I remember my mother’s 1977 BMW 320i was the only constant fixture in my periphery for the first seventeen years of my life. For a sizeable portion of my youth, I loved and obsessively ruminated on BMWs. They were a cherished gift to me from the world and best suited for my Aspergian sensibilities (clinically diagnosed). From memory, I could recite every model, feature and accessory for all of the 1980-1996 model lineup. Despite this, I specifically did not love our BMW. The entire time, it remained to me an unfortunate afterthought of a car. “Why don’t we ever have a good BMW?” was one of my usual, elementary school gripes. We got close at least one time with the near-purchase of that European-spec, e23 745i, but it just never happened.
I remember learning and committing to memory that our BMW’s original owner was a Palo Alto woman, a Stanford University professor. The woman seemed to enjoy driving the car too much, leaving it uncovered under the California sun and not maintaining it properly.
I remember the story of my father doing the pre-purchase inspection of the somewhat high-mileage, paint-damaged–albeit comparatively young–BMW in 1983. He summarily advised my mother not to buy it. Being the spark plug that she is, she took this recommendation under advisement and went ahead and bought it anyway.
I remember that this event–this BMW–is how my parents met and eventually decided to marry. He was her diligent, cautious, attentive mechanic, and she was his young, attractive, female customer. I assume that since it was the 1980s, my mother had legs–of the ZZ Top variety–and was well informed on how to use them.
I remember the story of my mother leaving a bag of peaches on the rear seat floor boards that eventually decomposed into a mound of organic glue and permanently fused to the sun-bleached, shit-stained beige carpet.
I remember hearing about how my mother would drive the BMW from El Sobrante to San Jose–fifty-plus miles–with the low fuel indicator light illuminated. My father would sit in the passenger’s seat, white-knuckled, a bead of terror sweat likely running down the side of his temple.
I remember the BMW sitting behind the laundry area of our Redmond home’s garage–an unassembled and deconstructed husk–unstarted for five-plus years.
I remember all of the BMW’s transformations from “anthrazitgrau” to “teal” to “lexus pearl white.”
I remember my mother deciding that the interior was going to be replaced and the color was going to be changed from beige to black. My mother purchased replacement Recaro seats for the BMW, but opted for the least expensive variants possible. I was deeply troubled, at the time, that the front bucket seats were charcoal cloth and the rear seat was black vinyl. My father’s contribution to the chaos was purchasing black door panels whose styles didn’t match one another because they were each sourced from separate BMWs of stylistically differing generations. To me, this all felt entirely criminal. I was present at the junkyard for at least one of these door panel purchases. The donor BMW was sad and pathetic, I recall. My father told me not to get too close to it because there was broken glass present. I complied.
I remember when our BMW was in a transitional state and didn’t have an interior, but was in drivable condition. My father amused us both by driving it up and down our Redmond street. He expertly operated the clutch and accelerator while sitting precariously atop a piece of scrap two-by-four that was balanced between the driver’s door sill and the center hump that ran the length of the interior. I sat in the passenger's side footwell and clapped like a seal while we both laughed hysterically. It was one of the few times my father didn’t seem so stoic and cautious. It was totally unsafe and a wonderful bonding experience that I absolutely cherish.
I remember seeing the aftermath of a semi truck that, after missing its intended turn, elected to come to a full stop on a highway near our home. The driver then attempted to correct this error by reversing, without looking, toward the front-end of our BMW that my dad was driving at the time. Without enough time to reverse, my dad was hit. The recently repainted grille and hood were smashed-in. My mother drove to pick my father up in our brand new Jeep Cherokee while I accompanied her, sitting in the back seat, nervous, but excited about observing the damage. I knew my father was alright, but I brought an open bag of candied pecans as an offering to comfort him. When we arrived, he was not interested in the candied pecans, which was odd to me. I was, however, awash with relief because I wasn’t actually that interested in sharing them, but simply wished to express my concern. I took advantage of the moment to eat the rest of the candies, which under any other circumstance, would have not been allowed.
I remember seeing the BMW at the body shop waiting to be repaired–how a working-class man expertly removed the BMW emblem that was on the smashed hood with a flat-blade screwdriver and gave it to me as a gift. The emblem was relatively new at the time, a replacement for the original one that had just previously been replaced. The otherwise pristine emblem had a small indentation from the damage. I was in possession of the emblem until 2001 at which point I threw it in the trash.
I remember my irresponsible sister–as a condition of her owning it–was required to maintain the BMW and this included washing it. Despite her protest, the one time I did actually see her wash it, she was sure to use a green scrub pad and managed to destroy the majority of the paint’s finish.
I remember my mother paying actual money to have the paint repaired.
I remember my sister absentmindedly losing one of the BMW’s original keys at the Costco in San Leandro. It was the only one of the three original keys that still had its black, plastic head. My mother had duplicates made, but they were not adequate. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive my sister for this offense.
I remember being present for the replacement of the BMW’s rod bearings in our San Antonio Avenue driveway. My sister previously flooded the engine in water and the BMW no longer ran correctly. She stated that it was misfiring and producing blue flames from the tailpipe. I started the engine when the job was completed–momentarily channeling my inner Frank Zappa–and told my father the BMW sounded like something that could only be described as “canned soup.” It sounded clunky and misfire-y and shitty: like canned soup.
I remember my father, dirty and grease-stained, being very confused by my aforementioned remark.
I remember standing on our hand-laid, herringbone, reclaimed brick driveway, staring at the dirty-white, thoroughly beaten-up BMW that was recently abandoned by my sister, asking myself how much I really cared about it. That day turned out to be instructive: it was the first time in my life that, retrospectively, everything could have been different. I would not even closely resemble the person I am today, save for choosing the direction that I didn’t choose. I had to decide to pursue the Jeep Cherokee that I loved, or rescue the BMW that I always knew. In my sixteen-year-old mind, acquiring the BMW would be an effortless slam dunk that the Jeep would not. The Jeep would require more effort to acquire, but it was also the one I really cared about. I was concerned that if I didn’t save the BMW right then and there it would go away. Both options were untenable for me. I could feel both of my recently divorced parents staring at me as I weighed the two options. Going with my gut and not my heart, I chose to capitulate to anxiety and doubt by choosing the way I did: the BMW. My rationalization was that there was still time to save the Jeep. I could figure out how later; I just needed more time. I drove the BMW from the San Antonio Avenue house to the Central Avenue house on or around the first day of October in 2001.
I remember that I bought the BMW from my mother for “$1,500.” I paid $500, my father paid $500 and my mother “paid” herself $500.
I remember immediately discovering the joys of the junkyard and making my first purchase of a stained, yellow, molded carpet from some tragic donor. I wanted a filthy carpet because my plan was to also be filthy. I sought to trash my interior and not care about maintaining it because I wished to lean into my “gross teenager” aesthetic. I wanted to be able to drop frenchfries and soda and lucky charms and not give a shit. At the time I was able to comfortably exist in one of two paradigms: abject filth or obsessive cleanliness. There was no middle ground. This is something that remains to be true to this day, except I can now only tolerate the latter. My yellow carpet lasted for less than one month before the anxiety of it being filthy overcame me and I removed it, throwing it away as quickly as possible. I reinstalled the previously removed carpet and was angry about it.
I remember installing makeshift rear headrests that didn’t fit correctly. I used a hacksaw, a pair of unmatching black, cloth headrests purchased from the junkyard, two pieces of reclaimed wood with unmeasured holes drilled into them using a Victorian hand-crank-operated drill and several rubber bands. Many European-spec BMW 320i models were available with optional rear headrests, but models for the American market were not. This was terribly aggravating for me at sixteen-years-old.
I remember Jolene asking me for a ride home after school. I was uninterested in performing this favor, but complied because doing so was considerably less taxing than thoroughly explaining why it made me uncomfortable and didn’t want to do it. That was a nice, fall day in the afternoon and I can still recall the look of tree-lined Central Avenue as I drove past High street. I came to regret doing this favor as someone from my high school saw us and relayed to others what I’d done. It was then rumored that Jolene and I were romantically involved and this turned my stomach in a way I cannot adequately describe.
I remember Chris and Jasmine asking me for a ride to their respective homes after school while they canoodled in my back seat like the two love-struck, teenage assholes they were. They were both overly attentive, flattering, and obsequious toward me during the drive which made my desire for total silence all the more blinding. The useful moron I typically was at the time, I received this all as clear confirmation that they had no respect for me. I was, however, less uninterested in driving them than I was Jolene, but still just as mortified by the prospect of explaining why I didn’t want to do it as opposed to just doing it. These were people I didn’t really know and had no interest in helping, but I did. They never spoke to me again. This is correct.
I remember Danny looking at the BMW, telling me it was a “hooptie” and asked me if I agreed. Being neither of his ilk, nor of his particular caliber, I wasn’t sure what that word meant, so I nodded and escaped the situation as quickly as possible so as not to be roped into further discourse. Danny is a twat of a man and now, aptly, a real estate agent.
I remember how the BMW never easily started. I assume it was an engine compression issue.
I remember a brisk, overcast fall morning, how the air was cold and wet. After pulling out of the Central Avenue driveway, a thin layer of mist condensed on the windshield. I had trouble seeing as I drove, but I didn’t want to smear the moisture on the glass because it would have left annoying smudge marks when it dried and smudge marks are extremely difficult to clean off of interior windshield glass. Seeing no other available option, I continued to drive down Central Avenue crouching, peering through the thin slit of cleared glass that was closest to the defrost vents blowing at high speed. The glass wasn’t clearing fast enough, so in an outburst, I punched the top of the glass near the rear-view mirror in a logical attempt to bully the glass into clearing more quickly. A thin, meandering line suddenly appeared, bisecting the sheets of glass, suspiciously close to the spot my knuckle just struck.
I remember telling my parents that a crack in the windshield glass had suddenly appeared and that I had no idea how it got there.
I remember my first job was at an ice-cream shop in my hometown and how the BMW was not considered a form of reliable transportation to and from it.
I remember being so aggravated by the BMW after two months of owning it, that I told my mother if she didn’t take it back, I’d have it crushed.
I remember being told that I would receive $700 in exchange for the BMW–$200 more than I’d personally paid–but never seeing this money and wondering what happened to it.
I remember expressing a renewed interest in the Jeep Cherokee now owned by my father, but being told I couldn’t acquire it because I wouldn’t be able to materialize the lump sum of cash required to purchase it, quickly enough.
I remember resigning myself to my fate and not making any real attempt to fight for the Jeep: the thing I loved most at the time–the thing I thought would solve all of my problems. I could have done a lot more, but I chose not to. The Jeep was then sold to some sexually attractive dad and his obnoxious, harpy wife soon thereafter.
I remember the BMW also going away, back to mother’s condo on Shoreline Drive to live out the remainder of its days with her much the way it did in the early 1990s: parked and languishing.
I remember my mother moving to the house on Macarthur Boulevard and the BMW being sequestered in the damp, crumbling cement garage that was carved out from the side of the hill under the house.
I remember bird feces and a layer of cement dust coating the top of the BMW the last few times I saw it.
I remember replacing the BMW’s starter–an abject nightmare of a repair–in an effort to correct the starting issues. This repair corrected nothing and was completely unrelated to the actual problem.
I remember my mother surprising me by stating in or around 2002 that she was going to sell the BMW after twenty years of clinging to it, dragging it along with us everywhere we moved.
I remember the first prospective buyer of the BMW was a buff, extremely handsome, 30-something black man in a skin-tight, white t-shirt and black jeans. I fantasized about the man possibly sweeping me off my feet and taking me far away from this place. I was still technically a minor at the time, but only in the ways that mattered.
I remember hoping and praying that the BMW would start-up quickly enough not to raise any eyebrows as to its viability and reliability. It did. It would seem that it wanted rid of us as surely as we wanted rid of it.
I remember the man being allowed to go on a solo test drive, unaccompanied, and me and my mom not really caring if the BMW never came back.
I remember the transaction being completed and the BMW being sold for $1500.
I remember, with absolute crystal clarity, observing the BMW drive away for the last time, north on Macarthur Boulevard, disappearing beyond the sunny horizon after cresting over a hill, never to be seen or heard of again.

It took me (34m) a long time to write this up, it’s been quite a few years, but the experience still has a very lasting impact on me, and I hope my story might be helpful to someone.
Also though, honestly, I’m posting this for me, because I’m scared that if I don’t write it down, and put it out there, that eventually I will forget the details. I will remember the pain, but I won’t remember the why. I’ll question whether what happened to me was a dream, if it was really that bad, or if I was just too sensitive.
I know these things aren’t true.
How it all began...
I went bar hopping with a platonic female friend in Hermosa Beach, where I lived at the time, and ran into a girl I’ll call Donna. Donna and I had met very briefly about a month before, but this time I was formally introduced through this mutual friend. It was open mic night and her voice was very beautiful. We hit it off right away and bar hopped the night away together.
This led to a drunken evening back at my apartment…
RED FLAG #1
The next morning, she told me she LOVED me. I remember this being quite bizarre to me at the time, but I had never heard of BPD, love bombing or anything of the sort. I was in a frat in college and the term “clinger” had been thrown around a lot, but being codependent, this didn’t sound like too terrible of a premise to me. I remember being a little worried though -- How could she love me after one drunk night?
We begin hanging out just about every day and things are truly amazing. She spends many nights at my place. I find out she’s a nanny and lives in the backhouse of her employer. She introduces me to them; I spend some nights are her place and things couldn’t be better. A few weeks later I ask her to be my girlfriend and to be exclusive; she happy cries and accepted.
I invite her to go to EDC and pay for the entire trip to Vegas and the tickets. We met up with a couple, who were friends of mine, and have an amazing trip and we grow very close. The next month, after we return, she constantly expresses her deep love for me and how we are soulmates.
I really start to buy into it… I finally return the I love you.
RED FLAG #2
A couple of weeks later, my male friend who lives nearby, comes to visit me at my apartment before we decided to all go out for a day of fun. My friend is laying on my couch and I bring Donna out. I need to get ready for the day and go back into my room… 5 minutes later she’s laying on the couch with him, in little spoon position.
I take Donna back to my room and call her out on it. She immediately cries and throws a huge emotional tantrum profusely apologizing. I also separately confront my friend on it. He said he was just as shocked and said she did it on her own volition. I have no reason to doubt this friend, he was weirded out too and sincerely apologized.
I pass it off to just her not having normal physical boundaries but let her know this is not okay in any way.
RED FLAG #3, BREAK-UP #1
A few months into our relationship I used her phone to find my phone (which we both did from time to time) and I see a text message come through from her ex, I read them. They said something to the effect of “I miss watching our show together and spooning.” She had given a generic response, but sort of leaving the door open, but nothing concrete.
I ended things immediately with her.
She went into an emotional tirade of tears, apologies and begging. I had never seen anything like it. I decided to go back to visit my parents for the weekend and think things through. I also decided to attend therapy and discuss things as well, because I still had some trauma from my previous relationship which had ended in infidelity. I tell Donna all of this.
My therapist convinces me that I can set very firm boundaries, but that this could just be her having a hard time hurting her ex. I take her back expressing that what she did was not okay and letting her know, in no uncertain terms, the boundaries I have for her and expect to be held to myself. I also clearly say if any of these are unreasonable, then we should just end things now. She agrees to them, knowing my past and knowing how much it took for me to forgive her.
The next six months or so are a whirlwind of activity...
She takes me to visit her family; Thanksgiving with her brother; I take her home for Christmas; she took me to her friend’s wedding. Once every other month we attend dinner theater with her parents, we visit her family home multiple times. We even go on a road trip to a car show in Bakersfield with her Dad and I really get a long well with him. We travel to Disneyland, San Diego (multiple times), Santa Barbara and Catalina. I still don’t understand how we did this all in under a year.
Then it all came crashing down…
RED FLAG #4, BREAK-UP #2
In this time period I had moved in with my parents to save some money so I could save money for a down payment. I was visiting her and staying at her place basically Thursday – Monday because I worked from home and could be anywhere. It was also only about an hour drive.
I’m a bit of a night owl and she passed out at the flip of a switch. Sunday night a call comes in at a pretty late hour -- they leave a voicemail. Because of our history, the timing was suspicious. I look on her phone and the number has some call history.
I listened to the voicemail, and it was some dude saying what a great time he had the other night… referencing a night when I was back at my parents. I understood what this meant immediately and was utterly devastated.
The next day she goes to attend a play with her mom for her mother’s birthday. She had already asked to borrow $300 for tickets and to give her mom a great night. I drive back home and during this time I do more digging (I’m a software engineer). I find out she has had other affairs during our relationship. Basically from the start of our relationship.
I call her while she’s still at the play, multiple times, until she answers. I call her out on exactly what I had found and basically get a partial admission of guilt. I once again end things, demand the money she borrowed from me back and for all my things at her place.
She does immediately Venmo me the money, but puts my other things in the alley behind her house with her mom still there and refuses to meet. I pick them up and go back to my parents.
I immediately go no-contact and begin blocking her on everything. She reaches out via email, private number, friends’ numbers etc. and eventually even threatened suicide. This was something I had never experienced before. I lashed out a bit and then continued NC.
I started attending therapy, focusing on my health and stopped drinking. I dropped about 30 lbs in 2 months. During this time, I experienced the worst insomnia of my life and went on prescription sleep aid. Holding NC was a daily battle.
I decided to travel for the summer, first visiting my family on the east coast. This trip it was the first time I had consumed alcohol since the breakup… foolishly I broke NC to lash out -- she calls and is hysterically apologizing.
I think because some time had passed, but the wounds I had were still fresh, I folded, and began reconciliation. When I got back home I set up a time to meet.
Those few days are some of the weirdest memories I have in my entire life. We met up at a bar and I end up going back to her place. The next morning she says something like “I swore I wouldn’t do this”, which was confusing for me at the time. We went out for the day, brunch, nice dinner, movie like nothing had ever happened. She even takes a phone call from her parents, and they ask what she’s up to. She mentions my name and tells them we are talking again.
FINAL FLAG ON THE FIELD
I notice a text come in from a new love interest and I was devastated once again. She had already begun to monkey-branch during this period where she had threatened suicide and professed her despair without me. She tried to blow it off like it was just a friend, but I knew right away from the contact name. I call her out on everything. I tell her she needs to be 100% honest about everything that has happened during the relationship and since I went NC.
After being firm, she does exactly that.
She gives me what I believe to be 100% the truth… and it is sickening. The betrayal is worse than the fears that caused me insomnia. Many more sexual partners, during and after our relationship, with no protection. She also admits she has cheated on every partner she has ever had. I realized in that moment there was something truly wrong with her and it wasn’t my fault, but I also couldn’t fix it.
Over the years I have learned about BPD, found this thread and I am in a very happy relationship. I have and am attending therapy. Although I have lashed out many times in this past, at this point I just truly want her to seek help and not create more victims. I do not excuse her actions, but I accept them.
There were honestly dozens of other red flags that still come to me from time to time. There was a final discard phase, but only after I had moved multiple states away.
I have gone through every stage of grief countless times. For a while I was stuck on anger, but eventually Donna has become a painful ghost. The only thing I can compare it to is the memory of a loved one who has passed. An ache deep inside, every memory jaded by realization that person is gone. In some ways it’s worse because she’s not actually unreachable. She has never blocked me on anything, even when I have lashed out in the harshest of words.
I’m Catholic and forgiveness has always been a very important tenant of my life. I have always found it very easy to do so, even with a couple of high school bullies and friends who have done me wrong. I set boundaries and ghost toxic people, but I’ve never held a grudge in my life. Forgiving someone who can’t or won’t truthfully ask for forgiveness is the toughest thing I have and still deal with.

