Bee

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Anna couldn't help but to be affected by Nina's rather contagious energy. She wasn't entirely sure if this was the actual Nina or if it was just an exaggerated version of her propped up by alcohol. But still, she liked the energy. It was rare that you find this kind of energy in grown ass adults with a job and everything. Most of the time, everyone was too sad about the fact that the world was going to shit and that baby boomers were doing nothing but ragging on the generations ahead of them while making things terrible for them. But Nina... Nina seemed like she was cut from an entirely different cloth. At least, her drunk self was. But if Anna knew anything about drunk people -- it was that alcohol brought out people's true natures. Nice people turned into assholes, and assholes turned into sweethearts. Was Nina an asshole sober? Maybe, but it was far more likely that she was the sweetest person on Earth.

"Oh, I can't believe that I'm standing in front of Jett freakin' Ollison!" Nina swooned. The look on her face said it all. That was a look that was pure, concentrated fascination and possibly infatuation with the music star. So that was what rabid fanaticism looked like. Nina looked like she was about to pass out from the fact that she was standing in front of Jett, and Anna sort of wanted to see that happen. But, before she could make a mental bet with herself, Nina turned around with the goofiest smile on her face. "Dude, can't you believe that freakin Jett Ollison is right in front of us?" The girl beamed, before Anna shrugged, taking a sip of the drink Nina had just handed her. "Yeah, I can believe he's in front of us." Anna's tone was rather dismissive and one that lacked emotion and surprise, indicating that she wasn't really enthusiastic that Jett Ollison, music superstar, was in front of her. Nina didn't know that Anna didn't know or care who Jett was.

"...really? That's odd." Nina continued, before she turned back to Jett. It seemed like Nina immediately forgot about the existence of Anna as she turned to gush about Jett to Jett. "I looooooved your latest album. It was soo fantastic!" It didn't take too long for Nina to descend into a long winded gush. She went through his entire discography starting with his early EPs. It was shit that Anna wasn't too entirely keen on listening in on, considering she could've just read everything she was saying on Google instead of listening to her talk at a million miles an hour. She just sipped on her drink, leaning against the drink table before she decided she had enough of Nina for the time being. She leaned out from behind her and gestured that she was going somewhere else to Jett, before she took another sip and made her way to the dance floor.

But before she could really make it far, she ran into someone. Her pink hair was brighter than the sun, but yet it fascinated Anna enough to stop her. "Oh. I'm sorry." Anna said, before checking her drink to make sure that it was okay. Not a single drop was spilled, and that was good news to Anna. Looking up, she looked at the Asian woman who looked back at the Ukrainian. "No, it's okay. It's dark." The pink-haired girl apologized, before looking over Anna once again. "You on the show? Well, you must be, considering you're on the floor without any equipment. I'm Ashley!" Ashley held her hand out for Anna, where she briefly hesitated due to the sudden explosion of energy and the transition of emotions. Did the producers just want to hire balls of energy? What was with the people here?

"Anna." She shook Ashley's hand, "It's good to meet you."

Agents of SHIELD - Concluded

---

_{Location: The Bus
Skills: N/A}

---

---

Boarding the bus wasn't a very hard task to undertake, and neither was being on it and taking in the mission at hand. So, the heist (the best word Victoria could use to describe it) was really going to happen. She didn't know that she was going to be carrying out insane tasks like this, but in scenarios like this, in a world where HYDRA managed to infiltrate one of the world's most elusive agencies and take it down from the inside out, she supposed that everything was fair game and was no longer off limits. During the briefing, it was revealed that Victoria was going to be put on the same team as Agents Novikova, Hill, Reed, and Vasyutin.

It was going to be the first time she was going to work with the majority of these people -- but Victoria hoped that it wouldn't be the last. Other than that, she didn't really know how things were gonna go down. Getting out of her chair, she made her way over to who she assumed to Novikova, who was in the middle of conversation already. Victoria had to wait a little bit and make sure that her proceedings and conversations were over before she made her introduction. "So... it looks like we'll be working together." Victoria slowly studied the woman in front of her, before reaching out a hand to greet her, "I don't believe we've met before - I'm Agent Victoria Thompson, but you can call me Victoria."

