Grim Tales: Color of Fright Session 2 (or possibly 3?)

Well it’s been so long I forgot I was in the middle of this game. Fortunately I had sort of left a note of where I left off? Except I think I’m missing something in the middle because I definitely did rescue John Gray between now and the last post.

Either way, Thomas Gray continued to be up to no good with his obsession with his adopted sister.

I did what I did best which was set fire to shit and that solved the problem.

I also found this:

Screenshot from Grim Tales Color of Fright of a discovered creature called Screamy which appears to be a sphynx kitten
It’s named Screamy and I love it. I apologize for not capturing a picture of the squid ‘Deep Curse’

 

So then I did the bonus chapter where we discover murder and arson may be solved with a hug? Except, of course, then I unlocked the secret room where he was like ‘surprise! I built a bomb! HAHA’

So Thomas… I’m sorry you’re not the best representation of mental illness the media has to offer. It does not seem to be very pleasant.

Setting up the next game, The Final Suspect, I discover that the game after it, Threads of Destiny, is NOT available for purchase! No idea why.

But thankfully over on the Hidden Object Games Wiki (which has been invaluable for me knowing what order to play these in), users Fuufou, Omega-003, and Angel998 have all worked together to give me a detailed summary to reference so I know what I’ll be missing. Thank you, brave soldiers.

GI Joe: A Real American Hero and… apparently Action Force?

If you look up ‘GI Joe’ on IMDB, you will not find the 1986 series. It is, for some arcane reason, located under ‘Action Force’. Anyway, solved that. So this also came to TubiTV and I watched it, as is my wont, only to discover that I was in the wrong order and had to go to the earlier 1983 miniseries to find out who everyone was. Anyway, here’s what I saw:

The Pyramid of Darkness: Part 1 – The Further Adventures of G.I. Joe

Zartan and Cobra seize the Delta Space Station and destroy G.I. Joe headquarters. Shipwreck and Snake Eyes are lost behind enemy lines while Cobra Commander reveals his plan to deprive the world of electricity.

Spent this quietly confused and wondering exactly how one plot point led to the next. Did enjoy how it took a failed voiceprint match to reveal that the two men wearing COBRA costumes over their regular costumes and two animal friends were not, in fact, COBRA. This is also when I realized I had the wrong series and went back to find the other so I can’t tell you what happens in the next part yet.

 

The Cobra Strikes

Destro builds the Mass Device, which is capable of teleporting objects and people from one location to another. In order to send its beam anywhere in the world, Cobra steals a powerful relay satellite, and captures Duke during the attack.

These Joes seem like nice boys (and girls). This Duke guy wasn’t in the other episode I saw, hope he’s okay.

Slaves of the Cobra Master

As Duke tries to escape from Cobra Temple, GI Joe constructs its own Mass Device. The two sides race for three rare elements that power the device, with Scarlett leading the Joes to an arctic mine in order to acquire radioactive crystals.

I can’t help thinking that if a teammate has been established to not speak (Snake Eyes) it’s just going to lead to frustration on both parts if you keep yelling at him to confirm he hears you on the walky talky. Or maybe it’s YOUR fault he chose death, Scarlett. You made it a hostile workplace.

Also ended up identifying a character as ‘Tripwire’ by recognizing his voice actor, looking up who that voice actor played, then playing ‘who was that most likely to be based on ‘their deal’ and their nickname’.

Speaking as having grown up on My Little Pony (1980s), you would not believe how little difference there was between it, GI Joe, and Transformers.

Transformers G1

OH BOY. Okay so during March oneself discovered that a bunch of Hasbro cartoons had come to TubiTV, including the stuff that had always been too expensive to get on DVD (Transformers, GI Joe) and a bingewatch (or as much as one can) began.

So here’s a bunch of them, quick reactions!

A Plague of Insecticons

The Autobots and Decepticons investigate reports of a new group of Giant Robots in the form of Insects.

The powers of the Insecticons are many, varied, and poorly explained. I do wonder at the moral of the episode ‘they may be enemies now, but their programming as Decepticons means that won’t last for long’ or something to that effect which probably meant something other than ‘the power of friendship always wins for Decepticons’ but I refuse to hear any other explanation.

Autobot Spike

After a vicious battle with the Decepticons, Spike is seriously injured. The Autobots use Sparkplug’s new invention, Autobot X, as a body for Spikes mind until his human body can recover. But the side effects could be disastrous.

In the IDW comics I read like, one on earth (that wasn’t the Thundercracker’s Santa script issue) and for some reason Spike was killing Transformers? And I was like ‘that’s weird’ and then I saw this episode and was like ‘oh he should have killed more’

The Immobilizer

Wheeljack’s new invention, the immobilizer, freezes anything that it’s pointed at. Now Megatron wants it for his own.

Hey, Wheeljack’s invention worked! On him.

Dinobot Island: Part 1

The Dinobots are destroying the Autobot base because there is no room for them to train. Bumblebee and Powerglide find a mysterious prehistoric island and believe it will be the perfect home for the Dinobots.