Early upload cuz work. Sorry for the cliff
First Prev Next Royal Road
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Pan looked between Joseph and Tel as the grey-furred female maintained her hold on him, The Human stilling his lungs with expectations for the worst in mind, Tel’s taste still lingering. The baited breath by most of the two couches stagnated the air as even Violet paused her scratching to pay attention.
“Our promise?” She asked him with a tip of her ear, though her tone remained inquisitive rather than scornful.
“Fulfilled.” Tel answered in his stead, her voice carrying a taunting cadence as she glanced between the two. “Or i would assume, based on the scent on both of you.”
Joseph’s cheeks flushed in time with Pan’s, him forgetting again just how sharp their noses were. “No hiding that one, huh?”
Tel released him a smug look on her face as she seemingly enjoyed the wide eyes watching the exchange. “From some? Perhaps. Me?” She leaned forward to nip as his ear, her claw lightly falling down from his chest. “I know the scent of my male to its finest.”
He swallowed back his unwanted reaction, his reason retained due to the company and Pan’s paw resting in his hand. Harrow raised her own, speaking when Joseph cautiously raised a brow in her direction.
“So... Did you bed Tel or Pan first?”
He blinked, inhaling to respond but finding words impossible to form due to the brazen and unexpected question. Jax chuckled as he smirked at his mate. “As i have said, I have won our bet.”
Harrow kicked back at him, though her shorter legs meant that she almost fell off the couch to achieve the retaliation. “You haven’t won until we know for sure.”
“There is little doubt.”
“You don’t know yet!”
Joseph shut is eyes forcefully, the interaction sapping his resolve for the moment. “What was the bet?”
“Jax bet that you would bed Tel first. I said that you would wait for Pan.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, happy for the distraction, though wishing it departed more from the subject. “And you’re betting on my sex life... why?”
The two looked at each other before shrugging in sync. “We’ve been betting on most of what you do. Seems weird to stop at who warms your bed when.”
Joseph went to rest his head in his hands, the attempt stopped by Pan holding one and Tel supporting her weight on his free shoulder. He looked at the two and took a breath before addressing his mate.
“I..”
Pan smiled at him with a squeeze of his hand, stopping him from speaking further as the reassuring action took the wind out of his sails. The guilt wrenched at him regardless, worry about what she might have to say digging deep. Saying that he was going to just turn around on his affection for Tel would be a lie, but he couldn’t help but expect some sort of fallout from this. Instead of chastising him or the like, Pan looked to Tel with a calm expression. “Do you care for him truly?”
Tel flashed annoyance until Sahari answered, the female having grown annoyed with the display. “She is a Blade. A Sheath is one chosen with their life on the line. She would face an army alone to assure his safety and likely leave only a graveyard in her wake should he request it.”
Jax snapped his head to look at her. “She is an assassin?”
“I am amazed at how long you remained ignorant to her nature, yet recognize the moniker.” Sahari replied with a sigh.
“Wait, how do you know that?” Harrow asked, excitement building in her voice.
Sahari waved it off. “I spent much of my time as a mercenary. One should not be surprised by those whom they end up working with. I knew she was of such line, though the specifics were new to me as well when i was exposed.”
“Tel!” The orange-furred ball of energy yelled suddenly. “Teach me assassin things!”
Joseph succeeded in resting his head in a palm as Tel stood up to raise a brow at her. “You wish to travel the path?”
“Don’t.” The Grand Hunter interjected tiredly. It was first thing in the morning and this had already made him more than willing to go back to bed. “Trill’s girls being here is enough ‘cloak and dagger’ for one settlement.”
“There are multiple assassins?” Jax asked in disbelief.
“You get used to it.” The Human commented dryly.
“Why?”
He cycled a breath. “Well, let’s just say that the trip was... a lot.” Jax grimaced at his answer, but his funk was broken when his mate narrowly missed his leg with her foot, prompting him to refocus on their little game.
Sahari, finding humour in the first event of note, decided to provide the initial context. “Joseph was discovered by a vassal pack of Grand Hunter Trill while bathing in a river.”
“Like i needed more people to see me in the buff.”
“I guess Tel had fun with that.” Harrow added with a wink, raising her brows when Tel gave her a dismissive frown. “Oh, no? Just the other pack?”
Sahari cleared her throat, an understanding gaze was given by the inquisitive Lilhun when she noticed the ex-Grand Huntress avert her eyes for a moment. “After we affirmed that they were not hostile and cleared any suspected misintentions, we were escorted to High Hunter Loptr’s settlement for the moon.”
“Where our dear Human scared at least one male to wetting his fur.” Tel added with a trilling lilt, her regard of him gaining a seductive edge. Joseph scowled, though if it was over the events of that night or the ones after, he wasn’t sure. His bond gave his fingers a squeeze in support regardless, easing the density of his brooding.
“What did he do?” Harrow asked, her rapt attention obvious.
Sahari smirked. “He held his crossbow to the male for not accepting Tel’s rebuff. He was quite enraged.”
Pan’s thumb pad rubbed over his hand as she listened to the story, her expression attentive with a slight smile now that he had passed the initial annoyance of remembering that night. Joseph eased and returned the affectionate gesture.
The black-furred female’s face fell to one of scorn, a glare directed at Tel. “It seems as if she forced her mark upon him without explanation after the events.”
The mention of a forced mark caused Nalah to instantly bare her fangs at the offending Lilhun, venom in spades coating her words. “You forced a mark?”
Tel took a seat on Joseph’s lap, surprising him as he adjusted Pan’s paw in his hand out of the way to accommodate it without thinking. “Were it not for the mark, he would be a corpse rather than mine.”
“Explain yourself. Now.”
Tel sighed, leaning back on her improvised seat and forcing Joseph to shift to allow it, his free arm absently resting around her side to her stomach to support her weight. He was too busy cautiously watching the interaction for if, or rather when, he would need to step in. “Trill does not much care for that which is not documented and signed. A new creature that claims power may be a novel discovery, but it is a disruption to that which he has constructed.” Tel rested an arm around his shoulders, a somewhat protective note to the action. “Disruptions are dealt with those like myself. He would have been cold before the moon, if not simply when he held a dagger to Trill’s throat.”
Even Pan seemed surprised by the announcement that he had threatened not only a touchy male, but also a Grand Hunter. She looked at him with worry until the brewing irritation in his expression, and likely through the bond as well, informed her of his absolute lack of regret regarding the matter.
Either way, Nalah seemed stunned by the assertion, glancing at him and Sahari to confirm, though Sahari seemed as irritated by the situation as he did. “You tested the life of a Grand Hunter?”
Joseph scoffed. “I made my point to a piece-of-shit father.”
Harrow was the one confused this time. “Who’s den-father?”
The Human, noticing only now that he was effectively cuddling the bored-looking assassin, used the opportunity to gesture to her with the hand on her stomach. “Hers. Direct parentage. ‘Blood-father’, if i remember correctly.”
The answer befuddled Harrow, her looking around the room for confirmation and only receiving a nod from Sahari to agree. Perplexed, and accepting that no one is going to address the matter of Trill being Tel’s dad not being brought up before now, she turned her attention back to Tel. “You’re okay with that?”
Tel rested her cheek on his head, either testing to see how much contact she could get away with before he complained or trying to see where Pan would take issue. Whichever one it was, neither of the two put up any objections, Pan instead leaning into him as well once he noticed how comfortable he found it to be. “Were it not for his involvement, i would not have returned, instead held to be bred for more in my image while being rested upon a pedestal in a gilded cage.”
Nalah eased back into her seat, Sahari putting an arm around her and patting her shoulder in comfort. Joseph raised a brow at how intensely she reacted to the subject, but he wasn’t really sure where ‘marking’ sat in their morals. He figured it was pretty important, but it was temporary and was closer to just making someone wear a wedding band more than anything, as far as he understood. He held two fingers up while not releasing Tel to interject.
“What’s the deal with ‘forcing’ a mark anyway? I’m getting that it’s bad, but i don’t have context.”
Nalah bared her teeth, the building tirade silenced by Sahari pulling her in and rubbing her shoulder soothingly. Satisfied that her blond-furred pack-member was pacified for now, Sahari answered.
“To force a mark is to say that it was imparted upon the unwilling.”
His eyes widened as he made the connection. “OH. Oh. Okay, I’m following now. Jesus Christ.” His face scrunched in disgust. “Holy shit. Okay.”
He noticed the slightly worried expression on Tel’s face, himself quickly adding to his response. “To be clear, it wasn’t ‘forced’ forced.” He averted his eyes away from Pan as embarrassment and more than a touch of shame crossed his face. “It was... It was a bit of a night.”
Pan gave him a sympathetic look, some concern present. Tel felt the need to address it. “He refused to part with your promise, worry not. Even in the height of his heat, his thoughts focused on you.”
Joseph couldn’t help but notice the mix of longing and annoyance in her voice. He allowed himself to gently squeeze her, the action instantly improving her mood, if her tail was anything to go by. Pan shook her head. “I am merely glad that his world is one where such does not exist.”
He pursed his lips, unsure how to counter that without ruining everything. Unfortunately for him, Pan caught the hesitation through their bond.
“Oh, Joseph...” Pan wrapped her other arm around his, encapsulating it carefully. “I suppose there are those of lesser qualities in every people.”
He wanted to disagree, but he quickly failed to think of an example. “Anyway. What does the mark do? Besides say that you’re involved with someone, because I’m getting the vibe that there is more to it.”
Tel subtly twitched as Jax offered the answer. “It discourages others from courting you.”
“Like a wedding ring or something, yeah. Harrow told me that a while ago.”
The mentioned female raised a claw. “Yes and no. I said it was close enough for the purposes of understanding. It detracts from others ability to perceive you as a possible mate.” She gestured loosely to Pan. “It’s why defectives have such a hard time finding one. It’s hard to want to bed someone who your body instinctively doesn’t find attractive.”
Pan tightened her hold on him, though the satisfied expression suggested that she was quite pleased with having him be hers rather than using him to distract from her previous struggles. Harrow smiled at the affectionate display.
“For example: Jax would be much less likely to cause interest because of my mark, and me because of his.”
“So how do you end up with multiple ‘den-parents’”
“Not all attraction is physical, Joseph.” Sahari chastised him playfully, amused with his lack of knowledge. “The effect is negated once they are marked by yourself as well.”
He opened his mouth to counter that, but it failed after the briefest of consideration. “Okay, fair.”
“It is also why bonds are a boon in such arrangements.” Jax added casually, him and Harrow having resumed their attempts to kick at each other.
Pan tilted her head at an indirect mention, Joseph blinking away his confusion. “And that would be because?”
The two bickering mates paused, sharing a look before both giving him a flat expression. “They are influenced by their bonded one.”
“So? What does that...” The Human stalled, glancing at his own bond with a raised brow. Pan noticed his expression and smiled in return, her grip on his hand gently increasing.
“I know the depths of your affections.”
Deciding that the half-answer was the best he was going to get, he shook his head to dispel his curiosity, disrupting Tel from enjoying her perch in the process and drawing a displeased glance before she reclaimed it.
“That... Well that brings up something I’ve been meaning to address.” He tried not to look at her as he attempted to figure out how he was going to broach the question. Tel seemingly got impatient with his tip-toeing and spoke for him.
“I wish him mine, if that wasn’t obvious. This one seems to be reticent in regards to his reciprocated desire.” She punctuated the announcement by patting his shoulder, though the touch was slightly more forceful than he would attribute to ‘affectionate’.
Pan blinked, a tilted head accentuated by a further displaced ear. “Yes, i am aware.”
Joseph faltered, expecting... Well, he wasn’t sure what, but something more than that. He tentatively pressed further, anxiety rearing as unease settled. “No comment?”
She paused to consider, eventually meeting his eyes with a fairly blank expression. “I have known you wished for her for quite some time, though i can tell this is beyond mere infatuations. I have no qualms with such as long as all feel the same.”
He felt Tel physically relax, as if some tension had been held since her vow with him in the forest. There likely was. She had been much closer after the fact, but it was always subdued, as if she was worried she would be rejected and he would discard her at Pan’s wishes. He didn’t want to actively think about the scenario. He would much rather not have to make choices like that.
“I’m surprised you would expect her to say anything else.” Harrow commented passively. “It’s not exactly weird.”
“Especially involving a bond.” Jax added, successfully landing a light tap with his foot to his mate, the latter protesting as she tried to remain seated while stretching out to return it.
“The issue is with her.” Sahari waved a loose paw to Tel as she remained oblivious to her continued cuddling with Nalah. That, or she didn’t want to mention it aloud. Nalah certainly seemed content with the arrangement.
Pan followed the pointed appendage, giving Tel a questioning look as she fixed her grip on his arm. “Am i insufficient?”
Tel looked at her, the expression somewhere between a scowl and regret before she closed her eyes to sigh, her tail joining Pan’s in an effort to constrict his torso. “There is but a single Blade to a Sheath. Were he in possession of a mark besides my own, i would not pursue him, assuming i did not remove the other first. You being unable to do such is...” She paused to think of how to explain her reasoning, a wayward glance was given to Sahari as she finished her thought much more quietly. “I am willing to overlook the discrepancy for him.”
Pan’s eyes gained a touch of fulfillment to mirror his own when he internalized how big of a concession it seemed to be for her to accommodate his desires. He absently played with the fur on Tel’s stomach, the attention earning him a slight squeeze from her tail.
“Then i am content.” Pan declared softly, snuggling back into his shoulder, the matter settled in her mind.
He furrowed his brow, unsure of whatever the hell just transpired between the two, but took a breath to depart from the topic. Well, until Harrow prodded his side.
“So, who first?” She reasserted, fending Jax off as she continued poking his side.
“I’m not answering that.”
She ignored him, addressing the two females who had turned him into a cushion at one point or another. “Come on, i have a lot riding on this.”
Tel smirked, the amusement from annoying the pack outweighing the slightly displeased expression she had on since she arrived back at the settlement. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
Harrow threw her arms high in victory, Jax bemusedly exhaling as he surrendered their physical confrontation. “I win!”
“What makes you say that?”
An orange claw was pointed at the disappointed cook. “If it was you, you would have spent forever teasing details.”
Joseph couldn’t help but tip his head in concession. That sounded like what she would do.
Tel huffed, annoyance returning in her expression as Pan seemed somewhat sympathetic. “And what has our ‘serial-catastrophic-failure-causing’ Technology Head earned?”
Harrow paused, a slight blush overcoming her enthusiasm. “You knew about that, huh?” She tapped her claws until she was ready to announce her winnings. “Jax owes me ten moons of back rubs.”
Pan and the Human burst slightly, the laughter proving to be infectious as the rest joined in, much to Harrow’s embarrassment. Tel chuckled, but she looked to be enjoying the mild chaos she had caused for the moment rather than the actual subject. The orange-furred female waited until they calmed down enough to continue.
“So, what about the other things? We have carts full of stuff and new people.”
“Ah.” Joseph vocally got himself back on topic. “Right. The carts are metals, clay for the forge, and alcohol. The new members are two servants that Loptr was fine with us having and four of Trill’s girls that are here to observe Tel.” He glanced at the Lilhun in question making use of him as a seat. “I think. It’s a weird arrangement right now.”
Tel gave him a bored roll of her eyes, her lack of desire to input conveyed concisely. He accepted it for what it was, not overly concerned since the girls seemed to listen to both of them anyway.
“Past that...” Joseph hummed in thought. “We have craftsmen moving in with the first trade caravan, though when they arrive is pretty fluid due to them needing to arrange things from various settlements. Servants and animals will be included, so we should start on a barn of sorts sooner rather than later.”
“Animals?” Pan questioned from her snuggling, though she seemed more than happy to just stay there instead of turning to address him.
“We’ll see what they send specifically, but even if it’s not overly promising, we could just treat it as a fresh meat delivery and make do.”
Sahari mused for a moment before entering her opinion on the matter. “I suppose Ferra would be of use.”
Joseph nodded. “Atrox’s mate, or one of, anyway. Yeah. That’s who i was thinking, too.”
Nalah sighed, making no attempt to separate from the arm around her shoulder. “So we shall build the Hall, a barn, and perhaps additional barracks.”
He squinted an eye a bit as he considered. “Yeah, give or take. Will that be too much?”
She waved him off lazily, tossing a piece of meat into her mouth. “I shouldn’t be, though it will delay the desire for a bath house.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Bath house?”
“They lack a bathing facility like we have.”
He lifted his hand off of Tel’s stomach to point at the planner, a slight embarrassment occurring as he noticed how comfortable it was to rest his fingers amongst her fur. “Do it. The barn can wait. Make it a decent size.”
“What else?” Harrow asked, likely requesting more gossip or interesting tales as Nalah stared off into the distance passively, probably thinking about where they should put a public bath.
“Nothing much to mention.” He admitted, deciding to omit the whole thing with Tel and his talks with Sahari.
“My turn?”
Joseph raised a brow.
“Come on!” She hopped from her seat, pausing when she noticed that removing him from his chair would involve detaching two females. He patted Tel on her stomach to request freedom, a momentary thought within her broken as she defaulted to teasing him with her claws before acquiescing to his wishes. Pan put up much less fight, instead assertively pulling him in for a kiss and a quick nuzzle, the combo leaving him dazed for a second before Harrow used the opportunity to drag him to his feet.
“I have something to get your advice on and something to show you. Which do you want to start with?”
The Grand Hunter shook off the surprise at his mate’s uncharacteristic forwardness, thinking about his answer before shrugging. “Whichever is cooler?”
Harrow patted his chest with the back of her paw before marching off towards the facilities wing. “Good choice!”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Sahari remained behind with Tel as all else filtered out of the hub to start their respective duties, the Blade idly laying on the couch while chewing some of the cooked food she had brought out for Joseph that had been left behind once the male was carried off by the excitable Head of Technology.
The ex-Grand Huntress approached, blocking the sunlight from on high that fell on Tel’s closed eyes, eliciting one to open lazily in inspection the person interfering with her lounging, a long exhale preceding her disingenuous query.
“Need something, Sahari?”
She maintained the repressed smug expression, feigning ignorance to the obvious. “Feeling at ease now?”
Tel closed her eye again to disregard the notion. “Why would i be uneasy? I am back at our den, bathed, and i may rest from my tasks for a while.”
A light chuckle escaped Sahari. “You were accepted by his bond. I would think that had been on your mind these past moons. That much is quite plain to see, given that you made no attempts to join his rest.”
The female paused in the process of depositing the last portion of meat into her mouth, giving Sahari a frown before continuing. “They required the moon alone, and i care not for the opinions of others than my Sheath.”
“And he would have been forced to choose her over you should she dissent in regards to your addition.”
Tel fell silent for a moment, eyes wandering the ceiling before she sat herself up. “Then i suppose we are most fortuitous that such shall not come to pass, no?”
Sahari ignored the dismissive tone. “What are your plans for her?”
“What might you mean?”
She crossed her arms. “You have complaints, surely. What do you intend to do about them?”
The Blade stared at her. “Complaints? Such as how easy it is to catch her unawares? Her lack of weaponry maintained on her person? How little effort it took to engage with her mate, despite her proximity?”
Sahari nodded, suspecting that Tel’s mind would go there. “Do you plan to address them?”
The cook sighed. “Time will tell, but it is clear she carries his carelessness.”
“She carries much of him within her by now.”
Tel got to her feet, a look of resignation on her face. “Yes, that much is obvious.”
“Perhaps you should be thankful.”
Sahari received a raised brow. She returned a knowing nod.
“She would not be as willing if not for his influence. She has gained that which she would never. Were it not for his temperament, one could not blame her for wishing to monopolize. Instead, she seeks his happiness as her own. If it includes yourself, so be it.”
“Telling me to ignore her faults?”
Sahari shook her head. “I am merely advising you to embrace her as an extension of your influence rather than an obstacle to account for. She wishes for his safety as much as you, though she only holds the tools to repel that which is obvious.”
Tel tilted an ear, a slight smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. “You suggest i make a Blade of a defect?”
The black-furred female grinned, turning on her pads to head outside, a paw waved over her shoulder. “You are expected to raise the next, no? This may be a chance to test your proficiency, even if it may be the only you attempt.”
“It is a bloodied path, Sahari. I highly doubt my male would approve.”
“Then craft a clean edge. Form one from nothing. You are the heiress, no? Prove yourself worthy of your presumed station and allow your Sheath to perform without worries.” Sahari called out through the exit, allowing it to close behind her when Tel’s expression became contemplative.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
“You doing okay?” Harrow asked once they were in the gym. She dug through the various prototypes she had been working on to find the things she wanted Joseph’s input on.
The Human rubbed his neck. “Yeah, why?”
She paused her search to glance at him with a deadpanned expression. “You looked like you would have evaporated if you could.”
He pursed his lips. “Yeah, kind of. I don’t know. The whole ‘polyamory’ thing seems like a minefield to me.”
A nasal sigh was given as she returned, taking out the first piece and laying it to the side as she resumed her search. “Yet you come back and have no problems with Tel fawning all over you while you’re next to your bond.”
“That...” The male faltered, a defeated tone taking place. “I didn’t really think about it in the moment, it just felt like the natural thing to happen.”
“Isn’t that your answer?” She offered idly, placing another piece to the side.
“To what?”
“How she fits in to your relationship.”
“How so?” Joseph replied, confusion evident.
Harrow laid the second-to-last piece down and sorted through the box from the beginning. “Pan feels about... well, everything the way you do. If Tel feels natural to have around, then Pan won’t feel anything is wrong.”
The Grand Hunter groaned, the hollow tone suggesting he had cupped his face into his paws. “It just feels like jealousy and shit should be an issue.”
Harrow fetched the last piece, laying it with the rest and plopping herself onto the ground to observe the frustrated male. “I can’t speak for Tel, but i think she was more worried about it than you were.”
“She’s a ball of confidence. I can’t really picture her being worried about anything other than being told to not to fuck around.”
She waved him off. “You’ve had all this time to make sure everyone knew how much you care for Pan. It’s stressful to think that you would be compared to that if it came down to one or the other, especially a bond.”
Joseph raised a brow as Harrow put on the first piece of experimental armour on her arm. “I wouldn’t compare them like that. They’re different people.”
She fixed her gaze on him as she moved on to the second piece. “Pan knows you to your core by now. She has claimed a position of a den-mother of your adopted kit. Now, she has affirmed her placement as your mate.” The orange-furred female shook her head at his momentary flush. “Mix that with your societal standards, and she wouldn’t be able to worry but think that she might be seen as lesser and thrown aside if Pan took issue.”
Annoyance filtered into his voice. “Both are irreplaceable. Period. I’m not excited about it, but I’d rather do my best to make sure they’re happy. Even if it meant trying to convince her as best i can. I’m not ignoring what Tel has done for me and what she has ended up meaning to me.”
“Is my male proclaiming his affections out loud again?” Tel prodded playfully after having silently entered behind the male and wrapping her arms around his waist, her chin resting on his shoulder. Joseph jumped slightly at the unexpected presence, his face stricken by embarrassment after being caught in the act of vehemently defending his new-found relationship with the female.
Harrow smirked as she moved on to the last piece. “He seems to be rather taken with you Tel. Makes me wonder what happened that moon he defended your honour.”
The Grand Hunter furrowed his brow as he glanced back and forth between them with a warning eye. “Not talking about it.”
Tel ignored him, her tail lazily swaying behind her. “I fear not for his bond. It seems that she cares more for this one’s feelings than her own.”
“Not like there’s much of a difference.” Harrow commented, standing now that all four pieces were on. She adjusted the fitment as Tel hummed in agreement.
“I have no idea what’s going on.” Joseph lamented openly, the cook leaning on him more in response.
“You,” The Head started, pleased with the preliminary checks of her equipment. “are going to help me solve a few issues with these, and she,” A claw was waved at the mildly interested female. “is going to be happy with me.”
Tel adjusted her grip under his arms, wrapping one paw over the wrist of the other as she applied more weight and idly observed as Harrow started explaining whatever it was she had on her arms. Joseph cycled a breath as his plight remained ignored.
The orange-furred female wore two large bracers, their outward arm coverage a fair bit wider than what would be typical. The second section of each was a large piece that slotted over the more form-fitting attachment to her arm.
Curiosity seemed to have prevailed over his premature exhaustion. “Are those supposed to be a shield when you put them together?”
Harrow winked, a mischievous smirk suggesting that he was only half right. “They also do this!”
The female engaged a pair of spring-loaded protrusions placed on the inside of the outcroppings, two broad daggers extending forth in an instant with a visible recoil.
Both the Human and the female raised their brows, Harrow proudly explaining her invention. “I took inspiration from those Katars you told me about and the spring system you used for Tel’s roped daggers. Add in the need for a shield that wouldn’t hinder our claw-to-claw training...”
“And you end up with hidden blades inside of a wearable shield.” Joseph mused, an impressed tone clear. Tel viewed the items with interest from his shoulder.
“Why might these make me happy?”
Harrow pointed the worn knife, its edge blunted until the details were sorted. “Because you can add this to your armament as a backup, and because i figured that your little declaration back there meant you would rather Joe stay armed and protected.”
The assassin hummed in understanding, though didn’t comment further as she continued analyzing them.
“So what do you need my help with? It seems like you got all the important parts down for a prototype.” Joseph furrowed his brow in confusion, looking over her work from a distance to find an issue.
Harrow took a breath, wincing at the need for overview. “Well, this is it.”
“What’s it.”
She held the extended blades outward. “This. They don’t go back without taking them apart.”
The Grand Hunter’s expression fell neutrally. “Ah. Yeah, that would be an issue. I’d need to see it disassembled to weigh in.”
Harrow’s ears fell as she heard that he wouldn’t be able to know what to do about the problem at a moment’s notice, but quickly regained her enthusiasm as she removed the prototypes. “We can do that whenever. Next, i found out something neat about the den while i was doing the wiring!”
“Oh?”
She nodded, her tail threatening to fly off with how active it was being. “Whatever species occupied this place before us must have been a massive mix of high and sub-harmonic vocalizations.” She paused when the male gave her a blank look. “They spoke in an an extremely wide frequency range. Or at least utilized such.”
Joseph blinked, a light tilt of his head showing that he was a little confused at the apparent non-sequitur. “And that has to do with wiring because...”
“Because,” Harrow tossed the braces back into the box. “I discovered a defunct circuit used to power a building-wide public address system!” She threw her arms wide as her main discovery was finally being announced to someone who would appreciate it. “I rigged it to the terminal! We can play music to the whole den and outside, if we want! I checked and there are tiny acoustic projectors everywhere, though they look to be far more capable than the size suggests.”
Tel perked up at the mention of widely accessible entertainment while Joseph looked to the side in thought, his face carrying a contemplative shade. “That’s cool and all, but do we want to inundate everyone with music all the time? I have a lot of variety there, I’m pretty sure someone would be drove nuts by the end of the week.”
“I need your help there, too.” The Head added in counter, approaching the pair with a bounce to her step. “I can’t read your language, but there should be a setting to split the zones and allow playlists by room.”
“Why would there be a setting like that?”
Harrow shrugged. “We’ll see what we can do, if not. Worst comes to worst, we can just open it up during celebrations.”
The Human paused, conceding the point after a moment. “That doesn’t sound like a terrible idea. I’m down.”
She separated the two, shoving Joseph out the door in her rush to get started on the idea. Tel allowed it to happen, a mild interest passing her eyes all the while until she tapped Harrow on the shoulder.
“Could i have a set of that prototype created for Pan once it is complete?”
Harrow waved Joseph to continue once he noticed he was the only one still going to the terminal, raising a brow at the female. “Odd for you to ask.”
The prospective mate shook her head. “It would benefit him to have more at his disposal. None have taken to his philosophy of using one’s fists like she has. This would merely allow her to expand her repertoire while still adhering.”
Harrow hummed, a skeptical eye scanning the female’s face for a hint at her true motive, a sigh escaping once she decided that Tel wasn’t going to clarify further. “I’ll get Mama to measure her once Joe straightens out the retraction mechanism.” A second glance was afforded. “You sure you’re okay with Joe threatening your blood-father and having a preexisting mate?”
Tel maintained a placid expression, boredom hinted by her quick break of eye contact. “I have stated my opinion on such. Why do you ask?”
“Because he’s my friend and part of my den.”
Tel returned her gaze. “Would it worry you so if i took issue?”
Harrow failed to answer immediately, a breath being required before she quietly responded. “I just don’t want anything to ruin it.”
The Blade chuckled. “I may find myself desiring to hold him to my own, but i must accept that she is as much a part of him as he is her. As for his threats to Trill?” Tel’s voice grew wanting as she slipped a teasing smirk towards the curious Human waiting at the end of the hall. “That is far from a problem for me.”
Joseph leaned against the wall, his arms crossed as he patiently waited for the two to finish their sidebar, Harrow noticing his idle expression now that Tel had been accepted was a stark contrast to before. She smiled with closed eyes, happy that the dynamics of the pack didn’t seem to be shifting in a bad direction.
“Okay.” She breathed out, changing gears mentally. “As long as everyone’s okay.”
She turned to face Tel, noticing that she had gone on ahead without waiting for a response to harass the Grand Hunter, the latter struggling not to laugh as the female poked at him.
At least it seemed that she could keep this den.
She hurried to catch up, wondering what music Joseph would be using to test her ideas.
​
Next
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A/N: Today’s shout-out is to you guys in the comments! Always brightens my day to see everyone tossing in their thoughts on whats happening. Also loving the upvotes you toss to each other whenever someone says something you agree with, really shows me which comments i should be looking closer at. Take a moment to pat yourselves and fellow regulars on the back. You deserve it.