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Anna knew that what she said had come as a surprise to Jett. His face said all that she needed to see. Guess he was surprised to see Anna's tenacity. She didn't take that much offense to it -- considering it wasn't too uncommon that men reacted like this. But that was enough about how Anna treated men and those who were tenacious enough to even attempt coming for her. Now it was a completely new game -- or was it? Anna still saw the same old opportunities that she had always saw, there were just different players in the game that were probably more experienced and better. It wasn't a challenge that Anna wasn't willing to undertake, however. Just because there were different players didn't mean that Anna wasn't willing to play and compete. She was more than willing to hang with all of these folks, and if Jett was what people had to offer, then she was going to have a fun time maneuvering with these people.

Not to mention, this was a reality show. She didn't forget about the fact that cameras were watching her at all times. It would either mean that this was the start of a relationship that would undoubtedly be put into the public eye, or this was a giant advertisement for Anastasia Ivanova and what people would get when they tried fancying her. Millions and millions of people would be seeing this on display -- and Anna had every intention of making sure people liked what they see. But, she was also sure that there was going to be some tomfoolery pushed and perpetuated by the producers. That was inevitable and it was obvious given how reality shows like these were. It didn't mean that Anna wasn't willing to play along, though.

"Oh no doubt about it." Anna trailed, "I wouldn't be too surprised that our rooms are a few steps away." The assignments were completely random, however. There was no way that these people could've seen how these relationships would start out and develop. There was just as much of a chance of having two people who loathed each other sleeping in rooms next to each other as there was a chance of people who loved each other and were going to get married not long after the show ended. Anna didn't know what she wanted from this show, honestly. But, she was going to take whatever she got out of it. She knew that much about her desires.

"I'll take that bet." Anna shrugged, before looking over at the other 10 people interacting with each other. "And I'll win that. Easily." Looking over at Jett, she stuck out her tongue. This guy really wasn't so bad, though. If whatever romance they pursued didn't work out -- she didn't mind having him as a friend at the very least. She liked having Jett around. At least she made friends with someone right off the bat, so she didn't have to worry about the social situation and the painful, awkward process of feeling each other out and figuring out how everyone worked. Most of the dirty work had been done with Jett already. Before either Anna or Jett could say anything, however, a rather overenthusiastic, and most likely intoxicated, young woman had appeared out of nowhere between the two.

She had glasses on, and raising her arm revealed the Chinese tattoo on her forearm. She grabbed two random cups off of the drink table, before turning to both Jett and Anna and handing them the cups, regardless of whether or not they already had drinks! "Drink! Woohoo!" She cheered, her smile honestly being bright enough to light up the entire room, before she reached a hand out to greet the people. At least, before she realized that they may or may not have already had both of their hands occupied by drinks and cups.

"Hi! I'm Nina! It's good to meet you both!" Just one sniff could reveal that this woman was intoxicated to hell. How many drinks did she manage to have in the span that they were there? She was far beyond gone, and any more alcohol in her system may very well have caused her to implode. "Anna." She nodded at Nina, before leaning over to Jett to watch him introduce himself to another girl. Anna was a little disappointed that someone had shoved themselves into their conversation without really asking, but then again, this girl was drunk as FUCK. There was no way she was acting rationally right now.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

resident evil 2 is fucking NUTS

granted i'm not a big horror person but it's like... i was both scared and not scared? i'm about two hours into leon's campaign so i don't know what's in store, but so far i've had some pretty good scares.

gameplay is the most polished it's been in the entire series. the guns feel amazing, yet peashooty. the zombies are very menacing, don't even get me started on the dogs and lickers. you actually have to make a decision as to whether or not you wanna fight the zombies. the fact that zombies are NOT a one shot, two shot, three shot, four shot, or even five shot kill every time has you spending more time thinking about your fight or flight response. it doesn't really make sense that a shotgun blast to the face or three bullets to the brain won't take out a zombie but i guess that just makes things more tense?

graphics? gorgeous. fantastic. the gore is fan-fucking-tastic. i love watching the flesh be chipped away from the zombies as i try to kill them. optimization is great, too! i maxed the game out and i still got about 60-80 FPS and my rig isn't exactly the best rig out there.

i'll follow this up once i completely finish both leon and claire's campaigns.

