important technical updates from the Tokyo F1 Festival 🌸🛠🔧
the hair survived the trip across the pacific ocean
Sitting 3 centimetres off the edge of the seat, posture impeccable, no one has ever postured harder
posture -the sequel: prim and proper princess
Serious and considering pout
Serious competition, was not interested in shenanigans
okay maybe itty bitty shenanigans
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Unpacking is very cute and I admire the type of narrative it's able to pull off just through the gameplay of moving into spaces. the intimacy of everyday objects, still life, environmental storytelling, etc etc etc
But i have Got to talk about 2010. Unpacking is a game where all you do is take stuff out of boxes and find spaces for it, and for the most part it gives you quite a lot of freedom about where you can put stuff. There are some rules - most things cant go on the floor, stuff generally has to be in the right room, the soap has to be near the sink, etc etc, but apart from that there's no wrong place to put things.
Moving into this fucking guy's house in 2010 felt like putting everything in the wrong place. It felt like I wasn't supposed to be there, a square peg into a round hole. His entire house is pristine when I get there, everything organised perfectly, evenly spaced, colour-matched, sterile. Throughout the level I'm shoving everything around on his bookcase to fit my hoard of knickknacks, putting my red plastic colander in the cupboard above his cool green matching set of plates and bowls, my bright purple toothbrush cup, hairbrush, and straightening iron clutter his pristine bathroom counter. My family of stuffed chickens is made to look silly next to his fancy mixology set and miniature sand garden.
I end up putting my laptop and drawing tablet out on the kitchen island because there isn't a desk anywhere I can use. My markers and hoard of sketchbooks are crammed into my bedside table. I'm not allowed to move his posters in the living room, so my university certificate goes under the bed.
I won't pretend that I, playing Unpacking in 2023, didn't know how the game ended. I knew already that the protagonist would move on from this guy, but even if I didn't, I would have been able to tell. It was not fun moving into his house, it was not easy or charming to meld our lives together, I did not feel welcome there. Moving in with him felt like a transgression, an imposition. Moving in with him felt like a wrong decision in a game where I couldn't really make wrong decisions.
An incredible magic trick of game design, in my opinion.
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The Villain's Housekeeper
(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5) (part 6) (part 7) (part 8) (part 9) (part 10) (part 11)
The villain returns home as the sun is just starting to stain the sky orange. They dump their bag and coat at the door—the hero can pick them up later—and make their way through the hallway. The house is silent, and a quick peek into the living room finds their new maid asleep on the sofa. The maid outfit is dumped on the floor, and the villain tries not to think too much about what that means is under the blanket draped over the hero.
Satisfied with the sight, if not a little flustered at their own thoughts, the villain traipses up the stairs. They check the offending bookshelf on their way past; it’s certainly been tidied. Then it’s to the bedroom, to flop down in bed and try to sleep the night off.
The villain closes their eyes and dreams of bloodshed.
Villains all over the city have been panicking. Heroes are closing in on all of them. The supervillain has sent people out to handle the problem, and only a few have come back. All it took was for the supervillain to lose confidence, and it was chaos.
The villain is awoken by the sound of the coffee machine whirring in the kitchen below. They want nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep, but their mind is focused on the clacking downstairs, the cupboard slamming, ceramics clinking, followed by heavy footsteps tramping up the stairs.
What are the chances that a hero would fall into the villain’s hands like this? Hurt, afraid, willing to do anything to hide. It’s almost too good to be true.
The hinges on the villain’s bedroom door creak horrendously as the hero nudges it open, a mug of coffee in their hand and the maid outfit beautifully in place.
So what happened to you?
The hero makes an attempt at a smile, and it comes out entirely too forced. “It’s almost two in the afternoon,” they comment when it becomes clear that the villain isn’t about to speak. “I thought it’d do you some good to at least wake up.”
Being awake saves them from the nightmares about their inevitable future. They take the mug from the hero when they hold it out to them.
“Thanks,” they say, the word stilted like it doesn’t want to be said. “Did you sleep alright?” And when they realise that sounds too much like they care, they add: “I need you in good condition to work well.”
“You said that last night, too,” the hero says flatly, “but yes, I did. Full eight hours, as promised.”
The villain nods before taking a sip of the coffee—just how they like it. The hero’s already nailed that part of the job. “Can you hoover? The hall was looking kind of gross when I came in last night.”
The hero’s face settles into that scowl again. “Sure.”
“Don’t forget what terms you’re here on, [Hero],” the villain calls after them as they turn to leave. “You have a lot resting on that hoover.”
The scowl dips into uncomfortable disgust as they glance back at the villain. “Like I could forget.”
And then they’re gone, the door clicking shut behind them. The villain sets the mug on the side after one last sip, lugging themself out of bed and to the wardrobe. Might as well do something productive before the supervillain’s terror inevitably forces them to face the end.
-
The hero turns the hoover off, and the room falls into blissful silence. They take a moment to enjoy how not loud it suddenly is.
“That looks better,” the villain says brightly from the kitchen table. The hero’s face pulls into a familiar-feeling frown; of course they had to go and break the silence. They’ve joined the hero downstairs to watch them work, like many days before now, thankfully changed out of yesterday’s clothes.
“You’re welcome,” the hero spits as they round on the villain. They’re staring, not even subtly, at the work the stupid maid outfit is doing for their physique. “For everything.”
“You sure know how to deliver.” The villain smiles, unbothered. “There’s something missing, though—when’re you gonna tell me about this freak showdown with your agency?”
The hero jams the hoover back in its place to avoid having to answer for a moment. They need to collect their thoughts, tell the villain the bare minimum, enough to sate their curiosity. Just enough to stop them goddamn asking.
“I found out some classified information, by accident,” they start slowly. The hoover whines loudly as they start coiling up the cable. “I told someone I trusted about it, and they turned out to be doing an inside job. The classified information got to the wrong people, and [Superhero] blamed me for it. He thought I was in on their little operation.”
The villain frowns. “All of that literally sounds like a bunch of bad coincidences.”
The hero shrugs nonchalantly, though it doesn’t feel nonchalant in the slightest. “I’m not known for being lucky.”
The villain’s gaze dips to the mug in their hands. They brought it down from their bedroom, though it’s probably cold by now. “That’s probably why you’re here” — they gesture rather vaguely at the hero — “like this.”
The maid outfit is easily the worst bout of luck in all of this. “Better than being tortured by my ex-boss, I suppose.”
“I suppose,” the villain echoes weakly, and their face dips into a frown that the hero almost misreads as regret.
Next part
Taglist: @excusemeasibangmyheadonawall
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