No amount of, or combination of words, could possibly get across even half of the insanity present in this game. Nothing could even remotely match the experience of bearing witness to the scale of events in this game, even more so beholding the utterly absurd gameplay balance or lack thereof. On all accounts, this is a video game that wants you to suffer before you get a moment of relief, and stumble around in the darkness for hours before you get some sort of light that makes things legible to you. It's a playable form of untangling hundreds of cables behind a TV stand, if all the cables were covered in barbed wire coated in lemon juice. If you've ever tried to untangle multiple sets of composite cables from one another, you've essentially played Star Ocean 3.
And you know what? I think I absolutely loved it for exactly those reasons.
I'm going to spoil it rotten in this post, so please, be cautious.
I need to address the elephant first. Yes, I thought the plot twist was... an interesting direction to go in. I'll be approaching this entirely from the lens of this game alone, and not the franchise as a whole. I can't make much of an argument in the way of defending how it affects the other games. Execution wise, it was quite poor. I believe there was missed potential in utilizing the concept of an entire universe being contained within a digital space, beyond having it be threatened to be deleted or having crazy ass creatures suddenly start roaming around. I thought the executioners and convictors were all really well designed, especially the former, but again, there was a lot of missed potential. I feel their introduction was WAY too close to their true origin being revealed. It was built up pretty interestingly, especially having people in the Sphere refer to them as gods. But, ultimately, they don't make proper use of this entire concept until the exact very end, where the characters seem to suddenly care about the fact they're all just digital programs. There seriously wasn't enough recognition from the main cast after being told they're all just artificial. It's like they care for one second, the entirety of disc 2 goes by, and then they care again at the end. There's hardly any emotional distraught, second guessing, or basically anything natural of what you'd expect from someone who just found out about something like that. I hate to say it, but it makes what could otherwise be a really interesting dilemma paired with good characters seem extremely paper-thin. But, in all honesty, it's not like I came to this game to be wowed by a super philosophical look into existence or get pulled into some real Xenogears tier shit. I just wanted a dumb game to enjoy at a surface level, and you know what? It did exactly that very well. The main plot outside of all this, despite being pretty generic up until the twist, was strung along well enough. I was compelled enough to make it through the gameplay, but ultimately, I'm not left wanting to sing it's praises beyond saying yeah, it's alright. Cliff is my man, though. Nothing will erase that.
How is that gameplay, though? Well, to put it bluntly, I have never played a game that so outwardly hates the player in my life, and yet, it seems to beg you to break it. Let's get it straight. I highly, highly doubt most people beat this game without spending significant time guiding themselves into making the best possible weapons they could've got. Personally? I broke it out of spite. The gameplay was really not clicking with me for the first few hours despite how much I enjoyed the atmosphere and pacing, so I said screw it. I got myself a million regeneration symbols in the aqueducts, farmed the black knights when I could, spammed the HELL out of blazing sword, and got the holy sword + gatling gauntlets ASAP. Before all this, though? Oh, it was a horror show. Imagine a game where sometimes, the AI is genuinely better off standing still and doing nothing. You think I'm joking, but no, I'm dead serious. Standing still is how you block light attacks in this game. The AI will not, and most likely can not, keep themselves alive. Even with gear from the depths of heaven, and levels out the wazoo, a normal encounter could see any of my AI party members dead or soon to be. There's two reasons for this. One, the lesser, is that running out of MP kills you. This is good for you if you want to kill some bosses in literally two hits, but terrible for you in every other possible way. Two, the greater, ENEMIES HURT. It does not matter how hard you try to break the game, it does not matter how hard you grind, enemies will absolutely hurt you. One on one, most can be dealt with easily. But in any more than one on one, you will find that this game loves to see you stagger in place. The AI does not compute with this. In a game where your best strategy is to be as aggressive as possible, your best bet is to stunlock the enemy before they stunlock you, and the AI simply does not understand this. At their worst, they prioritize spamming attacks until their fury is gone, and then just sit there right in front of the enemy until it regenerates. In the case of magic users, they have no situational awareness. They will cast magic that heals enemies due to elemental affinities and never learn from this. Your only shot is to manually disable their casting of that spell BEFORE the fight. Oh, and did I mention the micromanagement you have to do? Healing is not at all viable to be left in the hands of the AI, due to a bad combination of both their own poor actions and the often incredibly rough casting times (which is different per character and actually makes Albel the best healer, if I remember correctly). If you want to heal as actively as the AI can in other games, your best bet is to manually switch to the healer and do it yourself in a dire situation, assuming they aren't already in a lengthy cast animation. Which, again, sadly leads back into the strategy of literally just letting them sit there and do nothing as a safety precaution. This is all rendered a moot point if you're killing enemies fast enough to not even take any damage, but to get there, you kinda have to... Y'know, break the game first. Which requires playing the game. At a base level, the buttons are often unresponsive and chaining can sometimes be a pain, but you eventually get used to it. There are unintended combos of normal attacks that the game doesn't inform you about, like Fayt being able to do two long-range heavy attacks, which leaves the enemy airborne, only to follow up with a standard light attack, which will be rendered as an anti-air and naturally flow into a third hit. The AI literally cannot do this. The intricacies of each character and their attack style having player-only gimmicks makes each one worth controlling for yourself at least a little bit, so I'll give them that. Although, there's another big issue, and that's attacks simply missing enemies a lot of the time. Oh man, nothing caused me more strife in learning this game than handling the fact your attacks will often just, not hit. Not because of a fickle hit chance, but the hitboxes being weird and the attacks not properly adjusting their angle once they start, making the startup time once you get close enough often put you in a situation where you're guaranteed to miss. On low or flying enemies... Just imagine it. I'll save myself the pain of remembering. As for battle skills, it's a lot like what I expected out of Star Ocean as I know it from my limited experience. Some are bad, but some are good, and the ones that are good, ABUSE THEM. Fayt will learn a skill early on called side kick. Set this to your light and heavy close-range slots. Cancel it into itself repeatedly. The abundance of I-frames will render you a force even the stat-checking enemies in this game will shudder at the thought of. Even better, Cliff learns hammer of might. Spam this even harder than side kick. You will win. But, because of this, I often found myself using only the skills that were good, and not even bothering trying to make the lesser ones work. The only time I ever genuinely changed my strategy of side kick into side kick was when I got dimension door, upon which I set it to my long range attack and used it as a chance to... get close and spam side kick. You see the problem, right? Characters like Adray also simply have no good battle skills that deal damage without exposing them to an easy stagger. There's a clear line between good and unusable in this game, and that's just sad.
As for the raw balance itself, imagine this. I spent several hours gearing up to break this game from hour 10. As soon as I could, I got the proper inventors needed to create orichalcum, the item that breaks the game wide open. In short, proper usage of this item allows any weapon to receive 8 copies of an attribute that raises its attack by 500. For comparison, the best weapon you can buy from a shop in this game has no more than 900 flat damage. Cliff, by the end, was close to 5000 total damage in his status screen, and my team of Cliff, Fayt, and Adray went into the final boss all with similar enough stats. My defense values were closer to 400-500, as armor is much harder to break. Cliff was level 70, Fayt was 69, Adray somewhere in the 64-68 range. So, how did it go?
The final dungeon's enemies were draining Adray's MP significantly due to their health pools, Cliff died about 5 times total going up to the final boss, and Fayt was the only one who didn't die once on account of being who I was controlling. Each encounter was 30 seconds minimum, which you probably wouldn't expect from a party full of weapons with absurdly overblown damage. Oh, that must be a fluke, surely. How did the final boss go?
He party wiped me with one attack after a 10 minute attempt.
There it is. The epitome of this game's balance. No matter how high you get, no matter how stupid you become, if you don't DEDICATE yourself to the grind, you will be squashed. It was after getting wiped that I learned the final boss, in his second phase, is level 120. There is no level scaling in this game, but it should go without saying that a level 120 boss versus a level 70 character is a significant power difference. And this was with my, in total, 10-15 hours of grinding across my 35 hour play time. Most of that was spent turbo'ing encounters that dropped unusually high XP and the eventual grind to perfect my weapons. And still, it was just barely enough. It was a damn fun experience to break the game wide open from hour 10 to 30, but once I reached that cutoff point around the revisit to the shrine of kaddan, I realized just how genuinely screwed up this game's balance really is. I'm making an effort to avoid my issues with the late game dungeon design, as I had the power of savestates with me so my input would be lessened in value, but it only furthered my belief that this game was made as an experiment in frustration for players. Do you like one way doors? Tri-Ace hopes you like one way doors. After a certain while, you literally see the same four enemies copied and pasted repeatedly in the final few dungeons, and they're all boring as hell once you fight them for the 10th time. Even more so when you're sometimes forced into encountering them due to the tight corridor design or literally teleporting into them with no chance to get away. If you're looking for an exercise in your patience, by all means, try out this game's endgame.
So, I'm cutting out A LOT of this game and focusing only on what really sets it apart. So far, it may sound like this game is an offense to god and that I believe it should be burned and thrown into a landfill. But... No. I don't. I actually find myself really, really wanting to play it again in the future. Not for any feigned sense of enjoyment, but out of the genuine enjoyment I had in actually achieving what I did. The game spited me, and so, I bit back. In doing so, I was treated to a surprisingly interesting experience that truly tested me and forced me to git gud at the end, in spite of all my hard work. Like the final attempt of a master attempting to outdo his student, only for the student, despite all the hardship, to finally manage to outdo his master in the end. Yes, it's a painful experience not many would sign up for. But god damn does it feel liberating. You have to run off spite and motivation to see the game through, otherwise you probably won't make it. None of this makes the game good suddenly, oh, far from it. I'm not gonna be telling any of my friends to try out this "underrated masterpiece". But what it did do, is make me understand it a little bit more.
Let's say that something like Persona 5 is the base line of the scale of "casual to hardcore" JRPGs. Anyone can pick it up, even non-fans of the genre, and get through it just fine. A 1 out of 10 in terms of hardcore nature. Let's go on to say that something like SMT: Nocturne is where I'd place the middle of the post. Yes, this game is hard as nails, and it will test veterans and newbies alike, but ultimately anyone can still pick it up, understand it, and conquer it without giving up, be it a painful journey or a swift one. And, in the process, players will be made much more used to the high difficulty nature of the game, which will help out significantly if they were to try out similarly challenging or harder games. 5 out of 10 on the scale. Star Ocean 3, finally, is where I'd place the very end of the hardcore scale at. It is not placed there of raw difficulty, but rather, entirely in how the game is executed. This is not a game anyone can casually pick up without issues, newbie or veteran of the genre. You will understand some concepts, but fail to grasp others without dedicated research into this particular game. The game wants you to LEARN it, make a game plan on how to approach it, and THEN play it. Then, once you've finally gotten a proper handle on it, it'll yank you around from corner to corner without stopping for a second. Whether you fall off and get back on, or fall off and call it quits, depends entirely on if you're motivated to work with the game. You really do have to want to improve if you're going to actually improve. Is that even worth it? That depends on your opinions. Not everyone enjoys having to work entirely off of spite to finish a game. So, uh, to keep it short, 10 out of 10 on the scale.
To summarize my incredibly long and bloated spiel on this weird game: Did I enjoy my time with it? Very much. Would I play it again? Totally. Do I want to recommend it to other people? No. I respect this game, but I do not think it is misunderstood or overhated. People are well within their right to call it bad and not worth playing. But, in spite of it all, I can't help but be fascinated with how this game turned out. If my ramblings on that spurs someone else to try it out of curiosity and have a good time, I'd be happy, but I wouldn't use it as an excuse to try and paint it as misunderstood. I don't think we'll ever see a game like this again, where the end product is so perplexingly torn apart, that people like me end up making walls of text like this trying to say I enjoyed it despite how objectively bad it is. Hell, I won't make fun of people who praise every part of it for a second. Everyone likes different things, and anyone can love anything. But I never expected myself to love something I hate so much like this.
As a final note, this game contains easily some of the best works Motoi Sakuraba has ever produced for a soundtrack. I love this guy's work so much, and the fact I had never heard more of this game's soundtrack shocked me. It was the highlight of the whole thing for me, where everything else faltered at times, the soundtrack literally never let up. Even that weird disc 2 boss theme with the sampled rap lyrics? Yeah, I dig it hard. I cannot believe this was done months before his work on Tales of Symphonia, what I had previously held as my favorite of his work prior. It's like the guy switches his brain into different modes for different franchises. What a legend, honestly. That's finally all I have to say on this game, a few hours after beating it. I enjoyed spilling my thoughts about it on here, even if it'll cause me to be branded a heretic for one reason or another. I'd love to discuss it some more with others, be it positively or negatively.
​
Glory to Airyglehh, by the way.