@Bee

update after finishing leon's campaign:

mr. x is about one of THE most menacing things i have ever encountered the game. the man does not stop no matter what. he will follow you around and chase you down. he does not give a fuck about anything you throw at him. he will stop at nothing to crush your skill into pieces. and just when you think you're safe? he comes in through the door, stomping menacingly as your death nears.

MAJOR kudos to capcom for designing and programming him in that way. he was more horrifying to me than any of the zombies and jumpscares -- until i figured out how to deal with him.

bee's patented mr. x method

just keep him around you. as long as you can see him and you know where he is, you can kite him and outmaneuver him. just don't get too close. keeping him close is meant to ease the anxiety of not knowing where he is. sometimes, just wait for him to open the door and see what happens.

full review and thoughts after i make my way through the claire campaign uwu

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

resident evil 2 is fucking NUTS

granted i'm not a big horror person but it's like... i was both scared and not scared? i'm about two hours into leon's campaign so i don't know what's in store, but so far i've had some pretty good scares.

gameplay is the most polished it's been in the entire series. the guns feel amazing, yet peashooty. the zombies are very menacing, don't even get me started on the dogs and lickers. you actually have to make a decision as to whether or not you wanna fight the zombies. the fact that zombies are NOT a one shot, two shot, three shot, four shot, or even five shot kill every time has you spending more time thinking about your fight or flight response. it doesn't really make sense that a shotgun blast to the face or three bullets to the brain won't take out a zombie but i guess that just makes things more tense?

graphics? gorgeous. fantastic. the gore is fan-fucking-tastic. i love watching the flesh be chipped away from the zombies as i try to kill them. optimization is great, too! i maxed the game out and i still got about 60-80 FPS and my rig isn't exactly the best rig out there.

i'll follow this up once i completely finish both leon and claire's campaigns.

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Name: Madison Taylor
Age: 28
Occupation: Actress
Personality: She knows she's the shit and she's not afraid to act like it. If she doesn't think she deserves such a low item, she is not afraid to make it known.
Other: N/A



Name: Bella Michaels
Age: 26
Occupation: Singer
Personality: Nicest fella on the Earth. She is a people pleaser through and through and will jump through hoops to make her friends happy.
Other: N/A



Name: Luke Nichols
Age: 31
Occupation: DJ
Personality: Luke is kinda there. He's a party animal, but outside of that kind of stuff he doesn't really have that much to offer. He is about as sharp as a baseball bat.
Other: N/A


Name: Nina Adams
Age: 25
Occupation: Barista
Personality: Nina may not be as friendly as say, Bella, but she is still friendly in a different way. Her presence is much warmer and more welcoming. Her smile and attitude are extremely contagious.
Other: N/A


Name: Nathan Cook
Age: 28
Occupation: Systems Analyst
Personality: Nathan is more of a down to earth, humble type of guy. He drinks beer, and he parties, but he never goes as hard as the rest of his colleagues. He's more willing to take more of a designated driver type of role.
Other: N/A


Name: Adam Sykes
Age: 27
Occupation: Gym Manager
Personality: TESTOSTERONE. EXPLOSIONS. MUSCLES. Adam is a hardcore man's man and he is more than willing to do what it takes to prove it. Snap a baseball bat in half? Sure. Punch a hole into a wall? Be his guest. Anything he can do to be a bro, he'll do it.
Other: N/A

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

So, this man, by some weird miracle, was actually single? Anna took that as a shock. She was expecting this man to be tied down by someone -- maybe a fellow singer or celebrity. However, that was not the case. Jett Ollison was about as free as a bird when it came to his relationship status. Anna was amazed. There either must've been something wrong about him that she was missing, or something wrong with the girls he pursued, because there was no way a catch like Jett was going at it alone. She was still in disbelief, but at the same time she was kind of relieved. At least that meant that she had the option to pursue him if she fancied him enough. As much as she wanted to, there were still eight other people to hang out with and get to know. Maybe Jett was the lowest on the list and he was actually the worst out of the entire crop. At the same time, maybe he was the best the cast had to offer. There was no way for her to know for sure until she met everyone else.

