FieldExplores (Gator Days)

When August Met Christine (Part 4/4) - Gator Days Characters August - Alligator - A single guy working in IT at a tech start up. Has a lot of trouble talking to people. Christine - Alligator - Just moved into town and is trying to meet people. Transcript Panel 1 August and Christine have just met at a party and are getting to know each other. August is starting to feel unsure about how things are but Christine is having a wonderful time. There's still more people arriving at the party. Christine looks out to the crowd beyond the massive pile of empty cups next to her. August's friend and roommate, Seth, is being the wonderful social butterfly he is. Christine: WOW! People are still arriving. August: It's getting crowded. Panel 2 Christine stands up from the couch while August remains seated. Christine: Better get another drink before they're out. August: Okay. August assumes this is Christine politely excusing herself and doesn't budge. Panel 3 August instantly starts to analyze their whole conversation. He's not very happy with how it went. He likes Christine but has a feeling that he didn't make a very good impression. August (thinking): I screwed that up. She was nice. Why do I ruin everything by opening my mouth. I'll never see her- Panel 4 Christine has leaned down to interrupt August's overthinking. Christine: Hey Cutie! You coming? August: OH! Y-yeah!

When August Met Christine (Part 4/4) - Gator Days

When August Met Christine (Part 3/4) - Gator Days Characters August - Alligator - A single guy working in IT at a tech start up. Has a lot of trouble talking to people. Christine - Alligator - Just moved into town and is trying to meet people. Transcript Panel 1 Christine has just met August at a party and she's doing her best to get a conversation going. August is shy and awkward and is petting someone's pet dog to help calm his nerves. Little does he know that Christine likes shy and awkward guys. Christine: So most people here are students or in tech. August: I'm in tech. I do IT for a startup. Panel 2 Christine thinks that's cool. Christine: THAT'S AWESOME! On the cutting edge of technology! Must be wild. The dog has determined that his work here is done. He has full confidence that August can take it from here. He takes off to help other introverted people who might be at this party. Truly, he is a hero. Panel 3 August looks away and tries to think of what to say next. August (thinking): This is going well. I should say something interesting. August searches deep inside his brain to find something interesting about himself to mention. There's a lot of random video game trivia in there. Panel 4 August spouts the first thing that comes into his mind. August: I own three blenders. Christine: Really? Why? August: I don't know. Christine finds this mysterious and intriguing.

When August Met Christine (Part 3/4) - Gator Days

I had similar questions recently about huckleberries when I met someone who had never tasted them. Took me down an interesting rabbit hole concerning plant domestication.

I enjoy consuming product while watching content on the subscription service. I wash it all down with a cool and refreshing loss leader and dip my added value into my seasonal item for an improved customer satisfaction.

I remember when this issue came out and the cover got burned into my brain for some reason. It felt like I was seeing it everywhere.

I see it... Am I high? I don't remember taking anything.

Man, it's been a while since the vibe of a game struck a chord with my soul like this one did.

When August Met Christine (Part 2/4) - Gator Days Characters August - Alligator - A single guy working in IT at a tech start up. Has a lot of trouble talking to people. Christine - Alligator - Just moved into town and is trying to meet people. Transcript Panel 1 August is trying to survive a party he didn't want to go to. He's sitting on a couch and petting a dog when a lady approaches him. He tries his best to act cool. Christine: Hey! Anyone sitting here? August: No. Go ahead and park yourself. Panel 2 Christine sits down and smiles at August. August doesn't notice as he is currently busy critiquing what he just said. The dog on August's lap is not bothered by anything. August (thinking): PARK YOURSELF!? Why did I say that!? She probably thinks I'm weird. Panel 3 August's internal thoughts grow more intense. His frustration with himself increases. August (thinking): This is why I never go out. I scare everyone off with my weirdness. Panel 4 Christine has pulled out a marshmallow. Where was that? I don't think I want to know. The dog on August's lap is extra happy to see food. Christine has pulled out the best ice breaker she can think of. Christine: Do you think you could eat your way out of a house-sized marshmallow before suffocating? August (thinking): YES! She's weird too!

When August Met Christine (Part 2/4) - Gator Days

When August Met... (Part 1/4) - Gator Days Characters August - Alligator - A single guy working in IT at a tech start up. Has a lot of trouble talking to people. Transcript Panel 1 August's roommate has dragged him to another party. August has mostly just been standing around awkwardly while everyone around him shifts and moves around. No one has complimented him on his shirt that says "VIDEO GAME JOKE". August: Why did Seth have to drag me here? I hate parties. Panel 2 August looks around and decides that he might as well make the most of his time at the party. August: Well, I guess it would be good to socialize. I rarely talk with anyone. Panel 3 August has decided to be brave and find someone to hang out with. He's found someone with potential and says hello. August: Hey cutie! Mind if I sit with you? Panel 4 August is now sitting on a couch with someone's pet dog on his lap. August now watches everyone else socialize while he pets the dog. August: This counts. I'd say it counts.

When August Met... (Part 1/4) - Gator Days

Dang... I just caught myself going to my nightstand to grab my phone while holding my phone in my hand with a podcast playing.