Seems like this topic comes up from time to time searching around the sub, but allow me to do some venting here. Can't do anyone any harm, right?
Anyway, I smoked a lot in and shortly after high school, but it's mostly (luckily) just been whenever I was offered, I'd get high, if not, good too. It was actually during corona that I started buying weed and THC oil myself for the first since I was getting bored out of my mind isolating at home. It was fun and all for a while, but I have to admit I started smoking every other day for way longer than I'm used to, and my mental state was taking some serious hits.
Now, I don't hate cannabis and I absolutely love the benefits it gives me in the moment when smoking just once in a while, but what the hell is up with the hangovers these days? I don't know if it's just me getting older, THC levels going up, or the fact that I've actually been living a lot healthier and more productively than in my teens, but no matter how little I smoke, I just feel like crap the next day.
Mornings are usually OK feeling kind of like being in the clouds and not really sweating the small stuff, but once noon comes around, I start feeling lethargic af, zero motivation, can't focus for shit, also tired to the point that taking a nap almost becomes unavoidable which doesn't even always get rid of the brain fog.
I honestly which I could still smoke from time to time, because it helps with the musical creativity and to just sit back and enjoy life, but it's just not worth it if I'm going to be feeling like crap the whole day after each and every time.
Anybody have similar issues? Because every time I search about weed hangovers online, it seems like it's supposed to linger only a couple of hours, but that's hardly the case for me.

I’ve begun settling my roots in The Pandemonium Complex. If this will be my final stop then I should make it feel more at home. My memories of the outside world are fading now that I’ve found a few friendly distractions. Jim & Jon the humanoid ape couple, The Host that seems to still be untalkative, but led by my seven legged friend whom I’ve nicknamed Siete. Gunter, an Akras Fae who likes crashing on my new couch from time to time. And Mila, the size changing Omukade who doesn't want room with us and is trying to get back in her's.
Gunter’s room was simple and just needed to be opened from inside the complex to summon a new door. With the help of Mila we gave it a metal frame so it couldn’t be turned into another tree again; but I think he's still a bit traumatized from his entrapment since his excuses to stay with me are shaky at best. Mila’s was not as simple. The only one who could unseal her room was to kill the tenant who sealed it shut in the first place. She knows the culprit and has been on the hunt throughout the complex to find him. Níðhöggr, a northern wingless earth dragon who rules the dirt and the worms. The complex seems to know that a battle is about to ensue.
Certain parts of The Pandemonium Complex shifts and warps sometimes and the lobby changes almost every day. The theme, size and extra amenities changes range from big to small daily. Today the lobby was the size of the roman colosseum I visited once as a kid during a school field trip. There was no way to enter below besides the two large tunnels that presided below. Gunter ran to get me from my room when he saw this. With haste we ran past the mix of new doors that fill the hall. Doors with different colors, frames and styles. One made of stained glass, thick metal, medieval with chains, ice walls and made of colored mist are just some we passed. We arrived and saw spirits, monsters, creatures and mortals to list a few watch over the edges at the spectacle. Gunter said last time this happened it was between an Avatar of Storms vs. A Nova Celestial, who humans called Archangel Michael. This was the first time I’ve ever seen Winthorp not at the concierge desk as he stood dead center of the arena.
The rules state, #1. A tenant must never kill or fatally harm another tenant willingly; BUT rule #3. Rule 1. is void when in another’s room, but only to the room’s tenant. It seems a tenant is without a room and I decided to graciously move her in with another. The squables of the room’s tenants are their business and their business alone. I’ve also decided to do some renovations and temporarily moved said room here in the lobby before you. With that said, I shall return to my duties at my desk; Winthrop announces with a big grin to the onlookers and then disappears. Our feet shake with the pounds of something massive below us. A familiar drum roll can be heard in opposite unison. Gunter jumps with glee and eats his cornucopia full of strange fruits like it was popcorn, while tossing one away occasionally. A massive face can be seen from the tunnel in our view.
Out from the shadows emerges a giant female noh mask with the body of a centipede that could eclipse a mountain. From right below us came a long lizard like titan covered in soil and worms. The dragon’s rotten skin was missing chunks and infested with an uncountable amount of worms. Its rotten flesh filled the stands with its stench and made me cover my nose before I could puke. Gunter inhaled hard and sighed like he found his favorite scented candle. The behemoths didn’t hesitate once in sight and began their brawl. Like watching a snake fighting an eel, once one wrapped around the other they slipped through and tried vice versa. Mila split her noh mask’s mouth in two and opened her mandibles to bite the dragon, but he was already ahead of her.
They both bit the other’s long bodies and ripped chunks from each other. One bite would kill almost anything with their deadly venoms, but they’re both immune to all venom; Gunter explains. This was a perfect match. Mila has the advantage of size, but Níðhöggr is more agile and faster. Mila threw Níðhöggr into the wall and almost instantly went to spear him with her telson, but he leaped off and onto her long body. Gnawing his way up her exoskeleton. Mila lunged to bite her enemy in two, but Níðhöggr yelled an ancient language then suddenly a barrage of gray metallic threads that resembled spider webs spewed out of his mouth and covered Mila. Níðhöggr is no standard dragon like the western and could cast spells of his own with his ancient tongue.
Her face and top torso got tangled and stuck to the wall. She struggled hard and tried expanding her size to break free, but only damaged her exoskeleton even more. Mila tried using her telson again, but Níðhöggr webbed that and her bottom half down to the ground. She wiggled in her restraints for a bit, but stopped moving and seemingly accepted her fate. Níðhöggr crawled up her long body towards her head. We screamed for her to move, fight, do something but she just laid there like an exhausted moth in a spiderweb. We watched as Níðhöggr opened his maw wider than what we thought possible and engulfed our friend's face. His body shook from the tension of him biting down hard. The noh mask that we once feared but started to love cracked with the exoskeleton that was connected.
In a flash his jaws broke through and decapitated our beloved Mila. Tears began running down my face and I slammed my fist on the railing and hung my head in defeat at losing one of my newest friends. I clenched my jaws hard in anger. Gunter shook my arm hard to get my attention and pointed at our friend's corpse. Look, he whispered in a serious tone. Her insectoid body was hollow and began turning into stone. Níðhöggr was in the center of the arena celebrating his victory. He spoke another ancient language and spewed fireworks upwards to give the spectators a final show. A lump formed in his throat and stopped his triumphant gloating. The mass was slowly getting bigger. Níðhöggr's eyes were big and wide, he knew something was wrong.
The mass moved into his torso and kept getting bigger. Gunter shakes my arm in excitement at what we were seeing. Níðhöggr's body began pulling itself apart at the sudden growth spurt. Pops and stretching sounds filled the colosseum while soil and worms evacuating their master. Black ooze leaked from his orifices and wounds. When the mighty earth dragon grew at least twice its size it exploded everywhere. Chunks of the Níðhöggr flew everywhere and debris of death reached the bottom floor of the stands. Our Mila was center stage with a bright red fleshy exoskeleton and a new noh mask. Her once feminine mask that resembled a female woman's face is now more of a demon's. It still was tan like human skin, but now had two big horns and tusks with bigger eyes that look like they can see into your soul.
The crowd went more wild than the previous false victory and Gunter matched the energy of all the onlookers combined. Mila shrunk back down to the size of a fully grown python and laid motionless on the arena floor. Gunter grabbed a black and white spotted pyramid shaped fruit he was keeped on the railing from earlier and jumped over the edge and down into the colosseum. We were at least 600 ft. up and yet he was falling with such ease and grace to our wounded friend while holding his cornucopia down as to not lose it. I was watching my descending when suddenly I felt a tapping on my back. I turned around to see a small old woman who wore what looked like a black wedding dress with a mourning veil. She pulled my collar and forced me to listen closely.
A door with no lock can only be open with the key.
Bound with binds of metal seals intertwined.
For the boundless wish to be freed.
Fate will be your friend and foe but destiny will know sorrow.
The House of Klaus is on the move.
For what lies in the depths of The Complex is about to be unleashed.
She whispers inches from my face and releases me. I watch as the woman carrying this ominous message turns into black smoke and soaks into the complex's carpet, disappearing as fast as she appeared. I know better than to ignore any message in this place and repeated what she said in my head to not forget. I heard a heavy thump behind me towards the arena and see that Gunter has returned with Mila wrapped around him as she eats the fruit that he saved for her out of his hand. He stares at me and his grin fades away, he knows something is wrong and asks me what happened. I told him about the woman and her message. Mila stopped eating and both stared at me hard. I now know how Gunter felt just a moment ago when he looked at me and I ask if they know what any of that means.
Gunter gets close and looks deep into my eyes. The House of Klaus, is that exactly what she said? Are you absolutely sure? Gunter asks with a tone I’ve never heard from him before. Mila and her new face are just as locked on as Gunter’s. Yes, I answered them. And the woman, did she say who she was. I told them no, but explained her appearance as best as possible. Gunter grabbed my hand and started walking fast down the complex's hallway to an unknown destination. I asked what was going on and Gunter explained. Klaus was the first tenant of The Pandemonium Complex and was Winthorp’s right hand man. He’s never met him, but heard stories about him and what he can do. He thought he was a myth and just the boogeyman of this complex.
Klaus was a tenant that’s not bound by the 5 rules of Winthorp and was the enforcer of the complex. Tenants that manipulated the rules so much and made Winthorp look like a fool were hunted down by Klaus. His abilities are unknown, but he was the only tenant that could potentially kill Winthorp. The House of Klaus are the tenants that dedicated their lives to bring him back. Their reasons differ depending on which member you ask, but most thought Klaus brought more order to the complex than Winthorp ever could. It’s said that Winthorp feared Klaus and killed him, but we know Winthorp himself can’t break rule #1. No one ever took them seriously. It would be like a cult dedicated to bringing back Santa and he’s been returned to his planet. I asked Gunter where we were going and he says the concierge desk.
I pulled my hand away and told him to wait. I asked if he didn’t believe Klaus was real then why are you so scared. Because the woman who told you isn’t a member of The House of Klaus, she’s Baba Yaga and has been missing for over a millennia. Gunter answers. I asked if most of the members are unknown then how does he know she isn’t. Sadness covered Gunter’s face at this question. She wouldn’t, he answers under his breath. I ask Mila what she thinks and she says in a tired voice, Just in case Gunter’s right, what harm would it be to tell Winthorp? I told them to hold on and to just give me a minute to think. If Klaus can kill Winthorp, then why don’t we just let him and get out of this place? Mila and Gunter's looks were louder than words. If Klaus is real and comes back, who's to say that he won’t clean house when he takes over and why wouldn’t he just rule the complex with an iron fist!? Gunter replies with the tone of, that should’ve been common knowledge.
If there’s any chance of us getting out of here, it’s this. I’m tired of being trapped and used as a plaything for something that cares so little about us. Hell, Mila almost died today just to have a room to live in and was made into a show to entertain us, I retorted. He has a point, Mila chimes in. Gunter looked at Mila with an expression of sorry, but said he definitely doesn’t think this is a good idea. This is bigger than us and we should ask the others, plus Mila needs to rest. Let’s go to bed and we’ll meet in my room tomorrow with Jim, Jon and The Host to ask them what they think. Gunter agrees and carries Mila to the elevator to find her room. On my way to my room I saw a black spider crawling along the wall and told it what’s going on and to please tell Siete to meet us tomorrow. It stopped, listened and when I was done it rushed away to carry my message.
Gunter of course was the first to arrive wearing an apron. I said, nice apron and he thanked me while my sarcasm went over his head. He went over to my new coffee table, started pulling out fruits and cut them up for snacks. A few hours passed and the next to arrive was Siete. She had a new host of what looked like a tall aquatic fish man that was all dried out. It had dark gray fins where ears normally preside and 3 more on the center of its head. Both eyes were hollowed out and its jaw hung open with another new tongue tucked inside. It limped in and dropped onto the single desk chair I had. Gunter had several giant melons in the corner with holes poked in for her many children. Siete emerged from The Host’s mouth and the body fell limp as her children left to go eat. Jim and Jon arrive with Mila being carried wrapped around Jim like Gunter did yesterday. She looked better and her fleshy red body looked darker and harder than before. Jim and Jon could barely stand in my room and hunched over to my couch.
Gunter took Mila from Jim and let them enjoy the selection of fruit he cut up on the coffee table. The couch sunk in due to their weight, but we all pretended not to notice out of respect. Gunter fed Mila out of hand like before so she could save her energy to heal. Once everyone got settled the meeting began. I told the other 3 what happened yesterday exactly and caught Jim and Jon never heard of Klaus so Gunter filled them in on what he knows. We let the information sink in and began our debate. Gunter argued that the complex as is isn’t so bad and even though we were technically prisoners, we were treated with some form of respect and we have no idea what Klaus's plans will be. It’s better to deal with the devil we know than the one we don’t. I retorted that this could be our only hope of escape and even though our needs are met, we are prisoners and nothing more. Life here has everything, but our freedom and this may be our only hope of seeing the outside world again.
Jim’s hand rested on Jon’s and you could tell that this conversation made Jon extremely uncomfortable. Jon was the first to chime in and asked if Winthorp is god in this place then how do we know he’s not listening and that he doesn’t already know our plans. Gunter explained that Winthorp isn't omnipresent by choice and the complex itself can only listen if spoken to directly and out loud to respect our privacy. It’s things like this that show he tries making this place as homely as he possibly can. Jim and Jon look at each other to have a conversation with expressions that only long time lovers could have. You could tell that Jim was on my side and Jon was the reluctant one. Jon spoke first again and told us that they met in this place. If it weren’t for the complex they would’ve never met all those years ago. Jim’s race lives deep in the forest of the Amazon, but was the most advanced member of his race and therefore always felt left out. Jon was the last of his kind and was hunted like the rest in the mountains of Russia.
Jim wipes a tear from Jon’s face and caresses him lovingly to calm him down. If we lose this place then how will we find each other again? Jon asks with sorrow. Jim tells him he will never stop looking for him if they get separated and will get through anything that gets in their way. Jon presses his face into Jim’s chest while Jon holds him tight. I can’t be alone again, I can’t lose you; Jon wails into Jim’s chest. I decided to give them a moment and asked Siente what she thinks. Gunter was standing next to The Host while holding Mila. Mila and Siete exchanged high pitched noises and rolling clicks since she’s unable to speak from The Host without her thousands of children controlling it. Mila translates for us and tells us Siete is against it and that she knows Klaus is real.
When a spider is born into The Host they share experiences and memories with their hive mind so that even if only one survives The Host will always return. She has knowledge of the complex that predates all of us combined. Klaus is real and may not be as powerful as a god, but has the abilities to kill anything that has a consciousness. A god killing monster that was barely stopped by Winthorp, The Complex and his selected tenants. The Host stayed out of it last time, but lost many friends in the complex war. We were the first friends she’s had in a very long time and doesn’t want to lose us too. I asked Mila what she thinks. Mila agreed and told us she loves us and that she’s never had the privilege of having friends or a kin before. Mila looked at Siete when mentioning kin and Siete relaxed slightly at the comforting words. However, Mila was forced to battle to the death just to have a resting place and can not let that slide. Winthorp needs to die, she answers.
I take the floor, Then we put it to a vote. All in favor of letting the sleeping dog lie? Gunter and Jon raise their hands slightly while Siete raises her tiny spider leg. All in favor of taking down a god? Jim and I raise ours while Mila raises her insectoid leg weakly. We were tied and had to break it. Jim holds Jon’s hands and tells him, We can’t stay here forever. What if one day Winthorp decides to throw one of us into the ring or even worse? Tells us we have to kill each other. He can’t live everyday guessing what a mad god is feeling. Home is wherever Jon is and he will always find his home. Jim presses his forehead into Jon’s lightly. Trust me, Jim whispers. Jon relaxes into Jim’s forehead to show his trust. Promise? Jon asks softly. Promise. Jim replies just as softly back. Jon shakes his head up and down slightly and kisses his lover to seal the promise. Okay, Jon says out loud with a sniffle. I’m in.
The decision has been made. Gunter, Mila, The Host, Siete, Jim, Jon and I are going to find the first tenant. The god killer and hopefully our way out of here, Klaus. The complex and tenants begin to stir. They don’t know why, but everything in the complex feels a shift. Something is happening and even Winthorp feels something is amiss. Little did we know that someone was just outside my door and was listening to us the entire time. Our simple decision sent a pulse down into the depth of the complex and a smile forms in the darkness. It’s time to kill Winthorp and leave The Pandemonium Complex.

