doesn’t matter that Christmas is already over, it’s beautiful either way.

By the time December finally rolled around, I was already over the whole Christmas thing, to be honest and I turned away from festive movies or shows, and eventually ended up finally picking up a gem I had heard much about and had been meaning to watch for a while. A show which, as it were, also aired its final season earlier this year. This little show is Schitt’s Creek. I will be going on about what this show means to me probably in another post at length, but for now just let me say: if you haven’t seen it, find some place to watch it, and put this beautiful show in your eyeballs. I am on my second run through already (although I’ve seen the second half of the show a second time already while watching it with a friend on their first run through), and it brings me so much fucking joy. It’s a gift, this show. And it will likely stay with me for a very, very long time.

That’s about it for the big things. I also watched a whole lot of other stuff, including entirely new things, or just newly released seasons of things I was already watching. Here’s what I can remember off the top of my head:

Charlie’s Angels (2020). The Night Manager. The Witcher. Dolittle (2020). The Librarians (rewatch). Harley Quinn (2020). Sonic the Hedgehog (2020). The Chef Show (S1 part 3, S2 part 1). Avenue 5. Money Heist (part 4). The Good Fight (S4). Brooklyn Nine-Nine (S7). DuckTales (2017 reboot). Frankenstein live. Staged (2020). Hamilton. Sense8. Julie and the Phantoms. The Boys in the Band. One Night in Miami. Enola Holmes. Supernova. His Dark Materials (S2). Happiest Season. The Great Canadian Baking Show.

I also got some reading done in-between what I had to read for my thesis in spring, and then for regular university courses in fall. Here’s some of what I can remember:

Anthony Horowitz, The House of Silk. Ramona Meisel, Sunblind. Donna Tartt, The Secret History. Good Omens novel and script book. Matt Forbeck, Leverage: The Con Job. Keith R.A. Decandido, Leverage: The Zoo Job. Greg Cox, Leverage: The Bestseller Job. Greg Cox, The Librarians and the Lost Lamp. Greg Cox, The Librarians and the Mother Goose Chase. Greg Cox, The Librarians and the Pot of Gold. Neil Gaiman, Marvel 1602. Christina Henry, The Lost Boy. Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology. John Green, An Abundance of Katherines. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh. Maria Konnikova, The Confidence Game.

Having mulled over all this entertainment I consumed in 2020, there are also some non-tv or book things I need to point out. As many, many other people around the globe, I have also spent a large amount of time this year on my Nintendo Switch, playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It is a game I have waited for since the Switch was first announced, and I fell in love with it from the moment the first trailer dropped. It has brought me great joy in this weird fucking year, and I have more or less consistently played it since it came out in March. I ended this year with the in-game New Year’s Eve celebration and I feel like that summed up this year quite neatly and appropriately.

This year also brought with it another game very close to my heart: Super Mario Sunshine. With their release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars in September, Nintendo finally brought my all-time favourite Mario game to my all-time favourite console, and I played the entire game through in the first week of owning it, in-between university courses and volunteering at the film festival. Also contained in that package was Super Mario Galaxy which I have also played through in its entirety since. All that’s left for me now is Super Mario 64, which I am excited to play through in the coming year.

And to round off my year of entertainment, there are two more things I would like to mention. First, David Tennant Does A Podcast With..., which released its second season this summer. It is one of the only, if not the only podcast I keep up to date with and listen to immediately whenever a new episode drops. I’ve loved the first season dearly, and David came back with some incredibly fantastic guests for the second season as well. I can’t wait for what the podcast will bring in the future, but I will wait patiently until it is time. I can highly recommend it for everyone who likes interesting conversations between lovely people who clearly adore each other a whole lot.

And finally, while this year brought a whole lot of bullshit with it, it also gave me something I never thought possible and did not even dare to imagine in my wildest dreams. My all-time favourite show announced that it would be rebooted with the same main cast (minus one), a new wonderful member, and involvement of the original creators, and even started filming already in summer. Leverage is coming back. I still cannot believe it. I hoped for a movie, always. That maybe one day, they might bring the gang back together, for one last job, just one more encore. But to get a whole new tv-show with Aldis, Christian, Gina and Beth returning? With the addition of Noah Wyle? I can’t wrap my head around it. I am so excited for this. I predict that I will ugly sob through the entirety of the pilot episode, if not the first season, and will have to rewatch every episode because of it, but I have no doubt that it will be brilliant and wonderful.

True to form, I have now gone on about tv shows and movies for far too long, and haven’t really said anything about this year at all. 2020 was fucking weird. And I don’t think 2021 will be much different quite yet. I wrote an entire BA thesis in 2020. I successfully finished by Bachelor’s degree and started my Master’s studies and even got some excellent first grades in as well. I was lucky enough to be able to see some friends and family throughout the year, and even celebrate my birthday with a small circle of friends. I’ve become closer with friends, shared experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world, and, I think, maybe also grown a bit as a person.

I started this year excited to finally be able to start taking testosterone in February, and to finish the first part of my studies by summer. Although I did both of these things, they didn’t happen quite how I imagined them, but I am glad that I could do these things nevertheless.

2020 was a hell year, for sure. But there were some moments in there that I wouldn’t want to lose.

I’ve tried very hard to not be optimistic about this upcoming year, and rather take a more realistic, even pessimistic approach. But I can’t help but be hopeful. Hopeful that this year will be kind to us, and if it isn’t, that at least, we’ll be kind to ourselves and each other. It won’t be easy, and not much will change, I think. But we have to approach the coming time with kindness and compassion. That’s where I’m at currently. And I think that’s all for now.

Be well, friends, and take care.

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ourimpavidheroine · 4 years

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Dear Anon! I deleted your ask like the old dumbass I am, so please forgive me. (And also, wtf Tumblr?) I think I remember your questions but if I got them wrong or forgot any of them then please do send me another ask and I will do my utmost not to delete it again.

This got long, under a cut!

1. Actually, I think that Bolin is very, very agile and sure on his feet. We can see that in his bending. He does flips very easily and even bends up on his tippy-toes. He earthbends like nobody else we’ve ever seen in that universe, which I put down to never having any formal training and watching his big brother train. That being said, I do not think he would be very good at coordinated/choreographed dances, no. Plenty of people can hear some music and get into their groove but tell them to coordinate their feet and arms and all with a partner and do specific steps and they will fail miserably. I headcanon Bolin as one of those people. A good portion of that is he gets nervous and isn’t quick to pick up on things and that’s a bad combination for him. If someone was very patient and kind with him and showed him how to do it he’d probably manage okay but he’d never really enjoy it.