This comic wasn't supposed to be about me!

This wasn't supposed to be me!

Missing Phone - Gator Days Characters August - Alligator - A soft spoken single father who works in IT. Gustopher's dad. Gustopher - Alligator - An easily excitable child who loves making friends. August's son. Mewbert and Nougat - Cat - Animal - August and Gustopher's pet cats. Transcript Panel 1 The power has gone out and Gustopher is trying to figure out what happened. This has also conveniently made this panel extremely easy to draw. Gustopher: Dad! Did the power go out? August: I think so. Help me find my phone. I'll get a light. Panel 2 August has turned on the light on his phone. This means I actually had to draw this panel. Mewbert is peacefully sleeping on the couch in the background. Gustopher is momentarily stunned by the light, but at least his dad found his phone. August: This will help. My phone should be in this room. Panel 3 Gustopher is confused. His dad is looking for his phone while using said phone as a light. He fights the urge to say anything and wonders how long it will take his dad to realize what's going on. Mewbert is annoyed at the commotion. Nougat has found herself on the top of the couch and is amused by the commotion. August: I was just using it. I don't know where I- Panel 4 August suddenly realizes that he is using is phone to try to find his phone. Embarrassment washes over him. Gustopher will remember this. August: Oh. Mewbert closes her eyes and attempts to go back to sleep. Nougat watches from above and it calculating how funny it might be if she pounces on Mewbert right now.

Missing Phone - Gator Days

Safe - Gator Days Characters Daryl - Bear - A big fellow who looks intimidating but is pretty friendly. Has a dry sense of humor. Seth's husband and Hannah's papa. Seth - Otter - The assistant principal at his daughter's school. Used to taking charge but is capable of being silly. Daryl's husband and Hannah's dad. Transcript Panel 1 Daryl and Seth are sleeping when Daryl starts to make noises. Daryl: Mmmm... I... Mmmph... Panel 2 Daryl continues talking in his sleep. Daryl: Wha- Hel- Daryl lets out a loud gasp which wakes Seth. He can tell that Daryl has woken from a bad dream. Panel 3 Daryl has covered his eyes and is still talking. Seth places a hand on Daryl and tries to comfort him. Daryl: I'll- I'll be quiet. I- I- Seth: Daryl, sweetie. It was a dream. You're safe. Panel 4 Daryl reaches up and takes hold of Seth's hand. He's starting to feel more grounded in reality. Daryl: I'm sorry. It was the usual. Seth is relieved that Daryl is feeling better and smiles. Seth: It's okay. You're home and safe. Daryl still feels the tension from his dreams but feels better being next to his husband. Daryl: I love you. Seth: I love you too.

Safe - Gator Days

These posts make me miss my 70's cookbooks. So much could be accomplished with gelatin, mayonnaise, and hot dogs.

Anakin Skywalker staring from that one meme where Anakin stares.

Best I can do is this bag of Peanut Butter Cinnamon Roll flavored M&M's I found under a bus stop bench.

Analysis Paralysis - Gator Days Characters August - Alligator - A soft spoken single father who works in IT. Gustopher's dad. Gustopher - Alligator - An easily excitable child who loves making friends. August's son. Transcript Panel 1 August and Gustopher are finishing up their grocery shopping. August is double checking their grocery list and Gustopher is taking this as an opportunity to ask for one additional item. They stand in front of a magazine rack that makes people ask "Wow, they still sell magazines? The only visible covers say "Hey! News" and "Aliens?" August: That's everything on the list. Gustopher: Can we get chips? They got new flavors. August: One bag. Panel 2 Gustopher runs to get some chips and faces a wall of choices. There's a wide variety of flavors. They include Pickle, Grape, Honey, Ham, Almond, Wasabi, Cool Blue, Mystery, Ghost, Chip, Heart Burn, Regret, and Licorice which is being blocked by Gustopher but you get to know it's there because you read the transcript. Panel 3 Gustopher is paralyzed with indecision. The words of his father ring through his head. ONE BAG There's only one thing he can do. Panel 4 Gustopher returns holding a bag of Barbecue flavored chips. August: Barbecue? That's what you usually get. Gustopher: It's easier this way.

Analysis Paralysis - Gator Days

For some reason, my brain forgot that pepper shakers existed interpreted this as your table having been missing a giant decorative pepper. Now I need to get a decorative pepper.

This has lead me down a rabbit hole to discover which Pokemon I am fatter than. The results are equal parts fascinating and depressing.

The good news is that Snorlax is there to make me feel better.

This is how I find out that I'm fatter than Moltres.