I’ve begun settling my roots in The Pandemonium Complex. If this will be my final stop then I should make it feel more at home. My memories of the outside world are fading now that I’ve found a few friendly distractions. Jim & Jon the humanoid ape couple, The Host that seems to still be untalkative, but led by my seven legged friend whom I’ve nicknamed Siete. Gunter, an Akras Fae who likes crashing on my new couch from time to time. And Mila, the size changing Omukade who doesn't want room with us and is trying to get back in her's.
Gunter’s room was simple and just needed to be opened from inside the complex to summon a new door. With the help of Mila we gave it a metal frame so it couldn’t be turned into another tree again; but I think he's still a bit traumatized from his entrapment since his excuses to stay with me are shaky at best. Mila’s was not as simple. The only one who could unseal her room was to kill the tenant who sealed it shut in the first place. She knows the culprit and has been on the hunt throughout the complex to find him. Níðhöggr, a northern wingless earth dragon who rules the dirt and the worms. The complex seems to know that a battle is about to ensue.
Certain parts of The Pandemonium Complex shifts and warps sometimes and the lobby changes almost every day. The theme, size and extra amenities changes range from big to small daily. Today the lobby was the size of the roman colosseum I visited once as a kid during a school field trip. There was no way to enter below besides the two large tunnels that presided below. Gunter ran to get me from my room when he saw this. With haste we ran past the mix of new doors that fill the hall. Doors with different colors, frames and styles. One made of stained glass, thick metal, medieval with chains, ice walls and made of colored mist are just some we passed. We arrived and saw spirits, monsters, creatures and mortals to list a few watch over the edges at the spectacle. Gunter said last time this happened it was between an Avatar of Storms vs. A Nova Celestial, who humans called Archangel Michael. This was the first time I’ve ever seen Winthorp not at the concierge desk as he stood dead center of the arena.
The rules state, #1. A tenant must never kill or fatally harm another tenant willingly; BUT rule #3. Rule 1. is void when in another’s room, but only to the room’s tenant. It seems a tenant is without a room and I decided to graciously move her in with another. The squables of the room’s tenants are their business and their business alone. I’ve also decided to do some renovations and temporarily moved said room here in the lobby before you. With that said, I shall return to my duties at my desk; Winthrop announces with a big grin to the onlookers and then disappears. Our feet shake with the pounds of something massive below us. A familiar drum roll can be heard in opposite unison. Gunter jumps with glee and eats his cornucopia full of strange fruits like it was popcorn, while tossing one away occasionally. A massive face can be seen from the tunnel in our view.
Out from the shadows emerges a giant female noh mask with the body of a centipede that could eclipse a mountain. From right below us came a long lizard like titan covered in soil and worms. The dragon’s rotten skin was missing chunks and infested with an uncountable amount of worms. Its rotten flesh filled the stands with its stench and made me cover my nose before I could puke. Gunter inhaled hard and sighed like he found his favorite scented candle. The behemoths didn’t hesitate once in sight and began their brawl. Like watching a snake fighting an eel, once one wrapped around the other they slipped through and tried vice versa. Mila split her noh mask’s mouth in two and opened her mandibles to bite the dragon, but he was already ahead of her.
They both bit the other’s long bodies and ripped chunks from each other. One bite would kill almost anything with their deadly venoms, but they’re both immune to all venom; Gunter explains. This was a perfect match. Mila has the advantage of size, but Níðhöggr is more agile and faster. Mila threw Níðhöggr into the wall and almost instantly went to spear him with her telson, but he leaped off and onto her long body. Gnawing his way up her exoskeleton. Mila lunged to bite her enemy in two, but Níðhöggr yelled an ancient language then suddenly a barrage of gray metallic threads that resembled spider webs spewed out of his mouth and covered Mila. Níðhöggr is no standard dragon like the western and could cast spells of his own with his ancient tongue.
Her face and top torso got tangled and stuck to the wall. She struggled hard and tried expanding her size to break free, but only damaged her exoskeleton even more. Mila tried using her telson again, but Níðhöggr webbed that and her bottom half down to the ground. She wiggled in her restraints for a bit, but stopped moving and seemingly accepted her fate. Níðhöggr crawled up her long body towards her head. We screamed for her to move, fight, do something but she just laid there like an exhausted moth in a spiderweb. We watched as Níðhöggr opened his maw wider than what we thought possible and engulfed our friend's face. His body shook from the tension of him biting down hard. The noh mask that we once feared but started to love cracked with the exoskeleton that was connected.
In a flash his jaws broke through and decapitated our beloved Mila. Tears began running down my face and I slammed my fist on the railing and hung my head in defeat at losing one of my newest friends. I clenched my jaws hard in anger. Gunter shook my arm hard to get my attention and pointed at our friend's corpse. Look, he whispered in a serious tone. Her insectoid body was hollow and began turning into stone. Níðhöggr was in the center of the arena celebrating his victory. He spoke another ancient language and spewed fireworks upwards to give the spectators a final show. A lump formed in his throat and stopped his triumphant gloating. The mass was slowly getting bigger. Níðhöggr's eyes were big and wide, he knew something was wrong.
The mass moved into his torso and kept getting bigger. Gunter shakes my arm in excitement at what we were seeing. Níðhöggr's body began pulling itself apart at the sudden growth spurt. Pops and stretching sounds filled the colosseum while soil and worms evacuating their master. Black ooze leaked from his orifices and wounds. When the mighty earth dragon grew at least twice its size it exploded everywhere. Chunks of the Níðhöggr flew everywhere and debris of death reached the bottom floor of the stands. Our Mila was center stage with a bright red fleshy exoskeleton and a new noh mask. Her once feminine mask that resembled a female woman's face is now more of a demon's. It still was tan like human skin, but now had two big horns and tusks with bigger eyes that look like they can see into your soul.
The crowd went more wild than the previous false victory and Gunter matched the energy of all the onlookers combined. Mila shrunk back down to the size of a fully grown python and laid motionless on the arena floor. Gunter grabbed a black and white spotted pyramid shaped fruit he was keeped on the railing from earlier and jumped over the edge and down into the colosseum. We were at least 600 ft. up and yet he was falling with such ease and grace to our wounded friend while holding his cornucopia down as to not lose it. I was watching my descending when suddenly I felt a tapping on my back. I turned around to see a small old woman who wore what looked like a black wedding dress with a mourning veil. She pulled my collar and forced me to listen closely.
A door with no lock can only be open with the key.
Bound with binds of metal seals intertwined.
For the boundless wish to be freed.
Fate will be your friend and foe but destiny will know sorrow.
The House of Klaus is on the move.
For what lies in the depths of The Complex is about to be unleashed.
She whispers inches from my face and releases me. I watch as the woman carrying this ominous message turns into black smoke and soaks into the complex's carpet, disappearing as fast as she appeared. I know better than to ignore any message in this place and repeated what she said in my head to not forget. I heard a heavy thump behind me towards the arena and see that Gunter has returned with Mila wrapped around him as she eats the fruit that he saved for her out of his hand. He stares at me and his grin fades away, he knows something is wrong and asks me what happened. I told him about the woman and her message. Mila stopped eating and both stared at me hard. I now know how Gunter felt just a moment ago when he looked at me and I ask if they know what any of that means.
Gunter gets close and looks deep into my eyes. The House of Klaus, is that exactly what she said? Are you absolutely sure? Gunter asks with a tone I’ve never heard from him before. Mila and her new face are just as locked on as Gunter’s. Yes, I answered them. And the woman, did she say who she was. I told them no, but explained her appearance as best as possible. Gunter grabbed my hand and started walking fast down the complex's hallway to an unknown destination. I asked what was going on and Gunter explained. Klaus was the first tenant of The Pandemonium Complex and was Winthorp’s right hand man. He’s never met him, but heard stories about him and what he can do. He thought he was a myth and just the boogeyman of this complex.
Klaus was a tenant that’s not bound by the 5 rules of Winthorp and was the enforcer of the complex. Tenants that manipulated the rules so much and made Winthorp look like a fool were hunted down by Klaus. His abilities are unknown, but he was the only tenant that could potentially kill Winthorp. The House of Klaus are the tenants that dedicated their lives to bring him back. Their reasons differ depending on which member you ask, but most thought Klaus brought more order to the complex than Winthorp ever could. It’s said that Winthorp feared Klaus and killed him, but we know Winthorp himself can’t break rule #1. No one ever took them seriously. It would be like a cult dedicated to bringing back Santa and he’s been returned to his planet. I asked Gunter where we were going and he says the concierge desk.
I pulled my hand away and told him to wait. I asked if he didn’t believe Klaus was real then why are you so scared. Because the woman who told you isn’t a member of The House of Klaus, she’s Baba Yaga and has been missing for over a millennia. Gunter answers. I asked if most of the members are unknown then how does he know she isn’t. Sadness covered Gunter’s face at this question. She wouldn’t, he answers under his breath. I ask Mila what she thinks and she says in a tired voice, Just in case Gunter’s right, what harm would it be to tell Winthorp? I told them to hold on and to just give me a minute to think. If Klaus can kill Winthorp, then why don’t we just let him and get out of this place? Mila and Gunter's looks were louder than words. If Klaus is real and comes back, who's to say that he won’t clean house when he takes over and why wouldn’t he just rule the complex with an iron fist!? Gunter replies with the tone of, that should’ve been common knowledge.
If there’s any chance of us getting out of here, it’s this. I’m tired of being trapped and used as a plaything for something that cares so little about us. Hell, Mila almost died today just to have a room to live in and was made into a show to entertain us, I retorted. He has a point, Mila chimes in. Gunter looked at Mila with an expression of sorry, but said he definitely doesn’t think this is a good idea. This is bigger than us and we should ask the others, plus Mila needs to rest. Let’s go to bed and we’ll meet in my room tomorrow with Jim, Jon and The Host to ask them what they think. Gunter agrees and carries Mila to the elevator to find her room. On my way to my room I saw a black spider crawling along the wall and told it what’s going on and to please tell Siete to meet us tomorrow. It stopped, listened and when I was done it rushed away to carry my message.
Gunter of course was the first to arrive wearing an apron. I said, nice apron and he thanked me while my sarcasm went over his head. He went over to my new coffee table, started pulling out fruits and cut them up for snacks. A few hours passed and the next to arrive was Siete. She had a new host of what looked like a tall aquatic fish man that was all dried out. It had dark gray fins where ears normally preside and 3 more on the center of its head. Both eyes were hollowed out and its jaw hung open with another new tongue tucked inside. It limped in and dropped onto the single desk chair I had. Gunter had several giant melons in the corner with holes poked in for her many children. Siete emerged from The Host’s mouth and the body fell limp as her children left to go eat. Jim and Jon arrive with Mila being carried wrapped around Jim like Gunter did yesterday. She looked better and her fleshy red body looked darker and harder than before. Jim and Jon could barely stand in my room and hunched over to my couch.
Gunter took Mila from Jim and let them enjoy the selection of fruit he cut up on the coffee table. The couch sunk in due to their weight, but we all pretended not to notice out of respect. Gunter fed Mila out of hand like before so she could save her energy to heal. Once everyone got settled the meeting began. I told the other 3 what happened yesterday exactly and caught Jim and Jon never heard of Klaus so Gunter filled them in on what he knows. We let the information sink in and began our debate. Gunter argued that the complex as is isn’t so bad and even though we were technically prisoners, we were treated with some form of respect and we have no idea what Klaus's plans will be. It’s better to deal with the devil we know than the one we don’t. I retorted that this could be our only hope of escape and even though our needs are met, we are prisoners and nothing more. Life here has everything, but our freedom and this may be our only hope of seeing the outside world again.
Jim’s hand rested on Jon’s and you could tell that this conversation made Jon extremely uncomfortable. Jon was the first to chime in and asked if Winthorp is god in this place then how do we know he’s not listening and that he doesn’t already know our plans. Gunter explained that Winthorp isn't omnipresent by choice and the complex itself can only listen if spoken to directly and out loud to respect our privacy. It’s things like this that show he tries making this place as homely as he possibly can. Jim and Jon look at each other to have a conversation with expressions that only long time lovers could have. You could tell that Jim was on my side and Jon was the reluctant one. Jon spoke first again and told us that they met in this place. If it weren’t for the complex they would’ve never met all those years ago. Jim’s race lives deep in the forest of the Amazon, but was the most advanced member of his race and therefore always felt left out. Jon was the last of his kind and was hunted like the rest in the mountains of Russia.
Jim wipes a tear from Jon’s face and caresses him lovingly to calm him down. If we lose this place then how will we find each other again? Jon asks with sorrow. Jim tells him he will never stop looking for him if they get separated and will get through anything that gets in their way. Jon presses his face into Jim’s chest while Jon holds him tight. I can’t be alone again, I can’t lose you; Jon wails into Jim’s chest. I decided to give them a moment and asked Siente what she thinks. Gunter was standing next to The Host while holding Mila. Mila and Siete exchanged high pitched noises and rolling clicks since she’s unable to speak from The Host without her thousands of children controlling it. Mila translates for us and tells us Siete is against it and that she knows Klaus is real.
When a spider is born into The Host they share experiences and memories with their hive mind so that even if only one survives The Host will always return. She has knowledge of the complex that predates all of us combined. Klaus is real and may not be as powerful as a god, but has the abilities to kill anything that has a consciousness. A god killing monster that was barely stopped by Winthorp, The Complex and his selected tenants. The Host stayed out of it last time, but lost many friends in the complex war. We were the first friends she’s had in a very long time and doesn’t want to lose us too. I asked Mila what she thinks. Mila agreed and told us she loves us and that she’s never had the privilege of having friends or a kin before. Mila looked at Siete when mentioning kin and Siete relaxed slightly at the comforting words. However, Mila was forced to battle to the death just to have a resting place and can not let that slide. Winthorp needs to die, she answers.
I take the floor, Then we put it to a vote. All in favor of letting the sleeping dog lie? Gunter and Jon raise their hands slightly while Siete raises her tiny spider leg. All in favor of taking down a god? Jim and I raise ours while Mila raises her insectoid leg weakly. We were tied and had to break it. Jim holds Jon’s hands and tells him, We can’t stay here forever. What if one day Winthorp decides to throw one of us into the ring or even worse? Tells us we have to kill each other. He can’t live everyday guessing what a mad god is feeling. Home is wherever Jon is and he will always find his home. Jim presses his forehead into Jon’s lightly. Trust me, Jim whispers. Jon relaxes into Jim’s forehead to show his trust. Promise? Jon asks softly. Promise. Jim replies just as softly back. Jon shakes his head up and down slightly and kisses his lover to seal the promise. Okay, Jon says out loud with a sniffle. I’m in.
The decision has been made. Gunter, Mila, The Host, Siete, Jim, Jon and I are going to find the first tenant. The god killer and hopefully our way out of here, Klaus. The complex and tenants begin to stir. They don’t know why, but everything in the complex feels a shift. Something is happening and even Winthorp feels something is amiss. Little did we know that someone was just outside my door and was listening to us the entire time. Our simple decision sent a pulse down into the depth of the complex and a smile forms in the darkness. It’s time to kill Winthorp and leave The Pandemonium Complex.

I’ve begun settling my roots in The Pandemonium Complex. If this will be my final stop then I should make it feel more at home. My memories of the outside world are fading now that I’ve found a few friendly distractions. Jim & Jon the humanoid ape couple, The Host that seems to still be untalkative, but led by my seven legged friend whom I’ve nicknamed Siete. Gunter, an Akras Fae who likes crashing on my new couch from time to time. And Mila, the size changing Omukade who doesn't want room with us and is trying to get back in her's.
Gunter’s room was simple and just needed to be opened from inside the complex to summon a new door. With the help of Mila we gave it a metal frame so it couldn’t be turned into another tree again; but I think he's still a bit traumatized from his entrapment since his excuses to stay with me are shaky at best. Mila’s was not as simple. The only one who could unseal her room was to kill the tenant who sealed it shut in the first place. She knows the culprit and has been on the hunt throughout the complex to find him. Níðhöggr, a northern wingless earth dragon who rules the dirt and the worms. The complex seems to know that a battle is about to ensue.
Certain parts of The Pandemonium Complex shifts and warps sometimes and the lobby changes almost every day. The theme, size and extra amenities changes range from big to small daily. Today the lobby was the size of the roman colosseum I visited once as a kid during a school field trip. There was no way to enter below besides the two large tunnels that presided below. Gunter ran to get me from my room when he saw this. With haste we ran past the mix of new doors that fill the hall. Doors with different colors, frames and styles. One made of stained glass, thick metal, medieval with chains, ice walls and made of colored mist are just some we passed. We arrived and saw spirits, monsters, creatures and mortals to list a few watch over the edges at the spectacle. Gunter said last time this happened it was between an Avatar of Storms vs. A Nova Celestial, who humans called Archangel Michael. This was the first time I’ve ever seen Winthorp not at the concierge desk as he stood dead center of the arena.
The rules state, #1. A tenant must never kill or fatally harm another tenant willingly; BUT rule #3. Rule 1. is void when in another’s room, but only to the room’s tenant. It seems a tenant is without a room and I decided to graciously move her in with another. The squables of the room’s tenants are their business and their business alone. I’ve also decided to do some renovations and temporarily moved said room here in the lobby before you. With that said, I shall return to my duties at my desk; Winthrop announces with a big grin to the onlookers and then disappears. Our feet shake with the pounds of something massive below us. A familiar drum roll can be heard in opposite unison. Gunter jumps with glee and eats his cornucopia full of strange fruits like it was popcorn, while tossing one away occasionally. A massive face can be seen from the tunnel in our view.
Out from the shadows emerges a giant female noh mask with the body of a centipede that could eclipse a mountain. From right below us came a long lizard like titan covered in soil and worms. The dragon’s rotten skin was missing chunks and infested with an uncountable amount of worms. Its rotten flesh filled the stands with its stench and made me cover my nose before I could puke. Gunter inhaled hard and sighed like he found his favorite scented candle. The behemoths didn’t hesitate once in sight and began their brawl. Like watching a snake fighting an eel, once one wrapped around the other they slipped through and tried vice versa. Mila split her noh mask’s mouth in two and opened her mandibles to bite the dragon, but he was already ahead of her.
They both bit the other’s long bodies and ripped chunks from each other. One bite would kill almost anything with their deadly venoms, but they’re both immune to all venom; Gunter explains. This was a perfect match. Mila has the advantage of size, but Níðhöggr is more agile and faster. Mila threw Níðhöggr into the wall and almost instantly went to spear him with her telson, but he leaped off and onto her long body. Gnawing his way up her exoskeleton. Mila lunged to bite her enemy in two, but Níðhöggr yelled an ancient language then suddenly a barrage of gray metallic threads that resembled spider webs spewed out of his mouth and covered Mila. Níðhöggr is no standard dragon like the western and could cast spells of his own with his ancient tongue.
Her face and top torso got tangled and stuck to the wall. She struggled hard and tried expanding her size to break free, but only damaged her exoskeleton even more. Mila tried using her telson again, but Níðhöggr webbed that and her bottom half down to the ground. She wiggled in her restraints for a bit, but stopped moving and seemingly accepted her fate. Níðhöggr crawled up her long body towards her head. We screamed for her to move, fight, do something but she just laid there like an exhausted moth in a spiderweb. We watched as Níðhöggr opened his maw wider than what we thought possible and engulfed our friend's face. His body shook from the tension of him biting down hard. The noh mask that we once feared but started to love cracked with the exoskeleton that was connected.
In a flash his jaws broke through and decapitated our beloved Mila. Tears began running down my face and I slammed my fist on the railing and hung my head in defeat at losing one of my newest friends. I clenched my jaws hard in anger. Gunter shook my arm hard to get my attention and pointed at our friend's corpse. Look, he whispered in a serious tone. Her insectoid body was hollow and began turning into stone. Níðhöggr was in the center of the arena celebrating his victory. He spoke another ancient language and spewed fireworks upwards to give the spectators a final show. A lump formed in his throat and stopped his triumphant gloating. The mass was slowly getting bigger. Níðhöggr's eyes were big and wide, he knew something was wrong.
The mass moved into his torso and kept getting bigger. Gunter shakes my arm in excitement at what we were seeing. Níðhöggr's body began pulling itself apart at the sudden growth spurt. Pops and stretching sounds filled the colosseum while soil and worms evacuating their master. Black ooze leaked from his orifices and wounds. When the mighty earth dragon grew at least twice its size it exploded everywhere. Chunks of the Níðhöggr flew everywhere and debris of death reached the bottom floor of the stands. Our Mila was center stage with a bright red fleshy exoskeleton and a new noh mask. Her once feminine mask that resembled a female woman's face is now more of a demon's. It still was tan like human skin, but now had two big horns and tusks with bigger eyes that look like they can see into your soul.
The crowd went more wild than the previous false victory and Gunter matched the energy of all the onlookers combined. Mila shrunk back down to the size of a fully grown python and laid motionless on the arena floor. Gunter grabbed a black and white spotted pyramid shaped fruit he was keeped on the railing from earlier and jumped over the edge and down into the colosseum. We were at least 600 ft. up and yet he was falling with such ease and grace to our wounded friend while holding his cornucopia down as to not lose it. I was watching my descending when suddenly I felt a tapping on my back. I turned around to see a small old woman who wore what looked like a black wedding dress with a mourning veil. She pulled my collar and forced me to listen closely.
A door with no lock can only be open with the key.
Bound with binds of metal seals intertwined.
For the boundless wish to be freed.
Fate will be your friend and foe but destiny will know sorrow.
The House of Klaus is on the move.
For what lies in the depths of The Complex is about to be unleashed.
She whispers inches from my face and releases me. I watch as the woman carrying this ominous message turns into black smoke and soaks into the complex's carpet, disappearing as fast as she appeared. I know better than to ignore any message in this place and repeated what she said in my head to not forget. I heard a heavy thump behind me towards the arena and see that Gunter has returned with Mila wrapped around him as she eats the fruit that he saved for her out of his hand. He stares at me and his grin fades away, he knows something is wrong and asks me what happened. I told him about the woman and her message. Mila stopped eating and both stared at me hard. I now know how Gunter felt just a moment ago when he looked at me and I ask if they know what any of that means.
Gunter gets close and looks deep into my eyes. The House of Klaus, is that exactly what she said? Are you absolutely sure? Gunter asks with a tone I’ve never heard from him before. Mila and her new face are just as locked on as Gunter’s. Yes, I answered them. And the woman, did she say who she was. I told them no, but explained her appearance as best as possible. Gunter grabbed my hand and started walking fast down the complex's hallway to an unknown destination. I asked what was going on and Gunter explained. Klaus was the first tenant of The Pandemonium Complex and was Winthorp’s right hand man. He’s never met him, but heard stories about him and what he can do. He thought he was a myth and just the boogeyman of this complex.
Klaus was a tenant that’s not bound by the 5 rules of Winthorp and was the enforcer of the complex. Tenants that manipulated the rules so much and made Winthorp look like a fool were hunted down by Klaus. His abilities are unknown, but he was the only tenant that could potentially kill Winthorp. The House of Klaus are the tenants that dedicated their lives to bring him back. Their reasons differ depending on which member you ask, but most thought Klaus brought more order to the complex than Winthorp ever could. It’s said that Winthorp feared Klaus and killed him, but we know Winthorp himself can’t break rule #1. No one ever took them seriously. It would be like a cult dedicated to bringing back Santa and he’s been returned to his planet. I asked Gunter where we were going and he says the concierge desk.
I pulled my hand away and told him to wait. I asked if he didn’t believe Klaus was real then why are you so scared. Because the woman who told you isn’t a member of The House of Klaus, she’s Baba Yaga and has been missing for over a millennia. Gunter answers. I asked if most of the members are unknown then how does he know she isn’t. Sadness covered Gunter’s face at this question. She wouldn’t, he answers under his breath. I ask Mila what she thinks and she says in a tired voice, Just in case Gunter’s right, what harm would it be to tell Winthorp? I told them to hold on and to just give me a minute to think. If Klaus can kill Winthorp, then why don’t we just let him and get out of this place? Mila and Gunter's looks were louder than words. If Klaus is real and comes back, who's to say that he won’t clean house when he takes over and why wouldn’t he just rule the complex with an iron fist!? Gunter replies with the tone of, that should’ve been common knowledge.
If there’s any chance of us getting out of here, it’s this. I’m tired of being trapped and used as a plaything for something that cares so little about us. Hell, Mila almost died today just to have a room to live in and was made into a show to entertain us, I retorted. He has a point, Mila chimes in. Gunter looked at Mila with an expression of sorry, but said he definitely doesn’t think this is a good idea. This is bigger than us and we should ask the others, plus Mila needs to rest. Let’s go to bed and we’ll meet in my room tomorrow with Jim, Jon and The Host to ask them what they think. Gunter agrees and carries Mila to the elevator to find her room. On my way to my room I saw a black spider crawling along the wall and told it what’s going on and to please tell Siete to meet us tomorrow. It stopped, listened and when I was done it rushed away to carry my message.
Gunter of course was the first to arrive wearing an apron. I said, nice apron and he thanked me while my sarcasm went over his head. He went over to my new coffee table, started pulling out fruits and cut them up for snacks. A few hours passed and the next to arrive was Siete. She had a new host of what looked like a tall aquatic fish man that was all dried out. It had dark gray fins where ears normally preside and 3 more on the center of its head. Both eyes were hollowed out and its jaw hung open with another new tongue tucked inside. It limped in and dropped onto the single desk chair I had. Gunter had several giant melons in the corner with holes poked in for her many children. Siete emerged from The Host’s mouth and the body fell limp as her children left to go eat. Jim and Jon arrive with Mila being carried wrapped around Jim like Gunter did yesterday. She looked better and her fleshy red body looked darker and harder than before. Jim and Jon could barely stand in my room and hunched over to my couch.
Gunter took Mila from Jim and let them enjoy the selection of fruit he cut up on the coffee table. The couch sunk in due to their weight, but we all pretended not to notice out of respect. Gunter fed Mila out of hand like before so she could save her energy to heal. Once everyone got settled the meeting began. I told the other 3 what happened yesterday exactly and caught Jim and Jon never heard of Klaus so Gunter filled them in on what he knows. We let the information sink in and began our debate. Gunter argued that the complex as is isn’t so bad and even though we were technically prisoners, we were treated with some form of respect and we have no idea what Klaus's plans will be. It’s better to deal with the devil we know than the one we don’t. I retorted that this could be our only hope of escape and even though our needs are met, we are prisoners and nothing more. Life here has everything, but our freedom and this may be our only hope of seeing the outside world again.
Jim’s hand rested on Jon’s and you could tell that this conversation made Jon extremely uncomfortable. Jon was the first to chime in and asked if Winthorp is god in this place then how do we know he’s not listening and that he doesn’t already know our plans. Gunter explained that Winthorp isn't omnipresent by choice and the complex itself can only listen if spoken to directly and out loud to respect our privacy. It’s things like this that show he tries making this place as homely as he possibly can. Jim and Jon look at each other to have a conversation with expressions that only long time lovers could have. You could tell that Jim was on my side and Jon was the reluctant one. Jon spoke first again and told us that they met in this place. If it weren’t for the complex they would’ve never met all those years ago. Jim’s race lives deep in the forest of the Amazon, but was the most advanced member of his race and therefore always felt left out. Jon was the last of his kind and was hunted like the rest in the mountains of Russia.
Jim wipes a tear from Jon’s face and caresses him lovingly to calm him down. If we lose this place then how will we find each other again? Jon asks with sorrow. Jim tells him he will never stop looking for him if they get separated and will get through anything that gets in their way. Jon presses his face into Jim’s chest while Jon holds him tight. I can’t be alone again, I can’t lose you; Jon wails into Jim’s chest. I decided to give them a moment and asked Siente what she thinks. Gunter was standing next to The Host while holding Mila. Mila and Siete exchanged high pitched noises and rolling clicks since she’s unable to speak from The Host without her thousands of children controlling it. Mila translates for us and tells us Siete is against it and that she knows Klaus is real.
When a spider is born into The Host they share experiences and memories with their hive mind so that even if only one survives The Host will always return. She has knowledge of the complex that predates all of us combined. Klaus is real and may not be as powerful as a god, but has the abilities to kill anything that has a consciousness. A god killing monster that was barely stopped by Winthorp, The Complex and his selected tenants. The Host stayed out of it last time, but lost many friends in the complex war. We were the first friends she’s had in a very long time and doesn’t want to lose us too. I asked Mila what she thinks. Mila agreed and told us she loves us and that she’s never had the privilege of having friends or a kin before. Mila looked at Siete when mentioning kin and Siete relaxed slightly at the comforting words. However, Mila was forced to battle to the death just to have a resting place and can not let that slide. Winthorp needs to die, she answers.
I take the floor, Then we put it to a vote. All in favor of letting the sleeping dog lie? Gunter and Jon raise their hands slightly while Siete raises her tiny spider leg. All in favor of taking down a god? Jim and I raise ours while Mila raises her insectoid leg weakly. We were tied and had to break it. Jim holds Jon’s hands and tells him, We can’t stay here forever. What if one day Winthorp decides to throw one of us into the ring or even worse? Tells us we have to kill each other. He can’t live everyday guessing what a mad god is feeling. Home is wherever Jon is and he will always find his home. Jim presses his forehead into Jon’s lightly. Trust me, Jim whispers. Jon relaxes into Jim’s forehead to show his trust. Promise? Jon asks softly. Promise. Jim replies just as softly back. Jon shakes his head up and down slightly and kisses his lover to seal the promise. Okay, Jon says out loud with a sniffle. I’m in.
The decision has been made. Gunter, Mila, The Host, Siete, Jim, Jon and I are going to find the first tenant. The god killer and hopefully our way out of here, Klaus. The complex and tenants begin to stir. They don’t know why, but everything in the complex feels a shift. Something is happening and even Winthorp feels something is amiss. Little did we know that someone was just outside my door and was listening to us the entire time. Our simple decision sent a pulse down into the depth of the complex and a smile forms in the darkness. It’s time to kill Winthorp and leave The Pandemonium Complex.