2. No, not all people in the desert speak like Ping. In fact, most of them do NOT. Don’t get me wrong, they do have their own dialect and culture, of course. But Ping? How shall we put this nicely...Ping read one too many old books as a boy and got some Ideas in his head about how courtly/romantic men should speak to their lovers. I haven’t really written that much about Ping and his background (no good reason except I have approximately 5 billion OCs and only so many hours in the day) but the deal with him is that his grandfather left Ba Sing Se in a hurry as a young man For Reasons (coughcoughcough might have involved someone else’s wife and perhaps some gambling debts and also some stolen jewels that mysteriously went astray) and ended up at the Misty Palms Oasis where a young sandbender woman took one look at this extremely good looking foreigner and was like, IMMA HIT THAT and uh, so she did. And that was the original Ping - who, by the way, some years later, was at that same village when a writer was there looking for inspiration for her next novel and he bullshat her up and down about his past as well as sandbender culture and she bought it hook, line and sinker and wrote a novel that would become the bane of poor Ping’s existence. So imagine, if you will, Ping as a boy - he takes after his mother and grandfather, so he is very handsome and foreign looking, which is one mark against him. He has a weird name in the desert, another mark against him. He is very close to his grandfather and through him reads a lot of novels and learns a lot about Ba Sing Se culture - some of which is true and most of which is his grandfather’s bullshit and he idolizes that, so there’s another black mark. He’s small for his age until puberty really hits and gets the shit kicked out of him on a regular basis until he learns to fight; and again, he learns a lot of that from his rather roguish grandfather. (And Ping is a very, very dirty fighter. Like...even Qi could learn a few tricks from him. He can throw it down, for sure.)

So imagine, if you will, that Ping is hanging around the Misty Palms Oasis with a few other tribesmen when this group of foreigners straggles in, having been abandoned by another tribe they hired to guide them. Ping instantly perks up because frankly, he has a romantic streak a mile wide. There’s a really good looking man and his (then) girlfriend; there is also this very tall man with spectacles who blushes and chatters and then smiles this very sweet smile at him and like his grandmother before him Ping is like IMMA HIT THAT. And then it is all poetry and following him around and offering him water and meanwhile his fellow tribesmen are like, Fuck sakes, Ping is at it again, why doesn’t he just fuck the guy instead of telling him he’s like desert flowers or whatever BS he’s throwing at him but Zhi is completely besotted, of course. (And San is like...What fucking lines is this sandbending asshole using on my boy? and Amak is like This is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen, San mind your business.)

And Ping just keeps up talking to Zhi like that because they are both fucking romantic drips and spend the rest of their lives making heart eyes at each other.

Like what I am saying is that Ping is the kind of nerd who would be deep into LARPing and the Society for Creative Anachronism, okay? And Zhi would get introduced to all of that and would love it just as much. So think two gay nerds dressed up and doing the whole Avatar version of the Ren Faire and staying in character no matter what and playing D&D and you’ve got the two of them down pat. They’d Netflix and chill and watch The Witcher 20 times and quote it at each other and send each other All The Memes and re-enact all the sexytimes. You know Those Gays. They are Those Gays.

(For the record, Amak would happily do all of the above with them - except the chill/sexytimes - and San will make plenty of pointed sighs and grumble about it but who is the one who orders the custom made leather Geralt outfit, I ask you?)

3. Toph loves her daughters, very much. I have never once headcanoned otherwise. She wasn’t a particularly good mother on many levels, but it wasn’t because she didn’t love them. She was a deeply traumatized former child soldier who never got past any of that. Sometimes traumatized people never get past it and they just stay that way. Many traumatized people appear, on the surface, fine. That does not mean they are actually fine. Toph is not fine. She will never be fine. Doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love her daughters and her grandchildren, however. It just means that she has never learned how to form healthy attachments to people or show them affection and care in beneficial ways. And there it is.

#my fanfiction #headcanons #Ping #long post

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corancoranthemagicalman · 4 years

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@generousclodauthorzine sort of kind of asked for this and it started out as a joke but have this meta on the title of Four Marks of Netflix’s The Witcher.

Episode two of Netflix’s The Witcher has a unique title. While initially examining the title of the episode, one might think this is a reference to Yennefer’s selling price. “She calls out to him, ‘How much for a pig.’ He responds with the price, ’10 marks.’ Then she looks at Yennefer and asks, ‘And how much for this beast?’ ‘6 Marks,’ He replies. ‘4’, she counters. (A)nd the deal is struck.” (Sadgeezer, 2020). The first speaker, Tissaia, offers only four marks for Yennefer. It may very well be that the title of this episode is regarding the price at which one of the most powerful sorceresses was bought, but in this essay, I seek to propose an alternative meaning to this episode’s title.

The Witcher has a reoccurring theme of presenting that things are not always what they seem. Some of the greatest examples of this theme come from the very same episode under discussion. In “Four Marks”, Geralt of Rivia is hired by a farmer from Posada named Nettly to slay the devil that is stealing his grain. Geralt later learns that it is not a demon stealing Nettly’s grain, but a Sylvan stealing for the elf king Filavandrel. Filavandrel is hiding his people in the caves at the Edge of the World in order that they may survive while also still living on the land that the humans stole from his people. In Yennefer’s timeline, we are presented with Aretuza, a school for powerful sorceresses to learn to control Chaos. Like Geralt’s discovery of Filavandrel, Yennefer later discovers that Aretuza’s unusual power source is found in unlikely conduits - the failing students of Aretuza. To further press upon this episode’s twists, Cirilla discovers her traveling companion is an elf named Dara.

With this theme of things hidden beneath the surface, why should the title of the episode be straight forward? Why should it not reflect what lies beneath the pool as all threes arcs in the episode have done? Before addressing “Four Marks”’s possible meaning, let us review Destiny. In the game series of The Witcher, the glossary notes some of the thoughts of Dandelion - Jaskier - in regards to Destiny. “The poet Dandelion contemplates whether human life is ruled by Destiny… Dandelion also wonders whether love can bind people with bonds of destiny. In no ballad does he provide a clear answer to the questions posed.” (Witcher Wiki). Destiny is not quite clear, but what we do know of Netflix’s adaption of the Polish series is that Geralt is destined to find Ciri. If we are to follow the renditions previous to Netflix, Geralt is also destined to find Yennefer. What is peculiar about the destiny of Geralt is that Jaskier has played a major role in his discovery of it. Perhaps it was Destiny that Geralt meet Cirilla and Yennefer both, but it was Jaskier that brought Geralt to both Rinde and Cintra.