“Amazing! Dinosaurs! Let’s let the Dinobots just wreck ass on this island”

Also a LOT of Autobots we’ve never seen before get introduced in this episode and in the second one too. They are introduced via the classic ‘this is my name, this is my deal, even though we’ve known eachother before this, presumably’ but none more awkward than Perceptor’s and possibly Blaster’s. I’m not sure if Blaster is just like that.

Dinobot Island: Part 2

When the Decepticons begin to steal the energy from Dinobot Island, time warps begin to appear all over the world releasing more prehistoric civilizations into modern times.

All dinosaurs speak a common tongue of comradery which is how Grimlock got them to charge as one. It’s just science. It’s clearly explained in Land Before Time.

Traitor

The Decepticons steal the Electro Cells from the research center and plan to use them to create energon cubes. When Mirage tries to stop them on his own, Cliffjumper begins to think that Mirage is a Decepticon spy.

Summary:

Cliffjumper: This episode is called traitor and I choose Mirage. I’LL KILL YOU, MIRAGE, I’LL KILL YOU
Mirage: Wh-what?
Optimus Prime: Now now, we can’t kill Mirage without PROOF
Mirage: WHAT IS GOING ON

Later: Cliffjumper attempts to shoot Mirage in the head because he saw Mirage walking somewhere. Cliffjumper claims they’re friends at the end of the episode but I think Mirage should probably keep his door locked at night.

Enter the Nightbird

Dr. Fujiyama has created a ninja robot called Nightbird. When the Decepticons steal her, the Autobots must try to rescue Nightbird without harming her.

I was pretty excited to see this episode because there’s a lot of old gee wun fanfic where this is Megatron’s love interest (who uh, conversely is often killed off quickly as part Starscream proving… he’s better?) and I was always like ‘who is she? What is her deal?’

And her deal is she is a ninja robot who has no actual mind and goes into cold stage at the end of the episode, the end. Fandom can be weird when it wants a woman character to add to a group or, in some cases, be null rayed to death for some damn reason.

Changing Gears

The Decepticons set up a trap for the Autobots and kidnap Gears. Now, with Gears as his slave, Megatron creates a solar needle in order to steal the sun’s energy. But the consequences could be disastrous.

“What did you do to Gears, you monster!? You turned him nice!”

Alternately: I find out who Gears is.

A Prime Problem

Megatron creates an Optimus Prime clone to lure the Autobots into a crevasse of Korlonium Crystals set to explode on contact.

The stupidness of the tests that they came up with to prove who the real Optimus was (trick shooting, racing) is soothed by the fact that even in universe they were completely useless tests. Optimus probably needed a drink after this episode.

Atlantis, Arise!

The Decepticons discover an underwater city in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and make friends with it’s people. Now they’re out to destroy the surface world.

I would have spent more time wondering about there being another species + civilization on Earth if I was a human during this episode, but their city got blown up anyway.

Attack of the Autobots

While distracting the Autobots with a surprise attack, Megatron secretly sets a trap inside their base that will force the Autobots to do his bidding.

I’m just going to admit it now: I have no idea who most of these robots are.

Microbots

Megatron recovers the Heart of Cybertron from an ancient spaceship and uses its power on the Autobots. Perceptor suggests using his shrink ray to enter Megatron’s body and steal the Heart.

Megatron just flying off in disgust without even dignifying Optimus with a response after realizing Autobots had been running around in his body was relatable.

Perceptor: *trying to fix a microchip*
Brawn: YOU COWARD! HIDING BEHIND YOUR MACHINES!
Perceptor: kind of busy!
Brawn: WEAK! MACHINE WEAKLING!
Perceptor: this is delicate work!
Brawn: I’LL KICK YOUR ASS! I’LL KICK ANYONE’S ASS
Ironhide: *lying there wondering if he’s going to get his chip fixed*

The Master Builders

Grapple has dreamed of building a solar tower to collect energy from the sun. To achieve this dream, he rashly allies himself with the Constructicons.

Grapple and Hoist are hilarious.

The Insecticon Syndrome

The Insecticons return and attack the nova power plant in order to get enough energy to seize the defense computer at Iron Mountain.

More weird insecticon powers. Triple crosses. Confused Autobots. Spike was there…? It’s all a blur.

Day of the Machines

Megatron reprograms the human built supercomputer TORQ III with his own personality and has it controlling machines of all types by using Remote Control Circuit Linker cards.

Scientist 1: Surely it’s a bad idea to create a computer capable of murdering us all
Scientist 2: Haha that is the only way humanity will evolve, through murderous machines.
Scientist 1: I am not sure about this
Scientist 2: Stop worrying your pretty head. You’ll feel better in the mornin–
Scientist 1: What’s wrong???
Scientist 2: In a twist, the machine is murdering us. Ah well!

Partners in Crime: The Ambassador’s Boots

Summary: The new U. S. Ambassador to Britain confides to the Beresfords that on the voyage there someone substituted another travel bag for his, a bag that only contained his boots.