But she didn't want to entirely leave Jett just yet. He was rather alluring and she didn't want to break away from the sheer amount of swagger this man possessed. Not while drunko manbun off in the distance was trying to get into another girl's pants, but failing miserably. On the bright side, the cameras had gone away from them, so they could at least enjoy a conversation in private, without cameras pointed at them and trying to figure out their business any further. It was funny to see the interaction out of the corner of her eye, as much as she was trying to pay attention to what Jett was saying.

However, she could pretty much figure out what was being said. The music industry wasn't all that when it came to having people to date. It was like a dry field in a field you would think would be fertile and full of bountiful crops. That was a big surprise to Anna. She thought that relationships in the music field would be rampant and all over the place. So often, you saw celebrities and musicians dating each other. Whether it'd be a pop princess dating some comedian she was clearly too good for, or a couple of actors entering a relationship after they worked on a movie together. But no, this musician in particular, was actually single. It was one of the biggest shocks that Anna had recently faced.

"That's a surprise..." Anna trailed, before nodding to acknowledge what Jett had just said. Surely there had to be someone that Jett wanted to date, right? Someone in the music world that could've caught his fancy. But at the same time, Anna's earlier suspicions that something may have been up with him were starting to rise. Typically, when it seemed like every girl was crazy or not good enough to a man, it was more likely that he was the issue instead of the women. Whether it'd be that he was the crazy one or had standards that were simply too high to realistically attain and sustain. But she also figured that it was also an entirely different game knowing that the public eye would also have a glimpse at their relationship and more details as well. There was bound to be more trickery at hand when it came to handling those relationships.

Then all of a sudden -- the question was redirected back to her. Of course she was going to be asked the same question that she was just asked. Why wouldn't she be asked that question? It was deadly obvious and it was something she couldn't really avoid any longer. But, how was she going to put this? She didn't want to reveal too much as she had only just met this guy. She didn't want to tip her hand all at once. Anna still wanted to string this man along, and see what he had before she showed her hand. Not to mention, there were still the prospect of all the other people at this setting.

"Yeah. You're right." The last time Anna had been in something that even remotely resembling a relationship was almost a year ago. And even then, it only lasted a month and a half before Anna decided to call it off, citing that he simply wasn't stimulating and challenging enough for her. To her, he was about as flat as a runway, and about as smart as a rock. Everything he did was the least efficient way to do something, or everything he said was just a flat out lie. It was a miracle that he even managed to get that far with Anna, because everything that he had become after she agreed to be his girlfriend was a complete farce and a bunch of bullshit. It was definitely top five on the biggest regrets of her life.

Shrugging, Anna followed suit with Jett and grabbed another cocktail to keep her going, and give her some more time to think as well. Taking a sip, Anna added onto what she had to say earlier. "Nobody's good enough for me." Shrugging again, Anna knew damn well how that came across, but it was the pure, unadulterated truth. Nobody was good enough for Anna, and most likely would never be. Was she being hypocritical by having standards that were simply far too high for anyone? Absolutely. Did Anna care? No. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn't going to settle to accommodate some shithead that she met off the street. "Maybe I'll find someone who actually might be good enough for me..." Anna flashed a playful smirk, "...or perhaps I won't."