While it is possible that this is Geralt’s contortion of the events, it still brings to light Jaskier’s role in Geralt’s Destiny. The words spoken out of anger prove a point: if Jaskier had not meddled with the Djinn nor played at Cintra, then Geralt would never have met Yennefer or claimed Cirilla by the Law of Surprise. If it was Destiny, then perhaps Geralt would eventually make his way to Yennefer and Cirilla, but the fact of the matter is simple. Geralt did not eventually make his way to Yennefer and Cirilla; Jaskier lead Geralt to his Destiny. “The Child Surprise, the djinn, all of it,” (Witcher, 2019) Geralt says and he is not incorrect. It is unintentionally Jaskier who spurns Geralt’s first wish, “I just want some damn peace!" - Jaskier's throat starts bleeding.” (incognitomus when quoting “Four Marks”, 2020). This leads him to seek the sorceress Yennefer in Rinde. Unsurprisingly, this is also true for Geralt’s appearance in Cintra. “The witcher says he doesn't want to get involved in the ‘petty squabbles of men.’ To which Jaskier correctly points out: he frequently does. Defeated, the witcher reluctantly agrees to go with him.” (Kelly, 2019). While in neither situation was Geralt forced to aid Jaskier, he chose to and in doing so he followed Jaskier into his Destiny. The visit to Rinde resulted in Geralt’s third wish, which is still unknown thanks to Sapkowski’s silence in the matter (IGN, 2019), and with Geralt the claiming the Law of Surprise in Cintra as payment for saving the life of Lord Urcheon, Princess Pavetta’s future husband and Cirilla’s father.

Another incriminating connection, however small, is the devils faced in this episode. Much like the themes of hidden appearances, each of the four characters faces their own devils. Yennefer’s devil could be her father, following after is Tissaia herself. Perhaps even Yennefer’s own inner demons could be considered as her devil in this episode. Cirilla’s experience with a devil in her arc is the dark side of humanity, bitter against Queen Calanthe, and Cahir’s ruthless slaughter of the refuge camp. Geralt and Jaskier’s devil seems to be the most obvious one, and yet upon further examination of the episode’s run perhaps not. While there is the obvious choice, the Sylvan Torque, perhaps the devil that Geralt faces in this episode is the reoccurring title of Butcher of Blaviken. Geralt resorts to physical violence to silence Jaskier’s usage of the title. Even further, it may be Torque and the elves that are Jaskier’s own devil. He did not know the truth of the elves. “This confuses Jaskier, who thought the elves graciously left the land to retire to "golden" palaces, when in actuality they were simple caves.” (Witcher Wiki). After Jaskier learns the truth, he proclaims having a newfound respect for life and elves. However, by the end of the episode, Jaskier states, “Respect doesn’t make history.” (The Witcher, 2019). Further analysis might prove that the elves and Sylvan of Posada are Jaskier’s devil. To reiterate: Yennefer is haunted by her appearance, through her father and Tissaia, Cirilla is haunted by her grandmother’s actions, Geralt is haunted by his title of Butcher, and Jaskier is haunted by the elves.

With proof of Jaskier’s parallels to Yennefer, Cirilla, and Geralt, it is time to state the purpose of this essay: a possible meaning to the title “Four Marks”. In the episode, Yennefer’s first instance of magic places a target on her back. “This use of magic marks her,” says Witcher Wiki. This word choice is not only strange, but the principle upon which I am building my point. Yennefer becomes marked by her use of Chaos. Cirilla’s mark leaves room for some debate, but it could possibly be the mark of the hunted in that Cahir and the Nilfgaard are ruthless in their search for her. Another possibility is that she is constantly sought after, a target, even the noble woman who takes her in marks her with the boots of her servant. Cirilla’s marking in this episode is open to interpretation. While it is not the main focus of this essay, it is important to build Cirilla’s mark or else the possible interpretation is obsolete. Geralt’s mark brings attention to the previous point made in this essay. The devil that Geralt faces is his title, the Butcher of Blaviken. This title also serves as his mark. It is how Jaskier says he will immortalize him in song. This marks Geralt as the Butcher, a title he is constantly trying to outrun throughout the duration of the series. In juxtaposition to Yennefer, Cirilla and Geralt’s metaphysical mark, the mark of Jaskier is represented in something more physical. It is symbolic of the aforementioned demon that he faces, but it is a physical mark.

During the journey to the Edge of the World, Jaskier is quickly knocked out by an iron ball pelting his forehead. It leaves a visible mark in the scene. While it does not scar to an audience’s knowledge, it does draw attention to how the Sylvan and the elves marked him. Furthermore, when Toruviel breaks Jaskier’s lute, the elves later gift him with Filavandrel’s lute in repayment for the broken instrument. Interestingly enough, in the books, it is Toruviel’s own lute that she gives to Jaskier. (Witcher Wiki). Either Toruviel or Filavandrel’s lute, Torque marking physically with the iron ball, Jaskier becomes marked during this encounter. Another interesting point to this is that Jaskier carries Toss A Coin To Your Witcher as much as Geralt carries around the title Butcher. The bard carries the truth and the lies he told to make history, further marking him in this episode by his devil.

In conclusion, there are four devils and four marks in this episode. While the episode is perhaps named after Yennefer’s price, perhaps there is a deeper meaning to this. Perhaps there is an undercurrent theme of marks, devils, and Destiny. Jaskier is the key to Geralt’s Destiny, to his connections to Yennefer and Cirilla. Why should Jaskier be any less connected? Any less marked? Therefore, I conclude that the four marks of “Four Marks” is not payment, but rather a symbolism of the characters connected by Destiny.

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gotarcher94 · 4 years

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The Witcher

So I’ve watched the first season of the Witcher on Netflix and all I can say is holy motherfucking shit. That was a good season.

I wanted to jot down a few things that I liked about the season, bearing in mind that I haven’t yet read the books and have only played the Witcher 2 and 3. I will be using spoilers so consider this a spoiler warning.

(Also this will be a long post)

OK? OK

Henry Cavill

When Henry was announced I gotta admit I had some doubts over the casting. Not because I don’t rate him as an actor but I just couldn't picture him as Geralt. My personal pick was Zach McGowan, known for playing Charles Vane in Black Sails. He had the gruff voice, he looked like the game version of Geralt, and he even had similar hair. Just dye it white and he was good.

But having seen the show... I recant every syllable of my foolishness.

Henry Cavill is perfect as Geralt. He perfectly embodies the White Wolf. From his sarcastic sense of humour, to the subtle emotion on his face to the conflict he has while making the decisions he does. Absolutely perfect casting.

Anya Chalotra

Speaking of perfect casting, Anya is an incredible Yennefer of Vengerberg. Like Henry she perfectly embodies Yennefer. Anya plays the evolution of Yen superbly, from her beaten down and almost broken early days to the immensely powerful and confident sorceress she becomes later, she performs both absolutely perfectly.