I have been smoking since in high school about sophomore year and it slowly picked up year after year. With more money I had more freedom, and with this freedom I had more weed. I never think smoking became a problem until I met my girlfriend. I’d like to say me and my girlfriend both have kinda addictive personalities, and us both liking to smoke does not help what so ever. I think my tolerance is getting to an all time high. I don’t get high when I smoke at all, and it’s been this way for longer than I can remember. I’m from California so I stay smoking good dispensary weed, and started dabbing about 9 months ago. I’m 21 now and have been smoking heavily (daily) since I was 18 and could get my med card. The dabs hit different when I first got it, but since then my tolerance picked up so quick. At this point the last time I felt high was when I took shrooms for the first time. I take an 8th of shrooms, and feel this is what I wish I felt like when smoking… just a strong high. I’m not sure if my insane cannabis use got me used to being high in general to where an 8th of shrooms doesn’t affect me in a crazy way, especially for my first time, or if it’s just cause I’m a big guy (6’3 200lbs). Long story short I just killed a plug n play full gram in 4 days and wanted to see if this is at all normal or if I do indeed have an addiction (that I subconsciously knew I had the whole time). Even if it is normal I don’t wanna live a life where I constantly smoke and don’t get high. I know the only way to fix this is to take a fat t-break and stay away from concentrates as much as I can if I ever do come back. I’m proud to say I am 3 days sober so far, since I have mandatory month long breaks each year for my religion. I plan on being sober this whole month and truly working on myself. I’m glad to say I don’t have major withdrawals at all yet. I do have urges to smoke since I am still around my girlfriend who smokes constantly, and it is what I have been doing daily for years so my mind will of course automatically go Straight to smoking when I have nothing else to do. I would like to finish this break and continue to be sober for as many months as it takes to fully reset my tolerance. I don’t want a repeat of last year where I take a break just to go back to my old ways if not worse. Any tips you guys have for me and my journey? How long should my break be, should I stay away from concentrates forever or just limit their consumption, etc. I’m glad I found this community and hope to use cannabis responsibly again.

I’m a 40 yo woman, and I’ve been diagnosed with C-PTSD and a couple of other issues over 10 years ago. But my 3 yo has recently been diagnosed with Autism and now I’ve been reading a lot about it and many of the symptoms I relate to. In my next psychiatrist appointment we will be doing further testing but do these issues sound like Autism or ADHD to you? (Those who have personal experience) - Massive fear of rejection or abandonment - Feeling like I don’t fit in anywhere (not in school, not in family, not at church, nowhere) - Forgetful - Feeling agitated, uncomfortable in my own skin - Loose everything - Unable to stick to job/friendship/relationship/ideas - Unable to do easy tasks - Always tired 24/7 or thinking too much and can’t sleep or focus - Or hyper focused on short term projects - Hate wearing socks - Hate sand on my feet and legs at beach - Hate sunscreen feeling sticky on my skin - Fussy eater - Too much noise is difficult - Too many people or stimulation is overwhelming - When hyped up impossible to wind down - Interrupting people in conversation unintentionally - Blurting people’s private information in conversation without thinking - Never having a real friend or knowing what it feels like to have a normal relationship - Daydreaming often - Love music. Like it’s my safe world. Obsessed. - Good at lots of small stuff, but not amazing at anything - Can’t decide on job or study - Always Lonely - Perfectionist and messy (eg. colour coordinated wardrobe but super dirty and messy car) - People pleaser - Hate phone calls - Difficulty replying to emails and texts in time - Had to grow up very young (car crash) dad dying. Mum mentally disabled - Had to be the mum growing up, made myself be bossy to siblings to get chores done - Bullied relentlessly at school - Tomboy - Always feeling awkward in social situations - Shy. Don’t know what to say - Abandonment issues - Commitment issues - Addiction problems - Risky behaviours - Guilt - Shame - Not understanding why people don’t like me - Can’t understand or process verbal instructions - Forgetting to eat or brush teeth or shower - Binge eating - Have trouble listening and understanding - Forgetting what I was about to do or say all the time - Always doodling on school work / diary etc - Twiddling hair - Biting nails - Biting skin around nails - Pulling out hair - Plucking at eyelashes and eyebrows - Can’t sit and focus or watch tv without meds - Have to vape when driving - Always making lists (not so good at completing them) - Executive disfunction - extreme difficulty cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, self care, opening mail, paying bills, answering phone - When I was younger I had to stay busy ALL the time. Never let myself stop. Had to be perfect in everything Then had nervous breakdown at 30 from workplace bullying and stalker client - Ashamed of negative feelings and thoughts - Always trying to get approval but never feeling it - Over thinker - Zombie - Space cadet - Suppressed anger - Unable to regulate emotions - Always expecting the worst - Catastrophic thinking - Thinking of a great idea but unable to follow through - Bored easily - Can’t study or read text books (read one paragraph and fall asleep) but can read favourite history novel in one night - Difficulty being stay at home mum - depression/boredom/loneliness - Not good at sports or coordination, can’t dance - Listening to same songs over and over to eternity - Watching the same tv shows also repeatedly - Repeating telling stories to family over and over and unintentionally driving them crazy - Unable to feel love or acceptance - feel like it’s fake or won’t last so it’s not real - Always canceling plans - Running late or way too early - Headaches - Stomach issues - Weight problems - Body dysmorphia - Primary school always in trouble for talking and not paying attention - High school I copied the successful students work (copy cat) and taught myself how to be a teachers pet & perfectionist in everything - Always leaving projects to last minute and then rushing overnight to get it done by due date - Feeling like everyone is angry at me but not knowing why - Needing constant approval & encouragement - Didn’t study for exams but still got good grades - Needed straight As or became inconsolable and was terrified of my parents discipline/punishments - Taught myself how to act and talk so people would think I’m an extra nice person and like me but knowing it’s not the real me - Jealousy issues - Trouble connecting with my children and siblings and parents and extended family. Black sheep - Unable to express or explain my emotions/feelings/thoughts honestly - Never ever felt 100% happy - Stalking ex boyfriend & ex friends online often - Inability to make decisions - Wishing I was someone else or had a different life - Wishing I was normal and fit in - Religious indoctrination & had to go to church nearly every day - Sickness neglect, never taken to drs or given panadol & always had to go to school no matter how sick I was - No tv - Extreme physical punishments up until 16 - Never allowed to make my own decisions about anything had to get mums approval for everything
I know it could be multiple things but just wanting to hear some feedback and see if I’m right in feeling like I might’ve slipped thru the cracks my whole life

It seems like there are a whole lot of people on this sub that are pretty new to the game so here are some helpful tips to get you started!

1. Beach farms are not for beginners. I know they're pretty and they have lots of cools quirks but not being able to use sprinklers during your first few runs of the game will make it VERY HARD. I believe it's mostly meant for people who aren't focusing on farming.
2. Not all farm types are equal. If this is your first time playing, I'd recommend the basic farm, with the forest farm being the better general option but maybe not as easy to learn the game in. River and Mountain farms are not super worth it, and are better for more experienced players, whereas wilderness may be overwhelming for a first-time player. Four-Corners is also good, but better for multiplayer.
3. Make chests and keep them organized. Trust me, it'll make your life so much easier. I like having a "construction" chest, a "farming" chest, a "miscellaneous" chest and a "tool and decoration" chest at the start. You can also place chests anywhere in the world, so I'd recommend having one at the entrance of the mines, in places where you do a lot of fishing and in Clint's shop. Do make sure you place them out of the way so NPCs don't walk through them, though.
4. Upgrade your tools. Seriously. The better your tools, the easier collecting resources will be. You'll need to get your pickaxe all the way to iridium, your axe to at least gold, and your hoe and watering can to at least iron. Upgrading your pickaxe is the key to clearing the mines, and upgrading your hoe and watering can is best done when farming is done for the season, before farming starts in the new season or during winter.
5. Save up seasonal crops/forage for the community center. If you choose to go the community center route, know that there are certain bundles that can only be completed with items specific to different seasons-- not just crops but fish and forage as well.
6. Automation is key. Try to make things as automatic as possible to free up time and energy for things that must be done manually. Sprinklers are live-saving (though I'd only recommend using high-quality sprinklers and better.) Later on there are also machines to help you with your animals-- an auto-collector from marnie and an auto-petter from the skull-caverns or Joja (if you chose the joja route).
7. You can find iridium in magma geodes. Iridium, being the most powerful metal in the game, will be very important later on. You can find iridium ore in the skull-caverns or the ginger island volcano (two areas unlocked after a while) but for both you need an iridium pick to actually get any work done. Thankfully, you can get pieces of iridium ore by cracking the red geodes found at the lowest level of the mines.
8. Bombs are the best mining tools. If you're planning in gathering lots of resources or clearing a large section of mining levels, bombs are your best friends. Just make sure to collect ore/gems by hand if you have an ability that doubles them (via mining skill) and try not to stand in the blast radius.
9. Cheese is the best food and you'll want a lot of it. A lot of foods in the game will give you useful buffs on top of healing you, but pay attention-- these buffs don't stack! What you want to do is have a smaller amount of foods that give you the buff you need and a large amount of food that has no additional effect. That food? Cheese. Specifically gold-star cheese made with "large milk" in the cheese press. It'll heal you for a large amount of energy/hp without canceling your buffs.
10. Passing out at 2 am is not that bad. Sure, you'll lose some money and energy, but ultimately it's not such a harsh punishment. On the other hand, being knocked out by monsters in the mines will cost you a lot of the precious items you have in your inventory, so be very careful not to hit 0 hp.
11. Check your tv. Checking the weather each morning will help you figure out your schedule, since you don't need to water your crops when it rains. Living Off the Land will give you great tips, Queen of Sauce will teach you recipes you can use once you upgrade your house and the fortune teller will help you figure out if it's a good day to fish or mine.
12. The Traveling Merchant is your BEST FRIEND if you're trying to complete the community center. Every Friday and Sunday, at the top left corner of the forest, there will be a lady in a cart pulled by a purple hippo. She will offer a random assortment of items that may include rare, hard to get or out-of-season items that you need. She also sells "rare seeds" which you can plant at the beginning of fall for a nice payout at the end of the season. Do note that not all her deals are good, and that if there's something you're hoping to get from her, you'll need to set aside some money for it.
13. Don't stress-- plan out your day. It's good to start every day with a plan: Will you farm? Fish? Forage? Mine? A bit of everything? Keep in mind what your current goals are (like if you're saving up money or resources to get something), the shopkeepers' schedules, and other factors like the luck or the weather. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the clock, remember that time doesn't move while you're looking at a chest or at your inventory (if you're in singleaplayer) so take a breather every now and again.

I hope you find this useful, and if there are any other questions you might have, comment them and I'll try to answer <3

A couple months ago I was seshing with a friend and I started to freak the fuck out. Honestly, it's on me for even thinking of smoking cause I was dealing with a lot of stress due to shitty circumstances. I just thought it would be alright and the weed would boost my mood.
The episode started with a mild panic attack that became increasingly overwhelming, I started hearing auditory hallucinations that in the moment I thought was a demon and I genuinely felt like I was seeing my life flashing before my eyes. I started to blame myself for what was happening in the world. (We smoked in a park which was a horrible idea, there was an accident a couple suburbs away and multiple ambulance sirens were going off which probably just worsened what I was feeling). I was reliving traumas in my life that I either forgot or stuffed away in the back of my mind. I felt that the world was meaningless and I had no purpose being here. But I was connecting significant meaning behind events that were very normal I just didn't realise and thought I was a genius. It was weird at points I just wanted to jump off a cliff to stop the thoughts but at other points I thought I was the chosen one and figured out the secrets of the world, LOL. It went on for a while maybe a couple hours, my friend wasn't sure if he should call the ambulance or not and I really did not want him to. Weed is illegal where I live and I'm pretty young, I didn't want to deal with the repercussions and honestly I'd be embarrassed for the rest of my life if I went to the hospital from weed of all things. I told him I just want to sleep it off, not sure if it was coherent but I managed to fall asleep and woke up maybe an hr later feeling terrified but I was tapped back into reality and gave him a hug. I can't imagine how traumatizing it was for him to see that.
I think there's multiple reasons for why it happened: Stress, sleep deprivation (I hadn't slept the night before since my sleep schedule is fucked, I'm always sleeping at 5-6AM), food? We didn't eat beforehand. I wanted to save my stomach for munchies. Caffeine maybe? I'm a huge coffee drinker and wouldn't be surprised if mixing caused some reaction, and nicotine. I'm also a big vaper so could be a combination of all the aforementioned reasons for why it happened
P.s I just realised it was a psychotic episode last night after randomly searching about it while high.
I smoked a couple times after that time and I had a minor attack but since I already experienced it I was able to control it. Last night I had a slight attack but once again was able to control it but freaked out a little when realising it was a psychotic episode. But after that freak out I had an enjoyable time just watching South Park. Tbf yesterday was also not the best time to be smoking cause I'm still dealing with the stress but also smoked with parents being upstairs, super risky but it was midnight so I just did it. Didn't get caught or anything so that was good.
My question is, will I be able to smoke again without feeling any psychotic symptoms? Or should I lay off the weed and just stick to nic. Cause I notice if my mindset is very negative the high also reflects that. Should I just do it when I'm in a good mood? I'm sorta scared to get high alone without anyone in the house with fears of an episode happening and I have no one to talk to.