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Anna raised an eyebrow at Jett's reaction to her job being revealed. Something about the way he reacted to that had made Anna suspect that he wasn't expecting that. Just because Anna was a blonde and she didn't have glasses didn't mean that brain of hers was totally empty. She graduated had graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern with a Bachelor's. Blonde airheads who looked like her didn't have anywhere near the credentials that she did when it came to this. But, it helped keep up her deceptive facade. Anna loved looking like someone she absolutely wasn't. It was part of the reason why she was approached by so many men at the bar, thinking she was going to be an easy lay or a pushover. They were dead wrong, and many people fell into that trap.

However, she didn't have the intention of putting Jett into that trap. A man like him didn't deserve to be ensnared into the enigma that was known as Anastasia Ivanova. Gambits and trickery were her game when it came to these situations, but this man deserved to spared from it. He wasn't like any of the dumbasses she'd encountered in the past. This man was genuine, and just a breath of fresh air. No creepy attempts to get into her pants, no shitty pickup lines, no wingman trying to compensate for their chickenshit friend. Jett was pure, unadulterated confidence and swagger, and that was such a turn-on for the Ukrainian. Anna hadn't encountered anyone like him, and the more time that she spent with him, the more that she liked what she saw.

But, that didn't mean that Jett could play Anna's game. She knew exactly what he was trying to do with that deflection and redirection. "You know exactly what I mean." Anna smiled, before finishing off her drink, "A man like you has gotta be tied down by somebody, right?" There was no chance in hell that this man was single. How could this piece of concentrated swagger not have a girl (or man) by his side? But, she still wanted to ask. Maybe this was something she could pursue -- or something she should dump like a hot potato. Strangely enough, this question would probably be one of the most influential and pivotal questions of the whole experience, and it hadn't been even been more than a few hours.

Anna herself was obviously single, of course. She had a few relationships here and there, so she wasn't too inexperienced in that department. But she knew what she wanted. She didn't fall into the trap of falling for the first man that so much as gave her the slightest sliver of attention. That was the reason why very few ever conquered the mountain that was dating Anastasia Ivanova, and even fewer lasted longer at the top. But, Jett might have been someone she was interested in pursuing -- but she wasn't sure if she wanted to play hard to get or go after him. She liked seeing what this man had in store, whatever tricks he had up his sleeve. He was different, to say the least.

"Not even a fling?"

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

At least somebody had actually wanted to do this. Anna was unfortunately not in the same boat. However, she still couldn't help but to wonder what exactly brought him to make such a decision in his life. This guy was a singer, an artist. If she knew how the musician lifestyle worked, then she was wondering why he would make such a radical change in his life. Anna had a feeling that there was more to this than met the eye. He probably did legitimately want a change in his life, but at the same time, this was probably also a marketing stunt and a way to get more publicity. At least, that's what Anna would've done if she was a celebrity who wanted to legitimately do this thing. It was working, since Anna had no idea who this guy was prior to them meeting today.

"Jett Ollison... don't be offended if I Google you tonight." She laughed, "I've never heard of you in my life." Anna felt sort of bad for not knowing who this guy was, but she figured he was outside of the scope of what she was interested in. She had him pegged as as a country singer, or at the very most, pop. Anna wasn't much of a pop or country person. Sure, she listened to some of the people in the top 40 every once in a blue moon, but Anna was much more of an indie/non-mainstream type of person. Jett Ollison was a name that didn't even sound the slightest bit familiar, and she felt a slight bit of guilt for not knowing who he was. Someone who carried themselves with that type of confidence and self-assurance definitely knew that they were all that and definitely a significant figure in industry.

It was the same way Anna carried herself. She knew she was the shit in her company, and carried herself as such. Anna hadn't really touched her drink while talking to Jett. Something about talking to a cowboy country star/pop star was so captivating and invigorating. She would've never expected to be so engrossed in a conversation with a musician, especially one in his area, but there she was. Briefly, Anna had forgotten that she was even in a party and on a reality show. She was simply enjoying this conversation with Jett way too much. It was only the first day, and Anna had to remind herself that there were going to be plenty of opportunities coming up ahead. It was okay to slow things down and take some time.