And to all those who say that Anya is wrong to play Yennefer because she doesn’t “look like her”.... I cannot say shut the hell up loud enough. She was incredible and deserves all the accolades that should be sent her way.

Freya Allan

And rounding out the three main characters, the show is three for three in terms of perfect casting. I loved her independent and driven nature, continuing to keep going on despite all the trouble going her way despite only been about 11 or 12 (i think, not 100%). Her strong bond with both Queen Calanthe and Mousesack is evident, despite the relative lack of screentime devoted to it. I can’t wait to see how both the character and actress evolves over the (hopefully) seasons to come.

Geralt and Ciri

I loved the “the girl in the woods will be with you always” transition in the first episode, that eventually came full circle in the finale with the two finally meeting (with the run and hug scene!). Having seen their bond fully established in the games (I know they aren’t canon) I cant wait to see it develop on screen

Queen Calanthe

Is a badass. End of story. Ruling a kingdom, fighting at the front of every battle, effectively flipping off destiny and law of Surprise and being an incredible role model for Ciri. Absolute awesome character and Jodhi May did such an incredible job playing her.

Yennefer’s backstory

As a game only fan in terms of knowing much about the characters when I went into this season, my knowledge of Yen’s backstory was pretty much nonexistent, as I can’t remember it even being mentioned in the two games I played (of which Yen was only physically present for one). However, the show delved deep into it, and I’m glad they did. It simultaneously made us empathise fully with Yennefer but also established the basis for her desire to grow stronger and be in control of her own destiny and future, and why she was then so frustrated being in the mire of courtly intrigue, not able to grow higher.

The Yennefer and Tissaia dynamic

One of the most unexpected but welcome events of the show was the dynamic that they two shared. It was not the typical mentor and apprentice relationship and I appreciated the change from the norm. From Tissaia’s initial attempts to bring Yennefer to heel before eventually being the one to tell Yennefer to unleash her chaos during the battle at Sodden was great.

The striga episode

I mean..... just wow. As soon as they mentioned Temeria I had a feeling that it would be the striga, as it was one of the few things that I knew about from the books. And holy shit they did not disappoint. From the investigation aspect, to the fight scene, to the music. It was incredible episode and one that I cannot wait to get back to when I re-watch the series

Battle of Sodden

The main focus of the incredible finale. I had heard of the Battle of Sodden during the games but to see it was something else. A great battle scene combined great fights, solid battle plans and incredibly cool magical skills. And also,during the night scenes, you could actually see what the fuck was happening. See GoT! It isn't hard!!

Vilgevortz

As soon as his name was revealed in the episode, I’m not gonna lie but i may have gone full fanboy. I know a little from what was mentioned in the books and have read a little from other sources about his story in the books and was immensely excited when he showed up. And I cannot wait to see his story unfold on the show and see him interact more with Yennefer and meet Geralt and Ciri.

Jaskier

From what I know, calling him Jaskier (his original name in the Polish stories) instead of the English name of Dandelion was one of the problems people had with the show. And I have to ask... does it really matter? He still acts like him, talks like him, annoys Geralt like him. He is the same character, the showrunners are just honouring his roots.

And he brought some comic relief to the series in just the right ways, especially in the djinn and dragon hunt episodes. Joey Batey was great.

Music and Cinematography

Both of them were absolutely fantastic. Every episode looked and sounded phenomenal. I’ve been listening to a few tracks from the soundtrack that have made it onto YouTube on repeat for a while, most notably “Toss a Coin to your Witcher”. However, one track that I really liked but haven't been able to find is the battle theme from the striga fight. If anyone could send me a link to it, I would be incredibly grateful

Fight choreography

All of the fights this season were absolutely fantastic. Both the human fights and the monster battles. Geralt and Duny vs the Cintrian soldiers, Vilgevortz vs Cahir and (my personal favourites) Geralt vs Renfri and her gang from episode 1. All of them superb and I couldn't have asked for more from the fight scenes.

Magic

I really like the magic system they set up in this series. Not only is it incredibly diverse (with the finale alone showing us Vilgevortz constantly creating swords, Triss making poison mushrooms grow beneath the feet of the army and Coral wiping out a whole section of the Nilgaardian army) but I really like the idea that it isn't just them tapping into a great power, that there can be a great cost to performing these spells. Not something that a lot of fantasy series do.

Cahir

He was a great antagonist throughout the season and again I know little in specifics about him but I know that he is important to Ciri’s story, so I am looking forward to seeing that develop further.

Geralt and Visenna

I loved the scene of the two of them in the finale, even if it proved to only be a dream/hallucination. The “How do you like my eyes?” line legit gave me chills. Incredible acting by Henry there

Geralt and Yennefer (Yenneralt?, I think certain parts of the fandom have settled upon)

Now, as a game only fan prior to this, my exposure to the relationship between the two of them was limited, as the games only touched upon it in the Witcher 3. Before then it was told that Geralt and Yennefer had an epic love but it was very much tell and don’t show, as Yennefer didn't appear in person until the Witcher 3 and by then CDPR had developed the Geralt and Triss romance story in the Witcher 2. And I’m not gonna lie, I was fully into their romance during my playthroughs. Not that I didn't like Yennefer but I just didn't have the same basis into their bond that the book fans did.

After Season 1, however, I am fully onto the Geralt and Yennefer ship, having seen it develop as it did.

Methinks it may be time for another playthrough, as well as buying the books.

Things I’m looking forward to seeing on the show in the future

1. Yennefer and Ciri meeting

2. Seeing Geralt and Ciri bonding more, with some time together at Kaer Morhen

3. Thanedd Island (eventually)

4. Zoltan!

5. Regis!

6. Vesemir!

#the witcher #witcher spoilers #henry cavill #anya chalotra #freya allan

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heamaybe · 3 years

Text

July 2020

The Alpha’s Warlock by Eliot Grayson: I started this book because the synopsis had a Sterek vibe and honestly it ended up being funny and cute. The end battle was not cute and the ending felt a bit rushed but considering I had no expectations beyond lol sounds like Sterek, this was better than I thought.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin: My understanding of the story is that a wizard was on a journey and met a lot of people. I think there were a couple fights but mostly they just talked. There was a dragon. I’m not sure what the point was because I was listening to this on audiobook and the voice of the reader was so calming and deep I kept dropping out of the story and just listened to the voice.

Rough Canvas by Joey W. Hill: Oh boy did this piss me off. I’ve calmed some since, but I still wish I had never started this book. On top of all my smaller annoyances I think the biggest reason I hated this so much was the other main character’s relationship with his family. And this is not an isolated situation with only this book, this is a thing that will make me hate a book so fast if it’s not properly handled. Basically, the family took him for granted and I would call the mother abusive with the way she treated him. And he felt like he had a duty to them, that he needed to give up everything to take care of them and forgive all the shit they did. And I am not here for that. I do not believe in unconditional family love, if they treat you like shit, cut them out of your life.