Self, you may go back to this blog some years hence (if the code rot hasn’t claimed it yet!) and say ‘strange, there was an unusually long period between updates and then all at once one day!’ and this episode is why. There’s a scene where one of Tuppence’s friends is wearing a lovely suit and calling the others ‘chums’ and all that and despite some eugenics issues (sigh) it’s generally a delightful character moment and you were like ‘oh I NEED to get a screencapture of that’ and you never did and then it was a whole month later?

Anyway, that’s what happened. And you liked this episode. Except for the part where you knew it was a fake out at one part but for some reason the acting made it seem like it was Albert’s scheme to get noticed by his bosses, not someone else’s scheme.

Think of England by KJ Charles

Summary: England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage.

Curtis’s search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts.

As events unfold, Curtis realizes that Daniel has his own secret intentions. And there’s something else they share—a mounting sexual tension that leaves Curtis reeling.

As the house party’s elegant facade cracks to reveal treachery, blackmail and murder, Curtis finds himself needing clever, dark-eyed Daniel as he has never needed a man before…

 

Well, I read the sequel to this first (Proper English, about Fen and Pat who are in this as well) and was like ‘well I’d certainly like to see more!’ so I picked this up! Even though both involve a good deal of death and blackmail, the mysteries had very different tones to them. Especially since partway through, this one turns into a spy caper.

I have a confession: I have gone the whole book without looking up what a ‘dago’ is and I’m pretty sure it’s nothing nice.

Man. The moment where the POV stops calling the love interest by the surname and by his first, that’s A+ right there.

It had an amazingly gory end. A ‘I really really was not expecting that’ level of gory.

Overall I think Proper English was more my speed, but I definitely enjoyed reading this one and was disappointed to find out there was no further ones in the series. I’ll just have to try her other books.

Ghost Twins #1

Ghost Twins: Mystery at Kickingbird Lake

Summary: The former home of the Ghost Twins, Robbie and Beka, and Thatch, the Ghost Dog, is now a rental at the Kickingbird Lake Resort. First visitors: the Shook Family. And a cat? Poor Thatch! The Shook kids find a treasure at the lake. It belongs to the Ghost Twins—and they want it back . . . .

So this is a fairly lighthearted and small ‘oh we’re just ghost kids having antics!’ book which was a perfectly fine quick read but it has the added bonus that if you read it from Kim Shook’s perspective, it’s actually a horror story where she nearly dies in a horrible accident… POSSIBLY CAUSED BY MURDER GHOSTS.

So definitely an A+ book and going on my horror shelf.

Witch Boy 2 and 3 by Molly Ostertag

I really liked the first one, The Witch Boy, and I was excited to see what came next!

The Hidden Witch

This one focused on the fallout from the first book and got into the kinds of dangers a witch faces beyond an actual enemy. I liked the newly introduced characters and expansion of previous ones.

The Midwinter Witch

This one has moved on from consequences and explores the larger world of Aster’s family. There’s some really great scenery in this one, art-wise.

–

So I like the Witch Boy series! I think that my only issue with it is that it needs a little more room to expand itself, because otherwise it feels a little anemic plot/character wise. But art, absolutely wonderful. Love the designs and scenery. And so much character in the characters in just the little we see! I love Aster and Juniper’s relationship as siblings among all the other excellent character beats.

Phoebe and Her Unicorn 5 & 6

I love Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson as, among other things, it has the best drawn unicorn ever.

Book 5: Unicorn Crossing (2017)

This one was a collection of the newspaper comics, with the ongoing plot of the Goblins which I liked because for some reason ‘Blart!’ is very funny to me as a dialogue thing. I’m slowly catching up via the volumes so I can start reading the daily comic which has been piling up in my gocomics subscription.

Book 6: Phoebe and Her Unicorn in the Magic Storm (2017)

This one’s an actual story! With Max characterization! And an ongoing Legend joke which was just delightful. Phoebe is a sweetheart. I really like her as a character, especially in this.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 17a and 17b

17a: “Portal Jacked!”

  • You know, in most versions Leo is tied with Donatello for my favourite turtle. I keep wanting to smother him a little in this version though. He’s very excitable and I’m not always sure exactly what his logic is. I do like Hueso who is given a sudden backstory here sort of out of the blue. I did not enjoy the skin pirate. I felt about him much as I felt about Skin in Generation X before his unfortunate crucifixion. And he was… also Spanish? Hey wait a second. The fight scenes in this episode were great.

17b: “Warren & Hypno, Sitting in a Tree”

  • I think they’re hinting at something with Warren and Hypno but I can’t quite put my finger on it… Lot of funny stuff in this episode and it touched on April’s previous iterations as a news reporter, in a way. Donatello is probably Baron Draxum’s direct child. Hypno might also be a New Zealander, judging by the little gargoyles calling him a kiwi. But then, what do gargoyles know of human/hippo unholy hybrids? I like Warren. I like the little angry worm man. I like his suffering and his angry little faces. I like the turtles watching shit go down in a cage and just enjoying the show.

 

It’s nice to watch a show again! It’s been a while.