Hello people, I hope you are well, this is going to be my first video game Reddit post which is impressive (considering that I'm always on the political subreddit haha) and it occurred to me to think about Mario Party, after having played it a lot and thought a lot.
It is one of my favorite Mario sagas and video games in general, always revolutionizing the term as franchises such as Mario Kart do, but unfortunately it declined a lot throughout its games and was highly overexploited.
RULES:
I will not include the following games:
- Mario Party-e (Game Boy Advance e-Reader peripheral, 2003)
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- Mario Party Island Tour (Nintendo 3DS, 2013)
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- Mario Party Star Rush (Nintendo 3DS, 2016)
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- Mario Party The Top 100 (Nintendo 3DS, 2017)
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- Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo Switch, 2021)
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The reasons are because they are games that I didn't play, The Top 100 and Superstars are more a remake or even remaster, and one is more of a board game with just a few minigames with a peripheral that I doubt very much that those who had a GBA would have had it.
The very rare and exclusive Japan-exclusive Mario Party arcade games made by Capcom and Banpresto will also not be included and no unofficial games will be included.
I will put positive and negative points and with a note at the end based on my personal opinion and I will use some other criticisms that I will leave in the description if you want to find out more
And in case I need to say it, from the worst to the best
Now that it's all said, let's get started and enjoy:
First I will start with the bad, horrible or what would only be mediocre.
13 - Mario Party Advance
Of all the Mario Party, this is possibly considered one of the most disappointing, boring and bad
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Bad points:
1- The game changed completely, going from being a party game to grab coins and have the most stars with mini-games. To a bad and generic single player RPG game replaced with minigames to solve missions
2 - The main mode and the important thing of the game, Shroom City and next to the missions, makes the game very repetitive
3 - The multiplayer game is quite poor, something curious considering that it is a game OF THE PARTY GENRE
Speaking of the previous point, although it has fifty (50) mini-games, forty-two (42) of them ARE ONE-PLAYED, which means that there are only eight (8) multiplayer mini-games.
4 - Some missions consist of trial and error like the search for Klepto and the search for Dolphin.
5 - There are also repetitive and easy missions such as characters like Goomba, Mole Monty or a penguin who needs help with GAMBLING ADDICTION (WTF?, on top of that the game has an E rating)
Ironically those minigames tend to be very easy.
6 - The music and sound are recycled soundtracks from Mario Party 3 and 4 but with low quality, and their soundtracks are among the worst in the franchise
7 - There's no minigame practice and no image or video of minigame gameplay during the instruction screens (the latter is something that's been used since the first Mario Party game), which means new minigames will be harder to figure out understand for an average player, and by the time the player understands the basics of the minigame, it is likely that they have already failed the minigame at least once. Technically, you could use practice as a power-up in Mini-Game Attack, but you can't practice a minigame otherwise.
8 - Some minigames are very difficult to complete in Shroom City due to lack of time or very high objective scores, for example Sled Slide and Sort Stack. In most cases, there is little to no room for error, and usually making a mistake once in a minigame is all it takes to lose the entire minigame.
9 - After getting all the Gadgets and minigames in Shroom City, there is little replay factor. For the most part, you have to complete the Challenge Land modes to try and earn enough coins to get the remaining items in the shop, which includes a Power Star device that costs 100,000 coins (good luck trying to win fifteen mini-games in Mini-Game Attacks or all eight dueling minigames in Duel Attack to get the required 100000 coins, because minigames only get much harder over time and messing it up once will force you to start over).
10 - If you manage to complete most if not all of the mini-games successfully and complete all tasks quickly, it will only take you a few hours (6-18) to complete Shroom City, and it's also easy to complete Shroom City in a single run (minus some quests that are character specific, like a quest from Mr. I that requires playing as Peach and one from Dorrie that requires playing as Yoshi).
11 - No voice acting at all. Even the announcer at the beginning of the minigames that says "Start" or "Finish" has been replaced with a Lakitu. While it would be excusable if it was one of the first Game Boy Advance games, this game was one of the last GBA games to be released and previous Mario games such as Super Mario Advance and Mario Golf Advance had voice acting. Even the previous "portable" Mario Party game, Mario Party-e had voice acting.
12 - Only four playable characters, being Mario, Luigi, Peach and Yoshi. Even in Mario Party 1 and 2 you can choose up to 6 different characters.
Good points
1 - It was the first Mario Party game on a laptop, so thanks for the try
2 - The graphics are pretty decent (or even good) for a late GBA game
3 - The music, although it is recycled, can be a memory for Mario Party 3 players mainly.
4 - Some other minigames are entertaining, like the two-player minigame that parodies curling or some platform.
5 - Some of the Gadgets are quite nice to play, and there are actually more Gadgets (61) than there are minigames. Some Gaddgets are also multiplayer on a single console, which means that it is possible to play all Gaddgets properly without the need for another Game Boy Advance.
6 - The game also comes (in its box) with a paper bonus board, which can be played by cutting out the parts from the game manual and using the game to roll the dice and play the gadgets and mini-games.
Final Calification: 4.52/10
12 - Mario Party 9
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Possibly one of the most controversial and controversial games in the series (although hey...not as much as The Last Of Us Part II either) Due to its large number of changes
Bad Points:
1- First and foremost, this game introduced the car mechanic, which was a very bad idea to begin with and made many fans of the series upset. This was primarily due to previous Mario Party games receiving weaker reviews from critics for the repetitive concept, so Nd Cube attempted to rework the series in hope of gaining better reception from critics without any consent or care to fans.
The joke of Mario Party was a board game, with large and creative maps in which a lot of things could happen to you, even if you were lucky or last (Or roll ten (10)) The board can handle you so that I didn't win, basically it was UNPREDICTABLE, but in this game they changed the freedom of being able to move to a horrible car and with smaller maps to compensate for it.
In fact, the game pretty much removes the luck factor from the previous games, to the point where only winning the minigames (with the exception of one or the other lucky minigames)
2 - Items are the worst in the franchise, they changed items like orbs or even candy from the previous game and replaced them with DICE, literally one of the "Best Items in the Game" It's just a 10 sided die, something that SINCE THE FIRST, MARIO PARTY AND ANY OTHER BOTH DESKTOP AND PORTABLE WAS SOMETHING YOU ALWAYS HAD.
3 - The music isn't bad, but it's not as memorable as the Gamecube, and it's not even on the heels of the Nintendo 64.
4 - Bob-omb Factory and Magma Mine are infamous for having crippling methods of losing many Mini-Stars. In Bob-omb Factory, you get a Bob-omb on your car that explodes after moving ten spaces. In Magma Mine, lava will eventually rise and rolling too low can result in getting caught in it. Both the Bob-omb and the lava make you lose half of your Mini-Stars, and it is extremely crippling to the point where having a Bob-omb explode on you or being burnt by the lava is instant loss of the game.
5 - The 2-vs.-2, battle and duel mini-games are gone.
Speaking of battle mini-games, there's a battle space and you can still battle for Mini-Stars, but you just play the same old free-for-all mini-games instead of unique 4-player mini-games.
6 - The battles with Whomp and King Bob-omb in the Bob-omb Factory are annoying since they are mostly luck based.
7 - The story mode is literally three (3) player games (although at least it's better than Mario Party 8)
Good Points:
1 - The graphics increased the quality better, unlike those of 8 that were recycled from 4 (or 5 and 6) But with better shading quality, mainly for being the last official Mario game for the Wii
2 -Bowser Jr's minigames are quite good in themselves and can remind you of the minigames of the Mario Party 2 item minigames in which Koopa Kid appeared
3 - It has 7 boards, which, although they are linear, can have their fun moments.
4 - The cars themselves are pretty well designed for the dashboards (at least)
5 -It is the first game in the series where everyone earns coins depending on their position without counting the coin minigames and the 4 player team minigames from Mario Party 1 where you could also lose coins, which is a good thing that later installments would use.
5 - AT LEAST he tried to renew himself and be different, although he did quite badly.
Final Calification: 4,89/10
Now I'll start with the mediocre to average
11 - Mario Party 8
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Bad Points
1 - The story is rather bland and simple, being a candy contest
2 - Although this point will be ambiguous, on the one hand it is very good that they take advantage of the control mechanics for the minigames, exploiting their capabilities like WarioWare, it also makes a large part of the minigames boring because they will be somewhat repetitive.
3 - The boards without counting Koopa's hotel board (the most original board in the game) and Bowser's final board (with its unique elements such as Bowser Candy reminiscent of the Bowser Mushroom from Mario Party 2, 3 and 4) are very linear. or designed for the CPU to literally bowl you more.
4 - The graphics feel recycled from Mario Party 4 with better shading.
5 - The game has fewer minigames compared to previous installments, having only 73, Mario Party 5 had seventy-five (75) minigames and Parties 6 to 7 had more than eighty (80) minigames.
Add to that that of the 75 mini-games, 27 ARE DUELING
6 - Test for the Best, can be VERY FRUSTATING if you want to pass all the minigames perfectly, as a curious fact time will change if it is the PAL version of the game so as not to make it so complicated
Good Points:
1 - The carnival theme of this game works very well with a series like Mario Party.
2 - The Candy mechanic is fun to use, some can transform you into things like a ball and a vampire
3 - 14 playable characters. You can play as a Blooper and a Hammer Bro Now and you can even play as your Mii in certain Minigames.
4 - The extras in this game are very well done, the minigames and you can even buy taunts while waving the remote.
5 - There are some fun extra minigames such as Moped Mayhem and Canyon Crusaders.
The game even had a somewhat mixed reception, giving it a 5.2/10 on IGN and a 6.5/10 on Gamespot which are very low ratings for a Mario game, New Super Mario Bros 2 was rated better and that's what a lot of people thought complain that it was too easy
Final Calification: 5.65/10
10 - Mario Party 10
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Bad Points:
1 - Compared to the previous game, it feels like a more watered down version of Mario Party 9, but stripping it of all the stuff that made it at least somewhat salvageable, as almost every feature in 9 became more sterile. thanks to the devs who made the game easier and less fun than before and the reason 9 was bad was because it was easier for newer players and changed certain things about the formula which while not bad innovate but it did it in a bad way, which was less in this one since it is much more simplified and repetitive than 9, which considering that this was going to be the second NDCube title for home console should have given the small studio time to improve the Mario Party 9 stuff, but sadly they didn't.
2 - Speaking of which, It has the same flaws as Mario Party 9, such as the not well executed car mechanic, generic boards, and the music sometimes being forgettable.
3 - To play traditional Mario Party (in the form of Amiibo Mode), you need Amiibos. (At least is only a mod, and isn´t the garabe of Animal Crosiing: Amibo Festivial)
4 - The Amiibo mode itself is just a bare bones version of the traditional Mario Party, and the board itself is just a square.
5 - There isn't a Story Mode nor any Rival or Adventure that serves as the main campaign for the game unlike in the Hudson Soft games (expect 1 and 2) and Mario Party 9, as your only limited to either the Mario Party, Bowser Party or the Amiibo Party modes instead which don't have a lot of content in them and can feel a bit stale at times.
6 - While Bowser Party isn't a bad mode, Bowser is extremely overpowered:
Bowser can use multiple dice blocks, which makes easy to get to Team Mario. However, even if a player is eliminated (meaning that the maximum Team Mario can go with the dice blocks is 18), he always has 4 (meaning that the maximum is 24).
Some of the Bowser Party minigames takes away more hearts than they should, especially Bowser's Clawful Climb.
As if Bowser wasn't already overpowered, if he rolls low enough, he gets to roll again, which is unfair, as there aren't any spaces for Team Mario to reroll.
Only 3 of the 5 boards are playable in Bowser Party, which is rather questionable since the other 2 boards available could've at least fit well with Bowser Party since all they needed to do was tweak them a bit and that's it, which they sadly didn't do unfortunately, making the Bowser Party mode a wasted opportunity in general.
7 - The game doesn't support Pro Controller. Without the GamePad, you're forced to use a Wii Remote instead.
8 - The game does not have an online mode, which is already UNACCEPTABLE considering that it is an Eighth generation game from 2015, and he was able to take advantage of the fact that at that time Nintendo still did not charge for online
Good Points
1 - Amazing and beautiful graphics.
2 - Improved character roster, which pleased many fans of the series. Rosalina and Spike make their Mario Party debuts as playable characters, Donkey Kong makes his return since Mario Party 4, while Toadette makes her return since Mario Party 8.
3 - The mini-games are fun and most of them are already unlocked at the start.
4 - Bowser Party is an interesting mode and fun mode, even if it could've been better (if it was more balanced).
5 - It brought back 2 vs 2 minigames.
6 - The amiibo party mode is an interesting idea and was an attempt at bringing back the traditional Mario Party gameplay, and there's a minigame at the end of each round.
Final calification 5.75/10
9 - Super Mario Party
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Bad Points:
1 - Although this Mario Party made many improvements compared to its somewhat badly received predecessors. He also made several setbacks
2 - Character dice still go from 1 to 6, and for the worse now they each have their OWN STATS, which can make it very unfair.
3 - The allies in the game aren't bad, but they don't offer as much material as they did in Mario Party 3's duel mode, they just give you some extra dice that can help you beyond that from time to time.
4 - There are only 4 BOARDS, while in the previous games there were at least 6
Speaking of which, a lot of his boards are very short and easy without a lot of events to make it unique.
5 - Some items like the classic dueling glove or the double star card only appear in certain scenarios.
6 - Although they added online mode, it is only something unacceptable for minigames knowing that it was already an obligation to put it in party mode.
Good Points:
1 - The game has very good graphics and very shiny character designs
2 - The minigames are very well done, and it is one of the few games on the Switch to use and exploit the control functions well.
3 - A huge number of characters, having a total of 20, with 16 starters and 4 to unlock and even some of the previous Mario Party returns
4 - The elements although they are not that good, they return to their classic mode instead of simple dice and some are very useful to use
5 - This Mario Party is the first since Mario Party DS to go back to the classic formula with new stuff, so at least an attempt was made to do so.
6 - In an update, they FINALLY added the party mode online
Speaking of this last point, the coins also make a comeback and even with the addition of Mario Party 9 in which depending on your position you will get more or less coins instead of always only 10
Final calification: 6.15/10
Now let's go for the good games
8 - Mario Party DS
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Good Points:
1 - Pretty decent graphics for a DS game
2 - Very good minigames, which make good use of the capabilities of the consoles
Speaking of which, a good number of minigames surpassing Mario Party 8 by one (74 minigames)
3 - Good story and the context in how the minimizer shrinks all the characters
4 - The Toadette board and the Bowser Pinball are very good
5 - You can play multiplayer without cable and only with a copy of the game like in New Super Mario Bros, something that few DS games have
6 - The boss battles are entertaining, mainly against Kamek and the final boss.
7 - The game has a better single player experience unlike the bad Mario Party Advance game.
8 - Many of the older puzzle minigames such as Bob-Omb Breakers (from Mario Party 4) and Piece Out (from Mario Party 5) return in this game, which can be a throwback to fans of Mario Party 3 through 7.
9 - Lots of replay value, especially collected items
10 - It is probably (at least from the ones I played and from my point of view) the best portable Mario Party
11 - Good way to say goodbye to the saga being the last game released by Hudson Soft before it dissolved and merged with Konami.
Bad Points:
1 - The story mode is somewhat short and easy, mainly because there are only 10 turns, when in the past it was at least 20 for the best duration
2 - The first battle against Petey Piranha is known to be the most difficult (in my childhood, I had a hard time beating him) And the others like the Hammer Bro and Dry Bones are extremely easy, except the one with Bowser
3 -Items and items are pretty bad in this game
Hexes (known as hexes) are just a cheap replacement for the Mario Party 6 and 7 orbs, which while it's nice that they're free to use, aren't as much fun as the old ones.
The main problem is the items, which although they have returned to the form of an element since Mario Party 4, have several problems
First of all there are useless items like Warp Dice Block that just teleports you to a random place
There are also super advantageous items like the star pipe (which is a replacement for the magic lamp from Mario Party 2, 3 and 4 or the flutteWigger orb from Mario Party 5, 6 and 7) which is a very cool item though , the problem is that it is too cheap costing only 15 coins, while the items in other games cost between 20 to 30 coins.
Worst of all is that you can now buy ALL THE ITEMS UP TO THREE SPACES IN YOUR INVENTORY BY PASSING ONLY ONCE IN THE STORE, although this sounds good in practice it is very unfair because you can have more than 45 coins and if you are lucky and the item is in the store (normally, at the last five rounds) You can buy three star pipes winning the game more easily.
Mario Party DS received mixed to positive reviews. It currently has a 7.3 on IGN, who called it "a huge leap over the last portable rendition."
Final Calification: 6.59/10
7 - Mario Party 6
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Good Points:
1 - The graphics are decent, although they use the same designs as Mario Party 4 and 5
2 - They added day and night that changed every three turns on all boards, like the horror land board from Mario Party 2
3 - There are a fair number of mini-games and a great selection
4 - You can make purchases with stars of many things
5 - Mario Party 5 orb slots improved them, even if you fall into your own trap, it no longer affects you and gives you five coins
6 - The boards are very large and entertaining
7 - Finally you can buy your own orbs, unlike the previous game where they were given to you for free, but it was totally random.
8 - It has several quite good game modes including the extras.
Bad Points:
1 - They added something new that ended up being crap, which is the microphone, an accessory that connects to Slot B of the Gamecube Memory Card
The problem that it is very imprecise and you have to know and speak English perfectly and it is very difficult to use it
Luckily it's not required to play, you can disable the microphone minigames or just play with the L and R button actions
Besides that the microphone accessory was made only for SIX GAMES: Mario Party 6, Mario Party 7, Karaoke Revolution Party, Odama, Chibi-Robo!, and Densetsu no Quiz Ou Ketteisen. (and of those three are exclusive to Japan)
2 - The Soundtracks are hardly memorable compared to the fifth game and back.
3 - The Endurance Alley mode is a TOTALLY BROKEN mode, you have to play 100 random minigames without losing, the problem is not that the difficulty increases, but that there are minigames that are literally based on luck like Pitifall that can go out there and if you lose you go back to start from the beginning
Also it is not mandatory or necessary to unlock anything and you earn almost nothing worthwhile, just 10 STARS, although fortunately they corrected this in the PAL version a bit
Curiosities: Trap Ease Artist, Same Is Lame, Pitifall, and Trick or Tree are not available in the Endurance Alley in the PAL version of the game, the reason likely being that they are all luck-based.
Final calification: 6.72/10
6 - Mario party 7
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Good Points:
1 - Graphics improved quality in part at least
2 - The character-specific color coding was eventually removed.
3 - The game is the first to offer six bonus stars, all of which are random instead of three as in previous games making it much more competitive.
4 - The boards are gigantic, based on different places in real life such as China and Japan
5 - It is one of the Mario Party with the largest number of minigames without counting the recycles or remakes like the top 100 or the Superstars, having 88 minigames.
Speaking of which, it's the classic Mario Party with fewer mini-games of pressing a single button very quickly.
6 - Toadsworth's microphone minigames are like Mario Party 3 Game Guy, but better because your bet is optional
7 - Pretty good story mode of traveling to different parts of the world on a cruise (who knows you Oddysey)
8 - There is a store to buy many of the things in the game that is literally called "Duty Free Shop" Apparently in an anarcho-capitalist paradise
Bad Points:
1 - Koopa Kid is no longer a playable character and this is his last major appearance.
2 - The character orbs, while useful in their own ways, are imbalanced. The Triple Shroom and Magic orbs are extremely good and can be used at anytime, while others like the Fireball or Egg orbs are situational and can only be good when the opportunity presents itself.
3 - Speaking of which, although it has a very good amount of mini-games, unfortunately there are very few 4-player ones with only thirteen is these.
Final Calification: 6.89/10
5 - Mario Party 4
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Good Points:
1 - The graphics are spectacular, and the character models are very well done for being from 2002, so much so that the character designs remained almost unchanged until Mario Party 8 on the Wii.
2 - The minigames are very well done and it is possibly the Mario Party with the most entertaining and fair minigames
3 - It is one of the last Mario Parties to have memorable soundtracks, they are not as good as the first ones but they are quite good
4 - The gift mode lengthens and makes the duration of the game replayable
5 - It is the first Mario Party that can be played as a team in party mode.
6 - It is the last game in the series (until Mario Party 10) in which Donkey Kong is playable.
It is also the last game where the magic lamp and the Bowser mushroom appear (although the latter is almost impossible to see in action).
7 - It has good game modes and extra minigames like Beach Volleyball, where you can play with all the characters in the game, including the non-playable ones that are the hosts like Toad, Koopa Troopa, Shy Guy, Boo, and even Koopa Kid and Bowser (only exception is Goomba because is the referre)
8 - Some memorable boards like the one with the casino-themed Goomba
9 - The dialogue can be humorous at times, an example is when the rules of Darts of Doom is being explained, a Koopa Kid says "The player with the least points..." and then the fan holding Koopa Kid says "Gets a back rub!"
10 - It is the first, last and so far only Mario Party to use a CGI scene in the intro and also to be the first to have the 3D boards, although the direction of the map is flat until Mario Party 5
Bad Points:
1 - There aren't many minigames even though they are super cool, there are only 60, while Mario Party 2 had 65 minigames (although some of those were enhanced editions of the first game) and Mario Party 3 had 71 minigames.
Other than that there is no/they removed the duel category in the minigames, the closest thing is the minigames against the hosts but they can only be played in story mode and when you win a board
2 - Speaking of the previous point, the minigame against Boo IS SUPER UNFAIR and very lucky to win it.
3 - Bowser's Big Blast minigame from Mario Party 2 returns, coincidentally being one of the worst minigames that could return for being one of battle and luck
4 - The special gifts, which are the gifts in which you have to achieve certain objectives in specific minigames, can be very frustrating like Shy Guy's plate or the worst and most difficult of all the Goomba Clock
Also, if you don't have that gift, you won't be able to have the star trophy
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5 - Bowser's mushroom made it the RAREEST item not only in the game, but almost in the saga (although not as much as the miracle capsule of Mario Party 5) In that unlike Mario Party 2 and 3, it only appears when Bowser does a gift falling into his box and almost never comes out, believe me when it is easier to win the lottery of 100 game coins several times than to get the bowser mushroom.
6 - The Doors Of Doom minigame in the extra mode is possibly one of the worst minigames in the saga, because it is practically and randomly to chance, all the doors have an already determined pattern that you cannot avoid even with tricks, although fortunately it is not in the main mode.
Final calification: 7.10/10
4 - Mario Party
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Good Points:
1 - It has a new, interesting premise for a Mario game: Mario and friends having a party and Bowser wants to ruin it. Because of its originality, this game was a great success and created the Mario Party franchise with a lot of great sequels in future Nintendo consoles.
2 - This game, like the Mario Kart franchise, revolutionized a concept in video games, in the first it was a karting game with elements of the franchise and fun settings and the second a board game but with playable minigames and a variety of boards and traps.
3 - The controls, despite the mini-games of crush buttons, are pretty decent and solid.
4 - Good graphics by the standards of the late 1990s.
5 - Playing on the island of minigames was a pretty good challenge, which is to play all the minigames in order to advance
6 - The soundtrack is very memorable and possibly the best music Mario Party ever.
7 - They have unique elements that no longer have in later installments, such as the Mushroom space, in which you can double dice or leave you immobile for one turn, and the one-player minigames, which were only seen again in the shit of Advance and in Mario Party 8. , (although there are only three and nothing else to appear in story mode)
Bad Points:
1 - THE INFAMOUS AND HORRIBLE MINI-GAMES OF ROTATING THE STICK, these include Tug O' War, Paddle Battle, Pedal Power
2 - Unlike Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, which did have their elements as something revolutionary in the genre, There are no items in this game, which cuts out a significant amount of strategy the player can play. The closest thing to "items" are the random dice blocks and the warp block, but they only appear randomly. Due to these factors, it is near impossible for a player who is behind to catch up to the person who is in first, the only real way they can do so is with chance time.
3 - You also have to be careful, because it is the only Mario Party where you can lose coins even in 4-player minigames
Final calification: 7.25/10
3 - Mario Party 5
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Good points:
1 - Of all the Mario Parties that used the orb formula, this is the best.
2 - Good story mode in which it is based on preventing the world of dreams from becoming the world of nightmares
3 - They removed Donkey Kong and added Toad as a playable
4 - Besides that they added the category of Donkey Kong minigames which are very good
5 - Lots of great modes, like Party Mode, Story Mode, Mini-Game Mode, Super Duel Mode, and Bonus Mode. Beach Volleyball that returns from the previous game or the battle mode with ships (Super Duel Mode), in which you play a tournament or with a friend a battle with a custom ship, besides that the more minigames you win, you unlock improvements for that way
6 - The capsules are great items, as you can place them on the boards or use them on yourself (which will cost you coins), and is a nice new technique of using items introduced in this game.
7 - This game marks the playable debuts of Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid.
8 - The Star Spirits from Paper Mario are the hosts of this game, and are very enjoyable to watch, as they represent the dreams very well, being that stars are out at night when everyone’s dreaming.
9 - The Duel minigames that had been taken from the fourth game returned.
10 - The new boards are fully rendered in 3D, and are all fun to play, with many being enjoyable Dream worlds, and the final board, Bowser’s Nightmare, being outstanding, showing not all dreams are good.
11 - It is possibly one of the last Mario Party to have memorable soundtracks
Bad Points:
1 - MANY OF BOWSER'S MINI-GAMES are very frustrating or almost impossible to save and there are many consequences for losing whereas in the fourth game, Bowser's mini-games had only one loser (although the good thing is that Donkey Kong can save you from time to time in return to lose 20 coins, although it is rare)
2 - Some of the dueling minigames get very unfair because they are very luck based and adding the fact that from this Mario Party stars are bet on duels makes it more fucked up.
3 - It is also the classic Mario Party with the most mini-games to press the button quickly
4 - Combining it with the colon, the worst of all is Button Mashers, because you have to press a lot of buttons at the same time very quickly.
5 - Despite the capsules being great items, the Capsule System itself is inferior compared to the items. Instead of deciding which item to buy, you get a random capsule. Not only that, but you also need to pay if you want to use the capsule on yourself, and no matter if you throw your capsule on a space, your own capsule will harm you, which can make the game pretty unfair at times. Thankfully, Mario Party 6 did it right with the orb mechanic along with making the orbs purchasable too.
Also see action the miracle capsule is almost impossible to see
Final calification: 7.50/10
2 - Mario Party 2
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Good Points:
1 - Good graphics by the standards of the end of the 1990s.
2 - The soundtrack is good and it has memorable songs like Bowser Appears, Keepin on the Path, Going Somewhere, Let The Game Begin, Horror Land and Couldn't Be Better.
It is the second game along with the first with the best soundtrack
3 - The game has 6 boards and in each changes the appearance of the characters to suit the theme of the board, This dramatically increases the game's replay value. Although there's fewer boards than its prequel, their much higher in quality.
4 - There are over 65 minigames in this game, which is a slight improvement on the 50 minigames from the previous installment. Compared to its predecessor, Its minigames are of much higher quality. It also ports over many of Mario Party 1's minigames, but are improved.
Nintendo learned the lesson of the minigames where you have to roll the analog stick about and since Mario Party 2, the analog stick has been used sparingly and by the time of the GameCube, Nintendo's analog sticks have gotten much more comfortable to use. Nintendo also did not create more mini-games that rely on using constant rotation of the analog stick to win until Mario Party: Island Tour.
5 - It is the first Mario Party to include items, Allowing much greater amount of strategic play.
6 - The game has a pretty decent amount of content for an N64 game released in 1999, with there being a lot more features and a better UI than the previous game, which is very impressive and quite the nice amount of accomplishment to take the new at the time spin off series in a new turn by expanding the gameplay a bit and fixing some flaws that were previously apparent.
7 - It was responsible for setting the foundation for later installments, as with the new features implemented into this games like items would also see a decent amount of changes in later installments, and some of the newer games would tend to spice things up a bit to make the formula fresh and exciting.
Bad Points:
1 - The fact that many of the minigames are ports of the first game can be a turn off. About 1/3rd of the minigames are recycled from Mario Party.
2 - You can only carry one item in this game, which either decreases or increases an items value. Skeleton Keys are essentially worthless if you don't intend on going through a gate immediately, and the Plunder Chest is overpowered as it can prevent any other player from getting strong items like Magic Lamps, Boo Bells, Gold Mushrooms, or even other Plunder Chests without their items getting stolen. The other players essentially have to team up to counter the player with the plunder chest.
Final calification: 7.88/10
1 - Mario Party 3
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1 - Duel Mode was interesting, and was a fun new mode to add.
2 - The game has 12 boards, 6 from Battle Royal, and 6 from Duel Mode, and it beats out Mario Party 1's number of boards: 8, as each of these new boards have their own new functions, which were really fun, including Waluigi's Island, our first character themed board since Mario Party 1.
3 - There are 71 minigames in the game, which is a slight improvement compared to Mario Party 2's 65 minigames.
4 - Introduced some fun new mini games, like Storm Chasers, Eatsa Pizza, Vine with Me, and Toadstool Titan
5 - The first Mario Party game to expand the roster, as Daisy and Waluigi make their playable debut.
6 - Like Mario Party 2, good graphics by 2000 standards.
7 - The soundtrack was good, especially during the mini games. Some memorable songs are Genie’s Theme, Chilly Waters, Stardust Battle, Spiny Desert, and Panic!.
8 - Gave us our first boss fight mini game, being vs the Millennial Star, Stardust Battle, which was awesome.
9 - Introduced Story Mode, which was great.
10 - While Tumble was basically a Toad knock-off, he was still a favorite cute character as he was the first of the unique Mario Party hosts of each game, especially when he's revealed to have the true Millennium Star, who is super adorable, at the end of Story Mode.
11 - In Battle Royal, you can now carry 3 items, compared to just 1 in Mario Party 2.
12 - There are item minigames, as well as item questions for item spaces, making this more interesting, and you can get a rare item from the question if you pick the most honest answer, but only if you are answering Toad's question.
13 - They have an impressive total of 20 items, some new and some returning from Mario Party 2.
Bad Points:
1- Game Guy was not a fun mode, as these mini games are hard and would result in coins being lost if you end up losing in these mini games. Thankfully, this was the only Mario Party game to have this.
2 - The Lucky Lamp is way too cheap to buy, it costs 20 coins to get. In the previous game and next game, it was 30 coins. The lowered price makes it very easy for players to get stars with ease.
Final calification: 8.20/10
And what is your favorite Mario Party? put it down
Now I will leave the sources of Wikipedia, MarioWiki and some other person who influenced my opinions to give credit
See you soon Superstar!