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall: After that rant, I forgave this book so much because this could have done that and it didn’t. I thought the main character was a bit of an asshole to be honest, but maybe because he was like that, he actually cut ties with shitty family. I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the characters but the story had it’s moments. I don’t remember much so I wouldn’t call this memorable except for that first point because it seems to be too rare and I need more of that.

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid: What even happened in this? It was cute but less cheesy than the first book in this series. I don’t actually think there was all that much plot, just big hockey stars fucking, I guess they fell in love since it is a romance book. I may have a thing for sports stars falling in love...

Hat Trick by Eden Finley: ...since this kind of continues that trend too. Though this had the problem of the other party being a rock star and that’s such a meh for me. I didn’t really care for him in the previous books in the series and this didn’t make me care either. However, it’s totally a me thing so I can’t call this book bad based on it, especially when I’ve liked the previous ones and this isn’t any worse, it’s just the musician thing. Also the endings for these books are so cheesy. I use that word too much I’m sorry, I don’t have a better one in English.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon: The concept of this is super interesting and I liked the book a lot. It’s a pretty short book and I’m kinda glad it is because the subject was a lot heavier than what I normally read and I’m not sure I could have given it the level of focus it required and deserved all through if it had been longer.

The Old Guard by Greg Rucka: This was ok. I mean I like the concept and the story but the art isn’t my favorite. I kind of preferred the movie version, the story was mostly the same with a couple changes and there was Charlize Theron.

Haltiain verta (The Witcher: Blood of Elves, Finnish translation) by Andrzej Sapkowski: Ok here we go. I liked this surprisingly much. I wasn’t sure what to expect after the two short story collections. This doesn’t have that much plot to be honest, there are people plotting a war and Ciri training. The thing is, I really like the female characters and their scenes make the book so much better, as they did in the previous ones. I especially like Triss and Yen is awesome too. I kinda really dislike Jaskier a lot, to the point I have trouble understanding why he got so popular after the Netflix show even though I KNOW his character in the show is very different, for a good reason.

Not Your Villain by C.B. Lee: Yeah so, here’s the thing: I really do not care about teenage love trouble. I appreciate the diversity and it was great for parents to be present in a YA book and I’m sure if I was 15+ years younger I would have liked this a lot. The plot is just very basic for someone who has been reading superhero stories for over 10 years and while the parents were there, it kind of killed the purpose when the kids decided the adults weren’t doing enough and that as true teenagers they obviously know better.

Someday Someday by Emma Scott: Back to the forgiving abusive family thing I hate but level it up a bit. It took me ages to finish this and I was so close to not finishing at all, but I have yet to learn how to give up on any book no matter how much I hate it. It’s a problem. At least I liked the main couple fine enough. This could have been a very cute hurt/comfort story, but it was a bit too heavy on the hurt for me. I guess someone who likes angsty stories and can overlook the family thing would like this.

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh: This was lovely. The concept was lovely. The story was lovely. It was a bit weird and super short so I was a bit lost a couple of times about what was real and what was happening, but I didn’t feel like it in anyway ruined the story for me. I don’t mind being a bit lost. As I’m writing this I’ve also read the sequel and it cleared up a couple questions I was left with too.

#booklr #books #monthly reading wrap up

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spell406 · 5 years

Text

So, a friend of mine basically forced me to watch at least one episode of Netflix Castlevania.

(Disc - I am new to tumblr and had a little problems with posting this thing correctly. Sorry for spam)

So I watched one. And then another. And another… When I finished it was 3 a.m., my eyes were burned out, my brain fried, and my soul forever forfeited, but whatever, who need it anyway.

I am new to the universe, and I know that I am something like 10 months late to the review party, so instead I decided to just share a bunch of thoughts of mine. [UPDATE – Because I am extremely heavy procrastinator and it took me almost two weeks to write this thing I am already at 50% of SoTN right now I’ve finished SoTN by now]

First of all – Castlevania looks like anime, but shares almost nothing common with it. It was a relief, to be honest, as I was a little afraid of show being just another shounen with specific set of clichés and similarities that might quite not bad (or even enjoyable), but I’ve seen them too many times before – better or worse executed – to watch without a mild nausea another Bleach/Naruto in a darker scenario.

I would never demand a fantasy world to be realistic. Like, who would do, fantasy world is supposed to be… fantasy, right? I am fine with lack of realism but I can’t say the same about lack of common sense, and there is a matter of logic that I personally find quite funny. When you are about to fight in close quarters with someone, with both of you lives on stake you’ll want to use every possible advantage. In general there are two kinds of battle armors – first one is focused on providing maximum protection (like typical medieval plate armor) and second one designed to grant freedom of movement especially critical in usually legwork-heavy duels. And here are our “battle” priests in gowns. Gowns, that manage to provide neither aforementioned advantage and downsides of both. Heh. It just bothers me too much, honestly.

I really love the flow of narration; the way that every character including antagonists has its own set of motives and reasons, even Carmilla has her own background that is convicting to justify her bitchery (Well, she has seen it before, right? And Dracula wasn’t even trying to hide his apathy, so why would she like to watch as dead man wages his hollow war)(Is it only me or Dracula shows typical signs of severe depression? Apathy, lack of strength to take any decision, not taking care of himself, loss of interest – even in his own war – well, to be honest he has a good reason to do so).

Animations. Ah, that one is unquestionably excellent, although you Powerhouse Animation guys could have make use of an additional 4-5 fps – from time to time I had a feeling that there is a cat sitting on my keyboard’s space bar, pausing and starting show over and over - it happened something like two or three times. If it comes to favorite scenes – for me, it would be first meeting and fight between Trevor and Alucard. The dialogue and music is so good at reflecting rising pressure and tension between those two – let put oneself in Trevor’s boots – just day before he was rather concerned about getting some food/drink and move on and now he is standing against something that he now considers to be last boss of his life, or perhaps not, he doesn’t even know how does Dracula looks like and he doesn’t seem to be openly aggressive, or perhaps yes, he is obviously vampire and he seems to doesn’t like Belmont name, on the other hand even lesser vampire might be not so easy foe and he is kinda out of practice, and Sypha doesn’t feel like helping out, at least for now… It is all just perfect, and the sound track alone is stuff of legends. (Season 2 OST on Spotify WHEN??”)

Second best would be first phase of Dracula fight – the way which they are team working fluently to not let eachother get killed pleases my inner maniac in best possible way, although the 1 vs 1 part is kinda downgrade - but still ok.