Making Lunch - Gator Days Characters Liam - Capybara - A quiet and introspective child. Ember's older brother. Ember - Capybara - A LITTLE GIRL WHO LOVES SNACKS AND YELLS EVERYTHING! LIAM'S LITTLE SISTER! Transcript Panel 1 Liam and Ember are having some lunch. Liam has made a peanut butter sandwich for himself. He prefers a simple lunch with minimal texture surprises. Ember is sitting in front of jars of peanut butter and jelly with labels claiming they are "Natural" and "Fruit Flavored". She also has a loaf of bread and is wielding a knife! Don't worry, it's one those thick butter knives for kids that's designed not to pierce or slice. Although it's still probably dangerous in Ember's capable hand. Liam: Do you want me to make you some lunch? Ember: NO! I WANNA DO IT! Panel 2 Liam turns his attention to his sandwich and takes a bite. While controversial, he prefers smooth peanut butter. The texture of crunchy is incredibly unpleasant in his mouth. He holds no ill will towards anyone else who prefers crunchy. Panel 3 Liam suddenly feels something sticky on his arm. He looks and sees that some jelly has mysteriously landed on him. Now would probably be a good time to see how Ember is doing. Panel 4 Oh no. There is peanut butter and jelly everywhere. The butter knife has been stabbed into the loaf of bread. The peanut butter jar has been knocked over. The jelly jar is no where to be seen. There's a slice of jelly covered bread stuck on the wall. Everything is incredibly sticky. Liam does his best to take this in stride. Liam: What did you make? Ember: MISTAKES! If you see the jar jelly, please tell them to come home. We miss them.

Making Lunch - Gator Days

Some CEO right now is leaning back in his chair and thinking "How can I monetize bake sales?"

We can go deeper.

Luigi's Closet.

Waffle Place - Gator Days Characters Terry - Bear - The drummer for Fork Fight. Happy to be included. Shirtless Kyle - Raccoon - The guitarist and lead vocalist for Fork Fight. Perpetually shirtless and yells a lot. Shirt Kyle - Rabbit - The bassist and back up vocalist for Fork Fight. Perpetually wearing a shirt and annoyed. Hans - Beaver - The keyboardist for Fork Fight. He wears sunglasses inside. Transcript Panel 1 Fork Fight has just finished playing a gig. Terry is loading the last piece of equipment into the van and asking everyone what they want to do for dinner. Terry: Van is packed! Where are we getting dinner? Shirtless Kyle: WAFFLE PLACE! Panel 2 The rest of the band is not enthusiastic about going to Waffle Place again but arguing with Shirtless Kyle usually doesn't end well. Especially when he's yelling and waving his arms around. Shirt Kyle: Again? It's trash. Shirtless Kyle: IT'S TRADITION! Hans: Fine... Let's go. Panel 3 Everyone is at Waffle place. There's a big silly waffle mascot with a big silly waffle grin on the wall saying "LET'S WAFFLE". There are disturbing implications about a sentient waffle being happy about people eating waffles. Everyone's food just looks like a big gray mess. No one looks happy. Shirt Kyle stares off into space and imagines all the other places he could be right now. Him being right about this place does not bring satisfiction when he still has to endure the awful food. Panel 4 Despite being the one who wanted to come here, Shirtless Kyle says what's on everyone's mind. Shirtless Kyle: This place is awful! Why do we keep coming here? This will not be their last time going to Waffle Place.

Waffle Place - Gator Days

TD;DR version.
Yellow, you're already sour. Go home.

As yellow is traditionally for a sour flavor, lemon, it is my preference to have less of it in a sour mix. Sour candies are the time for traditionally non-sour flavors to entertain me with their sour forms. Lemon may be present but should be aware it is not the guest of honor.

I'm so appreciative of games that give me sessions that I know will be done in 15-30 minutes.

Saying Sorry (Part 4/4) - Gator Days Characters August - Alligator - A soft spoken single father who works in IT. Fergus - Alligator - A grandpa who has been chewed up by the world but is doing his best. August's father. Panel 1 Fergus has stopped by with a gift for August and the two have been talking about some rough events from August's childhood. While a difficult conversation, it's been a healing moment for the both of them. August is feeling happy about how it went. August is holding the toy bear his father brought by. August: Thank you, Dad. This all means a lot to me. Fergus: Sorry I apologize so much. Panel 2 August puts the bear and reassures his dad that things are okay. He knows the apologies are coming from a sincere place. August: That's okay. You don't hide behind apologies. Panel 3 Fergus is feeling a little bashful, all this has him showing much more emotion than he is used to. He's trying hard not to cry. August is appreciative of his father's willingness to empathize and connect. August: There's still hurt. But I'm glad we're talking and working through it. Panel 4 August hugs Fergus. While Fergus might have made mistakes, August knows that his father loves him and wants to be the best dad he can be. August: You've worked hard to improve yourself. I'm proud of you, Dad. Fergus cries.

Saying Sorry (Part 4/4) - Gator Days

The Metacritic page for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. The critic score was 54 and the user score is a 9.0.

One of the wildest examples that comes to my mind. It's pretty much what taught me to be careful when reading reviews for games in niche genres.

My excitement for new powerful technology is usually cancelled out by how often I've seen new powerful technology primarily used for the worst things possible.

Dear Sir and/or Madam and/or Individual of Unspecified or Absent Gender,

It is my desire that we should have a friendly social encounter. For the comfort and safety of all involved, I propose that we meet in a public area so we might find safe haven. Might I be bold to suggest the local apothecary?