I fucked up two times in the past couple of years. The first one was real bad which led to me losing most of all my friends and forced me into an isolation in an instant and to deal with the loneliness I started to abuse the devils lettuce. I’ve been dazed and confused for the past year and a half and because of some serious legal trouble I got into (the 2nd situation) I have to stop because of a drug test I would need to take to remove the charges from my record. I’m almost a week without weed but yearn for alternatives, I didn’t realize but I started drinking more and for the first time started smoking cigarettes to lean off of the weed. Funny enough, I feel a craving for inebriation of any kind and need help stopping.
I recently went to a psychiatrist because i have been having trouble waking up and was diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety, and ADHD. I’m trying my best to be a better person but it’s hard to envision being sober. I have a hard time accepting that I can’t live my life drunk/high every night or every other day and with the weed gone it’s even harder.
Thanks in advance for the replies

I (36F only child) found out tonight that while I was at my lowest low, my maternal first cousins (36F and 31 F), who had been my “best friends” since birth, and their friends were constantly talking shit about me behind my back when I was suicidal.
Long story short, I have been NC with NarcMother and NC with EFather (divorced since 2000) since 2014 and 2020, respectively. But I always tried to maintain a cordial, if distant, relationship with my maternal family (no family really paternally after grandparents died).
I grew up with my cousin who was 3 months older than me. She was the blonde GC and I was the, almost literally, red-headed “stepchild” scapegoat of the family. I was so jealous of her but never ever told anyone because I just wanted my family to love me. I constantly received the feedback that I wasn’t as good but tried to brush it off. Re-reading my middle and high school diaries is painful bec of how jealous I was of her. Fast forward 20 years and we’re young adults. We hung out as friends because I assumed we liked each other. But I always felt like something was wrong. I didn’t know I was autistic at the time but looking back, I was desperately suicidal and just wanted somebody, anybody, to love me.
A friend told me tonight that my cousin and her friends constantly made fun of me behind my back during this entire time. And it makes me so sad and enraged. I was always lesser than in our family But she brought that to the friend group as well? She did a few other things that made me cut all ties in the mid 10s but I never knew about this. So what did she think when I unfriended/blocked her on all social media? Did she have a clue? Never an apology or anything. Nothing!
Maybe this is totally on me for never saying anything, but finding this out tonight makes me hurt for my past self in a way I didn’t think possible. I was so lonely and to know the person I thought was my best friend made fun of me, used me as joke material for her “better” friends… I can’t even explain the betrayal I feel. I sucked it up when every one of my crushes like her and not me, I took it in stride when my family called me “elitist” and “stuck up” for going to a top 15 college out of state while she stayed home and went to the local university. I tolerated being belittled as child because I was stubborn and difficult compared to her.
But I can’t deal with this right now. I literally mailed my wedding reception invites TODAY and I wish I could take back hers and her sister’s. I’m so hurt. My poor husband has helped me to deal with all of this. He doesn’t deserve such a mentally ill and unwanted wife.
I do not know what to do with myself. I have been passive my entire life to all the abuse (I’m sure my posting history goes through what I’ve gone through with my own nuclear family) and I’m done. Her and her friends making fun of me lost me a potential relationship at that time that sent me even further into a depressive spiral and I had no idea. I’m so done with my entire family and I just need to hear I’m not crazy.

Henry's Life Story
I was born in 1950! Yes, I was shiny and new once upon a time. No one kept track of my first ten years of life. I was 'just a truck' to my previous owners. I ended up in Ocotillo Wells, California, run to death, with my old flathead six motor froze up. My owner at that time sold me to Denny DuVall for $35 in 1960, and thus begins my story.
Now as you look at my old primer paint, with my dents and rust, you might believe that I am still on my death bed. However, if you look under my hood, you will see a new 350 horse GM Crate motor. I'm also sporting a Cadillac clip, with disc brakes, power steering, tilt wheel, and an aluminum cross flow radiator. Topped off with a rebuilt Chevy truck transmission. A "Vintage Air" a/c unit, and tempered glass in all my doors!! OK, now back to 1960. Denny's original plan was to go in with a friend of his, buy me, resell me for a couple of hundred dollars, split the money between them, and run.
Now I must tell you that Denny's friend was not able to come up with his half of the $35. (That's $17.50 to those of you who are paying attention!!) Now Denny, being the "Financial Wizard" that he is, took another two weeks to come up with the kings ransom of $35 to rescue me from certain death!! I almost signed up for counseling on that one!!
Then – Denny buys an old wrecked '51 Ford for $15.00 (money is no object to him) and installs the flat head six motor in me. I didn't realize that he cleaned swimming pools, and he would drive me 100 miles a day, six days a week. So, a year and a half later, that motor gave up the ghost, and I limped home, with my rods banging, two cylinders gone, smoking something terrible, and no oil pressure. In spite of my internal hemorrhaging, I got him home!
And so, began the legacy of a total of ten used motors, that Denny would install in me, over the following forty years of continuous service. Not to mention the million miles that went along with that! It's a miracle that I look this good!!! In 1961, Denny got married. They had Michelle in '63; Lissa in '64, Ben in '67, and Matthew in '69. Life in Borego was good. I was into motor three by then. This family life is pretty cool. Once when Chelle and Lissa were still quite small, maybe five- and six-years- old, they were playing, "drive the panel truck." Somehow, Chelle got my motor started.
Lissa sat on the floor and worked the pedals, Michelle steered. Wegot about 150 feet on our journey, when "fleet foot" Denny caught up with us, and brought our adventure to an end. Perhaps the girls and I will continue our journey at a later date.
In '73, Denny's Dad passed away. He and his family moved to Escondido with his Mom, so she could be closer to medical facilities. She passed away in '74. Three months later his fourteen-year marriage came to an end. This was not a very happy time for him, or me. All I could do was take him from place to place, and give him shelter.
For the next five years or so, (in Denny's quest to find his 'center') consisted of going from place to place. He would stay long enough for the wind to change direction, and we would be off, again!!
The hum of my motor, and the changing scenery, would comfort him, as we headed out on a new adventure. I guess I should also tell you that his other, "source of comfort," was his lady friends. We would all take trips to the redwoods, Oregon coast, the desert, etc.
Not to tell stories out of school, – Denny went through more, "relationships" than I've gone through tires and oil changes combined in my forty plus years with him!! Oy Vey, the sacrifices I've made!!!
As time goes by, "Tumble Weed" and I end up in South Carolina for four years. During that time we go back to Pa. to meet his birth Mother (another story-another time) Then it's to Deer Lodge, Montana. Of course, Denny (in his ultimate wisdom) gets us there in December, when it's colder than a mother-in -law's kiss. Hell, my gasoline even froze up!!! Will any of my wisdom ever rub off on him?? If I ever find that person he got that $35.00 from, he'll have tire tracks on himself, from head to toe!!! By mid-January, Denny has had enough of Montana. He's down to .37 cents, and very cold. He calls his cousin Tom. Tom sends us $200, and we're off for Southern Ca. Cousin Tom has a job waiting for Denny at San Onofre. He works Continued from Page 11there for a year. Then we relocate in the Escondido area. Denny meets a lady there, and they hook up for ten years. We all move up to Ramona. This ten-year thing was not destined to last. In '93 he and I move to the Julian area, where Denny does his paint and body thing. A trade that he has been in and out of since '57. "Tumble Weed," by now has acquired a 28' motor home to live in, and a '61 "manx." A road legal sand buggy – for those of you who don't know. Yes – I've learned to share Denny with other vehicles. It gives me a well deserved rest, from time to time!!
So – from '93 through '99 it's living in or around Julian, Borego, Fallbrook, Escondido, and Poway. Going from place to place, working on other people's antique cars and hot rods. As you can tell – He didn't do any paint and body work on me !! Nooo, I got to carry the commercial compressor, and all of the paint and body tools in me, run to Escondido for paint and supplies etc. While he made everyone else beautiful!!! But I'm NOT bitter – honest I'm not!!!
Now during that time from '93 through '99 there were trips every Sept. to Bellingham, Wa., to see his kids, and grandkids. Plus trips to different states for different reasons. One of these days, my wheels will just FALL off !!! Don't get me wrong – we have a LOT of fun on these trips. We meet lots of neat people, and make lots of great friends along the way! Now – maybe, if Denny would sit still long enough, some nice lady could drive a nail through one foot, and I could have a nice home with a BIG garage and a – never mind He's got me on "high test" and my mind wonders from time to time. Hey, I have my fantasies too you know!! OK – well, would you believe in '99 Denny moves to Poway and gets a (hang on to me) REAL JOB!!! You know, show up at 8 a.m., leave at 5 p.m., Monday though Friday, pay check every Friday thing!!!! Several of his friends are still in therapy over this deal!! I hope they get better soon!! This, has also contributed to all of the things that have been done to me over the past year, and more to come!!! I just LOVE it!!

Hi!
I'm a 39 year old going on 40 year old childfree lady from the central part of the US. It'd be awesome to maybe have some email/snailmail or Reddit penpals. It'd be cool to hear from some people from other parts of the world :)! Hopefully, you're childfree like me! That's what I'm mostly interested in anyway because someday I'd like to travel more. I'd probably want to talk over reddit personal messaging (not chat) or email for awhile first before moving to a different medium though or if you prefer just keep things here. I'm really sorry but I don't seem to be that reliable of a chatter so sticking to a personal message or email format would be better.
I had penpals as a kid and it was kind of fun. Nice to learn about living in other parts of the world and just talking about different perspectives and experiences. Might want to get travel tips as well and what the best and most interesting places to see in your country are.
Some things I might be interested in are: a round robin story in a fantasy or sci fi setting, sharing about every day life, helping you brainstorm ideas for something you are working on etc.
Some people say I seem like I'm passionate about rock music so here are some of the bands I like or have liked in the past: Covenant (Swedish electronic band), Sleep Token, Ghost, Spiritbox, The Black Queen, Depeche Mode, Katatonia, Opeth, The Cure, Led Zeppelin, NIN, Brides of the Black Room, Niyaz, some Candlemass, The Weeknd.... maybe you can introduce me to some new bands.
I think science/space and stuff is pretty interesting and I'm going back for a career in healthcare myself. I have a crass sense of humor and can get really goofy at times.
Serries I liked: Vikings, Valhalla, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Westworld, Magicians
I used to occasionally read fantasy books. I hope this summer I can get back to that.
Someday I might like to take up an instrument again but its kind of inconvenient right now. Piano would probably be the most likely one because its what I took and was good at when I was young.
I'm not really a person who smokes, or does drugs etc. I drink socially like once or twice a year. But honestly, for this I don't think any of that's relevant.
I'm just looking for some penpals: gender, sexual orientation, appearance etc irrelevant. Hopefully you'd be 28 or older just so we have more stuff to talk about. And no, I don't want to be your affair partner that's gross.
I'm really just hoping to find a couple of people who some of my post really resonates with who make a high effort response (more likely to garner a reply). I'm not looking to chat or sext. I'm looking for a penpal.
Oh and yeah, meeting in person (in a public place as friends if I'm traveling in your area) isn't out of the question if we really hit it off.