But there is one thing that really stands out in best possible way from things I’ve seen before and that’s utilization of facial expression and body language. Like seriously, this combined with really outstanding voice acting bring interactions between characters to another damned level. (Unfortunately, national translation and voice acting is so awful that I couldn’t bear myself to finish even first season). There are few thing I consider more important in creating credible character than combining overall expressiveness and voice acting, the ability to tell words without actually using any (Finding Ciri cinematic in Witcher 3 is perhaps best known to me example) - and Castlevania does it just soooo good.

Dracula generals. When they were shown for the first time I was like “oh boy he has summoned generals, (Generals! Master tactician, the artists of war!) the oldest, most cunning and powerful beasts from entire world, now things are going to get rough.” And how did it turned out? I can understand that Dracula tasked his forge masters with overseeing the war (Although his reasoning was kind of ok, good job Dracula for nominating for executives two people, that knew least about proceeding war) Did they were incompetent so much? Then how did they managed to get their titles, if they were just a bunch of endlessly whining mischief-makers? They were supposed to know how war looks like, and how to do one, but instead they did literally nothing for war effort! If you ask me, that is at least one risen eyebrow. Excluding Godbrand, the only member of council that did anything more than grate his teeth in silent anger, killed some civilians and got taken care of quite effortlessly. Also, Godbrand wasn’t made to be the sharpest knife in a closet, but he still was bright enough to ask himself “What will we do when we’ll win a war?” Also, he managed to notice that there were no real plan to follow... That is +1 to you Godbrand, I’ll miss you my vikingy boi. In the end, if they were meant to be just a background, they did get a little too much of screen time, and if they were not, they got faaaaaar from enough of it.

By the way – not sure if it’s only me but I personally think that Trevor might be keenest (or – at least – not dumbest) of protagonist trio. He might lack classic education, but he is careful watcher (he noticed fresh oil in torch and overall state of Alucard’s hideout), he correctly chosen and quite successfully executed strategy at Gresit square (isolate, divide and destroy) and quite steadfastly shrugged off Alucard bickering (well, most of times). Also, his plan for battle with vampire generals was quite logical – avoid close quarter cause humans are in general more fragile than vampires, and Alucard as frontline. My inner maniac was most pleased.

As I said before, I really enjoy Castlevania’s overall character design but with an exception of bishop of Gresit. There is no reason for his work, I know that he is insane and reasoning usually does not apply to those like him but I feel like there is no reason in villainy (this entire talking about making a God’s own country – well, I don’t buy it), aside of being genuinely baaaaad, which kinda stands out in negative way in comparison to the rest of characters.

To highlight the issue, lets do some roleplaying here:

The night creatures are ravaging the land that you had sworn to protect in unholy war against humanity, killing women, men even your subordinates alike. The citizens are growing restless, and demand taking an action. How do you proceed?

a) Find the last descendant of family known for their prowess in fighting those beasts; but be wary – he doesn’t seem to like you very much after you branded him as heretic, exterminated his entire family and burned down his home (probably with some of aforementioned family still inside it). However, if you nicely ask for help, reverse the curse, apology for making mistake and return the estate it actually might work. (to be honest that could be quite interesting moral choice for Trevor, to help people of Wallachia and let bishop take all glory or decline the bishop proposition and screw people over in the process)

b) You can fight them, you are the Holy Church after all. You have access to unlimited supply of holy water, relics, you have enough money and authority to arm and train people’s militia properly. Your knowledge of those beasts might be as wide as Belmont family, but at least should be sufficient to minimalize the damage. Killing the Dracula, however, might be impossible for you.

c) You spent most of your time on biting, trashing, or looking for anyone to cast entire blame upon; it doesn’t matter who is that poor bastard as long as it is not you. In addition, you…

AAAAARGH I CAN’T CONTAIN MYSELF ANY LONGER! BROTHER, I DON’T FEEL LIKE I AM WICKED ENOUGH! I REQUIRE TO SEE SOME SUFFERING OF INNOCENT TO FEAST UPON! WHAT DO YOU SAY, BROTHER? I CANT HEAR YOU OVER RAGE BOILING IN MY VEINS! WHAT, SPEAKERS? OF COURSE THEY WILL DO RAAAAAARRGARGAJGIOGJIHKBYIUOL

Oh well.

Well, looks like I am done here. By the way, sorry for my English, I am not a native speaker (If I’ve commited any spectacular crime against vocabulary/grammar let me know on priv).

Now I’m going back to rewatching show and torturing SoTN

No TL:DR, just read it if you want, it is not an entire book, you know.

#castlevania #trevor belmont #sypha belnades #alucard

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fyrapartnersearch · 5 years

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An everlasting roundabout

Hello internet friends,

I extend to you my warmest regards. You may call me Gil. I am a 20+ year old writer by hobby, a full-time student at a university and soon to be management assistant in sports and fitness. One of my greatest hobbies are roleplaying and drawing, sometimes even doodling my own characters for my book or the roleplay itself. A few things about me: 

I am a mature writer with no inhibition when it comes to adult themes, meaning that I will only accept partners at the age of 20+ and up. Though if convinced, I am also willing to take 18+ partners as well, depending on how compatible we are or not. I have been writing for ten years or so and made my fair share of experiences. My timezone is CET in case you are wondering, though I couldn’t care less which timezone my partner has. I am happy to accept anyone who is able to uphold a stable partnership with a steady replying rate, someone who puts in an equal amount of effort and dedication. My tastes vary, though what I find most fascinating are dark, supernatural, thriller and sci fi themed plots.    What I’m looking for is someone who shares great passion and love for roleplaying and creative writing. This is very dear to me, so if you’re someone who’s in for a casual run, you might out of luck.

 I have a strong penchant for original characters and ideas that could be added to a pre-existing canon plot. But I am also open to something original in case we aren’t able to find any suiting fandoms for both of us.   Before I go and include the fandoms and topics down below, it would be greatly appreciated if you’d read through my set of rules, guidelines and limits.  What it takes:

I write in third person perspective. Concerning length and frequency, my writing is wide-ranging and flexible, which means that frequently the word count can rise to 1000+ words per reply. But it is also very reliant on the given situation and my partner’s length. There should be a balanced outlook on quality vs quantity. I love both, so there’s no need in keeping things curt. Detail in description is a definite. If you are someone who rather glosses over things, you are talking to the wrong person here. I am actively seeking someone of the same infamy. You should have a basic grasp on grammar, punctuation and a bit of an interest in knowledgeable writing. With that being said I am by no means a cunning linguist, rather a simple mortal who enjoys venting in a creative way. I also prefer to double, so I hope this is something you are also okay with.