The next question had Anna in sort of a dilemma as well. So, why was she here? It was the same dilemma she had earlier, and she wasn't entirely sure as to how to go about answering it. Did she want to tell him the truth? Or did she want to tell him a white lie? Surely telling a dude she just met on a reality show that she only signed up as a joke wouldn't exactly go over so well. The last thing Anna wanted to do was to say the wrong thing and completely blow this conversation and burn a bridge right out of the gate. So it was settled, Anna was going to tell a white lie to protect the real reason she signed up for this show. She figured nobody would find out about the intentions behind her appearance on this show.

Anna chuckled softly after a little bit. "I only know like two faces here... and besides - they're just people. Just because you sing or act doesn't make you any more special. At the end of the day we all live and breathe, don't we?" It was such a canned and bullshit response, but hopefully Jett would buy it. "I... just wanted a change in my life too." Anna shrugged, sipping on her drink to give her time to further develop her response, "I'm a biological engineer -- so I just sit in a lab and an office all day doing stuff. It can get really boring, so I decided that I wanted a change and... here I am." Anna shrugged. "Maybe we'll get something out of this. Maybe the audience'll enjoy what they see..." She glanced at the crowd briefly, before turning to her new friend. "What are you trying to accomplish on this show? Someone like you definitely has to be tied down by someone."

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Anna tilted her head curiously at the prospect of "kicking this old school". How could they take this old school? This wasn't Bach's Cello Suit #1. This was some Jason Mraz song. Then a few seconds later she got what he meant. Blues dancing? That was a distant memory in Anna's repertoire. It was buried deeper than her memories of middle school and high school. Was it even the right style that she was thinking of? It didn't matter at this point -- she had to do it. "I guess we'll see." Anna smirked, before they started to get into the dance. Much to her surprise, it wasn't as foreign as she thought it'd be. A lot of her previous training was translating over to whatever Jett was doing. It felt mostly the same.

The movement wasn't as hard as Anna had previously anticipated. The hardest part was predicting what Jett was trying to do. That was what created very subtle hitches and hesitation in her movements. But otherwise, Anna thought she was doing a fine job with hanging with Jett, and based on the look on his face and how much she was really getting into it, he thought so as well. That was a good sign for her, as well as the producers and viewers and cameramen, but that was at the back of her mind right now. The biggest priority for her at this moment was making sure that Jett was having a good time and that she wasn't embarrassing herself.

After navigating through a very risky dance routine, the song came to a close. The both of them agreed that it was a good opportunity to take a break after dancing together for a little bit more. She just couldn't bring herself to break away from this man. Jett was giving Anna a good time, a good time that she hadn't really had before. Having a man with the confidence and the moves to back it up was entirely unprecedented for her. It was one thing to be confident, but to be able to back it up? That was an immediate turn on for Anna. She respected any man who knew what he was about.

Moving over to the drink table, Anna was met with an Old Fashioned, much to her delight. Did this guy see her drinking one earlier? Or did he just really want to spread the goodness? Either way, Anna was happy that he had given her such a good drink. She took the drink and put it up to her lips, taking a sip as she listened to whatever Jett had to say. It was the least she could do for someone who took the time to grab her a good drink and give her a good time on the dance floor. She was still reveling in the fact that he was just sooooo hot as well as the fact that he was a good dancer. Pulling the glass away from her lips, they subsequently split into a small smirk. This guy really knew how to make a girl smile.

"Same goes for you, Jett." Anna replied, before raising a glass to him. Taking yet another sip, she tilted her head curiously once again as she tried to study him. There definitely no chance that this guy was just some regular guy off the streets. The dancing and his attitude confirmed that. But, she still didn't know what he did or who he was, aside from the fact that he was Jett and he danced good. The little silence as Anna looked him over was quickly broken as she cleared her throat, folding her arms so that her drink was closer toward the table as she prepared to ask him some questions and get to know this guy a little better. She might as well have started to get to know this guy.

"So what brings you here, Jett?" Anna inquired, "I know you aren't a regular person like me... so what brought you here from whatever it is that you did?"