This entails a lot of mature and adult content. If you are rather squeamish or someone who is not comfortable with gore, violence, physical brutality, foul language, horror, monsters, sexual as well as erotic content, do not contact me. I respect my partner’s boundaries, however, I am not someone who is interested in fluff or slice of life stories, sorry. But what I do love is good dialogue, strong chemistry, drama and intrigue, sometimes even political intrigue. Usually I do not fade to black, unless it is a scene of little importance that we can skip to further the plot. My only limits are pedophilia, necrophilia, toilet play, the list goes on.

My line of interests are quite dynamic and colourful when it comes to genres. I love conceiving my own lore inside a story, be it an original or a canon universe. Gothic fantasy among others are one of my favourites. I am not opposed to tapping into some science fiction, action, romance, crime, action or thriller genres, in fact I encourage it. Sometimes I draw my inspiration from Lovecraft for the most part, but there many other authors I have grown to adore. Perhaps we could have a conversation about our favourite authors and share some inspirations.

It should be very character driven, that in itself is self-evident. However, this doesn’t mean the world around our characters should be neglected as a result. We should both take equal parts in shaping and building the world, making sure the environment they interact with feels lively and large. Discussing plots and such during and before the roleplay itself is always welcome! However I am also always happy to be surprised by my partner. There’s no need to lay out all the cards on the table… keep it a little mysterious and suspenseful. Just enough so we can work with the given ideas, but not completely kill off the suspense.

One thing that has come time attention quite frequently is the communication between partners and compatibility. I encourage chatting outside of the roleplay as I always love making new friends and getting to know the person I am sharing with. If there is something that does not fit with the roleplay setting, may it be an uncharacteristic behaviour, a senseless situation or over and all, some issues that need fixing, I happily like to discuss and give some constructive criticism. And I love to receive vice versa! If there is something that is bothering you, TELL ME. It won’t be taken personally, by all means, if there’s something on your mind, share it with me. We can discuss matters in a rational manner. Too many times I’ve had encountered the issue of someone taking it as a personal attack when it really wasn’t. When there are flaws inside of the RP’s logic, story or character, I would like to point that out or have it pointed out to me before it is too late. I am very chill about it. Another thing which is pet peeve of mine, is when people ghost you without warning, may it be because of the previously mentioned point or other reasons outside of the roleplay. If you need the put the RP on hold, or if you are simply busy for a longer period of time, I fully understand. I myself have a life outside of the roleplay, so there’s no need to be shy about it.

Pairings and romance is an open book for me. I am fine with all sorts of pairings, be it purely male romance, female romance or the classic m x f relationship. Though I have more experience with m x f pairings, I am happy to take on any role, be it male or female. However it also highly depends on the chemistry between the characters, and if they compel me, I ship them as much as I can. Concerning sexual scenarios and intimacy, I’d like it to be tastefully written and not have it fall into the vulgar category.

So I hope you survived my tedious guideline paragraphs, lol.

As promised, the various cravings and fandoms I am aching to roleplay:

Jojo’s Bizzarre Adventure: This anime surely has made it’s impact on me. Especially the vast world and endless possibilities, it offers a great hotbed for original ideas as well as OC’s. I am willing to play every season up to part 5 which I haven’t watched yet, sadly.

Castlevania: I am open to either the Netflix version or the game series. Castlevania is so beautiful and intricate, yet so mysteriously dark and dripping with style.

Star Wars: Okay this one is bit of a tricky one. I am not interested in the latest SW films. I find the film / cinematic universe rather boring and have found more interest in the Clone Wars series, but even more the The Old Republic series. I am also very much craving something original! Somewhere set a thousand or a hundred years prior to the Skywalker saga with purely original characters. This could be a fresh new concept that we could mould and experiment with!

Devil May Cry: One of my favourite games of all time! Honestly, I would love you to death for this! I have played through every game instalment there is, and even read a few of the mangas. Yes, I am that kind of nerd. I don’t care which version rather suits your fancy, as I am eager to explore every version and willing to play any character.

Harry Potter: Perhaps a next gen? And no, I am not talking about the cursed child saga. I find it rather interesting to have the next generation of characters be our OC’s. For further discussion, let me know what your inspirations are.

Marvel / DC: Although I have pretty much distanced myself from the superhero genre after seeing Endgame, I am still open to accept some partners. (Although I am not as enthused about it as I used to be.)

Other mentions (my lesser cravings):

The Witcher

The Tudors

Supernatural

Game of Thrones

Dragon Age

 As for roleplaying method, I mostly rely on Email or Googledocs. This is non-negotiable, sorry. Other platforms have proven to me to be a bit of a hassle.   We can also chat on Discord after establishing everything else. To contact me, use this email address here: [email protected] Give me a little introduction of yourself, what your cravings, pet peeves as well as fields of interest are. You can be descriptive about it, it would only stoke my excitement, making me want to get to know you even more.   Should there be any further questions, ask right away.   Till then, I am looking forward to meeting you!    

Cheers, -Gil

#indie rp #independent roleplay #oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #long term #email #marvel rp #avengers rp #harry potter rp #marauders rp #spn rp #mcu rp #dc rp #aou rp #submission

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entergamingxp · 4 years

Text

DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Ben’s Top 10

December 29, 2019 4:00 PM EST

From games like Apex Legends to The Outer Worlds, 2019 proved to me that there were a huge variety of games to enjoy across all genres.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

I’m not really sure where to begin with 2019. It’s a year I’ve certainly grown a hated for, and the gaming landscape has been incredibly volatile at times. We’ve seen the Sekiro discourse send a barrage of abuse towards both disabled gamers and journalists. We’ve seen a well-known publisher hold an AMA on 4Chan. We’ve seen E3 doxx nearly every journalist that has attended the event.

However, amongst the dark days we’ve had some great games come out in 2019, and I’ve been enjoying a handful of games I never would have experienced if it wasn’t for Xbox Game Pass. I’ve also been front and center in helping to direct change to how video games are made more accessible for players, but more on that at a later date.

So, here’s my top 10 list of games that I’ve been enjoying in 2019.

10. The Outer Worlds

Originally this title from Obsidian Interactive was going to be higher up on my list, but after pondering on it I realized that it doesn’t entirely deserve to go too high. I enjoyed it, I completed it, I gushed about it for numerous weeks, and I found Parvati, a video game character I adored. But while I really enjoyed the game, it started to become a chore even thinking about picking it back up and trying to go through it all again. The combat felt groggy, the side-quests were a bit naff, and it wasn’t much of a broad open-world as I initially expected.

Saying that though, I did find the writing between the companions and the main storyline characters incredibly engaging and enjoyable to sit through. I liked how the acting reflected wonderfully on dialogue options I chose, and as a result, I found myself heavily engrossed in the story right up until the end where it told me the fate of those on my team that I may have neglected somewhat. The brilliant writing was enough for The Outer Worlds to have left an incredibly positive impression on me.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for The Outer Worlds.

9. The Orange Box

I’m going to cheat a bit here. Earlier in 2019, I went through Portal for the hell of it; another journey through Valve’s puzzler with portals and an evil robot that sings about cake. I’ve played it God knows how many times and it still never gets old. I also jumped on Team Fortress 2 when news sparked up about the game no longer being supported by Valve for the time being. Hearing the news sent me down a nostalgic trip from my many hours spent with it. Returning to it was somewhat heart-warming to be back in the world, but at the same time heart-breaking that it seems riddled with hackers now. Despite that, it was still brilliant to go back.

With Half-Life: Alyx being revealed, I wanted to spark up my memories of the Half-Life world again. So I booted up Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, and then managed to get through Half-Life 2: Episode Two before becoming busy with this journalism lark. Safe to say, The Orange Box is by far my favorite collection of games that will always remain fun to play no matter how many years have passed, even now in 2019.

8. Ape Out

Devolver Digital’s crazy ooh-ah-ah game was one I enjoyed for hours, and still find myself picking it up every now and again. The gameplay was challenging at best, and had a soundtrack that reacted to the combat which kept me wanting to keep the fight going at all costs, even if it meant bleeding out everywhere. The sounds of the punches, gunfire, and limbs splattering were all of high-quality and kept Ape Out feeling more like a large-scale action flick rather than a small indie title.

The art style was also something I found to be the most memorable; it had a clash of gritty textures that seemed to blend in well with the vibrant orange ape. The harder modes for a bigger challenge were also incredibly frustrating but were always tempting for that “one more go” mentality. The one that stood out the most to me was the mode in which you have to break back into the place from which you escaped, but you’ve only got one life. The Metroidvania twist here left me with hours of extra fun trying to beat it.

Check out DualShockers review for Ape Out.

7. Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a game that I’ve always wanted to play, but one I never got round to until I got the Switch. Stardew Valley is one of those games that seems perfect for portability; I’ve always enjoyed relaxing games in which you can do simple things such as farming, but the pixel art style adds to the aesthetic that I found myself being drawn towards. I particularly enjoy the music combined with the gentle sounds of nature flittering through the world. Eventually, I found myself putting it down for a good few months, and it’s always sat there beckoning me to play it again.

It wasn’t until recently when I heard there was a new update for it that I picked it back up and jumped into an entirely new game, deleting my old farm. Upon doing so, I’ve rejuvenated my love for it and I’m glad I’m back on the scene for it. My only question is, will I continue enjoying it when Animal Crossing: New Horizons comes out, or will I abandon it for a town of overly happy animals? Time will tell.

6. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Thank you Xbox Game Pass; if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have finally tried Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Originally, I never picked the game up because I didn’t think I’d enjoy it. There was no reason, in particular, it just didn’t draw me in. However, all the talk of how it represents mental health and how the graphics are stunning was enough for me to download it and try it out. I was blown away. The binaural sound design is really quite something to behold, especially with a good set of headphones. The character animations are lovely and the combat felt heavy and impactful.

I wasn’t a fan of the Metroidvania-theme that lingers throughout the game, but it certainly adds to the tension of trying to stay alive just so you don’t have to go through it all again. It’s certainly a game I’ve had a great time with, and am still enjoying playing it now as we wait for the sequel to arrive with the Xbox Series X.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.

5. Tetris 99

I’ve always been a fan of Tetris, the old version and any modern-at-the-time iterations. When Tetris 99 was announced, I won’t lie, I groaned: “Ugh, another Battle Royale attempt.” Little did I know that I grew to love it almost instantly. The matches can be quick, some can be lengthy and challenging. Some can be frustrating and some can leave me cocky and proud. I had started to grow fed up of it being constantly online though, and while I don’t agree that the single-player mode is locked behind a paywall, I paid for it.

The Big Blocks DLC is actually great, allowing me to play it with friends on the same system without needing to worry about 97 other players battling against us. The marathon mode is also addictive, with me racking up over 500 lines in one match. The fact that the game is still sporting a good deal of players online is also fantastic because whenever I want to jump online and play it, there’s always players there to fill 99 slots.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Tetris 99.

4. Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves is still my all-time pirate game, even in 2019. I still get a lot of satisfaction from it, especially when it comes to just hanging out and having fun with friends or family. There’s always something to find, quests to do, and enemy ships to battle, but not only that, the game is continually being supported with more and more updates. These updates bring small changes and some big changes, such as the addition of fire which I find devastatingly good fun. I can’t get enough of the game, and while sailing alone can be boring, it’s still somewhat relaxing and a lovely escape from life.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Sea of Thieves.

3. Rocket League

Okay, the new Blueprints update has kind of angered the community, and I myself am annoyed that all the items I was planning to trade are now suddenly not tradable. But it goes without saying, Rocket League is still one of my favourite titles, specifically on the Switch. I used to play it on PC, then I switched to Xbox, but I’ve found myself more comfortable with it on the Switch due to the portability and being able to lounge around while knocking my balls around (you know what I mean).

What I most enjoy about the game though is the full cross-platform play that allows me to enjoy it with friends and family on different platforms. It’s an absolute godsend and keeps the game thriving with players.

2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

I just can’t not have a year where I don’t pick this game up. Now it’s getting even harder to ignore despite being several years old because it’s being re-released on everything. It landed on the Nintendo Switch and sparked up the whole hype surrounding it again, then just as the chatter dies down, it heads over to Xbox Game Pass too. In addition to that, the Netflix series went live this month, making 2019 a pretty big year for The Witcher fans.

I still love jumping into the game, whether it’s to carry on with my quests I still haven’t completed, or to wander the expansive world for no reason but exploration, or to just take photos with Nividia Ansel. I’ve also found myself starting the game from scratch earlier this year because I forgot where I was, but this meant I got to experience the brilliant missions towards the start of the game, especially those with the Bloody Baron. It’s a game I don’t think I’ll ever tire of.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

1. Apex Legends

A surprise favorite of mine. I tried getting into other Battle Royale games such as PUBG, Fortnite, Battlefield V‘s Firestorm mode, etc, but none have stuck with me. It wasn’t until Respawn Entertainment’s Apex Legends hooked me. I love nearly everything about it; the art is lovely, the way it feels to play is fluid, and the Ping system is revolutionary with me not even needing to use a headset to communicate.

The game has done well for itself since launch. While lately it has been slow on updating the game with new content, eventually the developers caught up and started introducing quality content over quantity. It’s a game I keep wanting to play, a game I continually enjoy despite dying so many times I fear my team despises me, and a game that I hope continues to be supported and inspires more multiplayer games to incorporate a Ping system.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 29, 2019 4:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-bens-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-bens-top-10

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