Too many great experiences to type up why.
Okay, really only 2, but still.
So, I've decided to make Fridays my interim official streaming day for games, which, for the time being, is Journey.
I honestly thought I had gotten sniped at first on Friday 'cause I was with a fancy flyer in BB, but it turned out to be a random encounter, and they ended up leaving during the UG HL.
I've noticed a pattern recently with this, where I usually have a companion but then I have to go through the UG alone unless I wait forever at the entrance.
So the camera tilts up so you can see the top of the Tower, and when it returns...no one.
I hopped up onto the second circular platform, the one that faces the symbol, and practiced drop shoot zen sitting until I got the symbol, then I tried to do what I did with Bannaji and do the same onto the first platform, but I couldn't get it to work this time.
Some time passed and still no companion glow. I mentioned it briefly on the Discord, wondering if anyone would be playing and want to snipe me, but I wasn't expecting a certain someone to get me~!
After the mention on Discord, another couple minutes passed of my lying faceplanted on the platform. I had given up on drop shoot zen sit jump attempts, and Aten even made a comment about me being dead.
Another minute passed, and then I saw the glow of a new 2nd run companion, a robe to match mine own~ We greeted each other with the typical chirp fest, and I noticed right off the bat that their scarf was a CS scarf.
I'd been sniped again
We dry climbed the tower together to the second level, chirping and dancing while I decided what I wanted to do. Did I want to activate the goo and have them sit in the center while it rises? Or did I want to dry climb the whole tower with them? After a bit of deliberation I decided.
Yes, I wanted to activate the goo.
At this point I started to suspect who my companion might be, but I was only guessing based on the robe, because the person I suspected likes the 2nd run WC most, just like me. The companion was also adamant about following my lead, which is another trait of the person I suspected, so I led them up to the 2nd symbol just above the entrance to the Tower, and we flew to the whale room afterward to play around in front of the glyph. After teleporting a few times up onto the circular walkway, we flew up to play with the whale. When dancing, the wayfarer will twitch a lot, and my companion's did so hilariously.
The rest of the Tower was a cinch to climb, but instead of skipping the goo to continue into the HL, we activated the final level of goo then climbed to the top of the rising platform to watch the goo light up the glyphs of the Tower. At first when we sat to meditate, we weren't touching, so the glow faded between us. My companion then stood to inch closer to me and sat down so we were perfectly aligned, like how two friends might sit close to one another on a bench to watch the sun rise.
Naturally, I squealed at the adorableness, and the action further solidified my suspicions. There's only one person I knew who played like this companion, and I couldn't have grinned any wider had I tried. Because I knew he hadn't been too interested in Journey for a good long while now.
As we sat there, I deliberated some more. Did I want to take him to the Tower OOB? I wasn't feeling it too much, and I still don't remember how much my companion likes OOB. I know we both love the UG, and had we connected there, I probably would have taken him to my favorite spot, but perhaps next time.
I couldn't decide, so I stalled for time by pushing him off the ledge. Then promptly failing to zen jump off myself. It took me long enough that my companion got worried and swam back up to the top to make sure we hadn't disconnected from one another.
Since I still couldn't properly land the sit off into the goo, my companion pushed me to the bottom, then swam down to meet me there, but there hadn't been a glow to indicate he was near, so when he chirped suddenly, I was startled. Together, we swam back up to the top, moonwalking up the stairs for the HL.
I started to doubt myself again. Maybe it wasn't who I thought it was. If I was wrong, then when we got to the top of Paradise, I would be making a fool of myself by writing his name in the snow.
Okay, I thought, I would take him OOB here in the Tower.
We swam back to the whale room to glitch through the wall, but my companion didn't remember initially how to do so through the wall itself, so I showed him that he could also get out through the ceiling. I understand the feeling of needing to re-learn things whenever you haven't played a game in a long time. It can be exhilarating because it's like experiencing the game again for the first time, but it can also be frustrating to forget all those little things you previously knew.
Once we managed to get into the OOB together, we swam down to the sand and danced together. The sand at the bottom of the tower with the goo activated is the most hilarious trick in the game, at least for me currently. The way your head tilts up and you arch in ready-to-swim mode makes the wiggle look like a dancing fish out of water. I sang here for my companion, and luckily it seemed like he knew what I was doing and let me do it without interruption~
For the companions who I really enjoy traveling with, and who I think will understand me when I tell them to sit (and stay), I've recently taken up the habit of singing to them. Each song is different, a unique song to them, and it's one of the few gifts I feel like I can give them. So, I'm always thankful when a companion is patient enough to let me finish my song. This was the only chance I got to sing solo to mine that night, but more on that later.
When we re-entered the Tower, we climbed the stairs once more. At the top, I remembered what Bannaji and I had done with the front two tombstones and wanted to try jumping on them again.
My companion managed it before I did, but I got it in a much shorter amount of time than with Bannaji! Victory~!
We meditated there for a bit, and I remembered this time to take a screenshot. It was the only screenshot I managed to capture with my companion, but it was well worth it. The angle of the camera looking up at us and the mountain through the window in the background felt fitting.
It was time to move onto Snow by crossing the bridge over the goo in a double helix.
At the start of Snow, I tried to ask my companion whether he wanted to go into OOB or continue forward. I chirped at each side, but since he didn't make the decision--and I later learned it hadn't even registered for him that I was asking his preference--I decided to continue forward the long way.
We ventured through the snow together, keeping the other warm until we got to the lantern room, where we sat for a while listening to the music. Of course, getting onto the lantern was a pain because we activated the heater, and the flyers are ultra sensitive in that room. My companion, much better at perching than I am, managed to land on the lantern and stick while I fell off, and when I successfully landed it, I pushed him off on accident.
I apologized profusely in my mic.
In an attempt to help them back up, I tried to scoot closer to them, but fell off again.
So we tried to jump onto the lamp together, and after a couple attempts, we managed a two second beam down onto the lamp. And stuck.
Skillz.
At the time, slavic told us not to stay too long so our butts, "don't get cooked."
Knowing who I was with, I said, "You might say it's a bit 'toast'y in here."
'Ey? 'Eeeeeyyyyyy?
"Well, I guess this would actually be the perfect place to make toast because, I mean, there's flyers around. There's a lantern. There's a lamp."
Such a terrible joke, but I'm making no apologies for it.
I couldn't remember if my companion liked both glyphs or only the one, so I led them up to the hidden alcove to activate the one, where we chirped for a while. Then I gave them scarf hugs, since the image that appears is of the war.
I suppose it was my way of saying, "Whatever may have happened in the past, we've moved beyond it now. So don't worry."
But those feelings are hard to convey in-game. So scarf hugs were the next best viable option.
Together we leapt down back to the lantern and, upon landing in front of it, I gasped because I had completely forgotten about the hum. We waited there together for several minutes, my companion ever-so-patient with me, sitting there enjoying the sound of the droning hum. It was like discovering it again for the first time, and my companion circled the lamp with me without a single chirp
So attentive, so thoughtful, so gentle. Chirping when I chirp, silent when I am silent. Some people like to lead, others like to follow, and others still just want to be present.
Yes, I knew who I was with without a doubt.
I led us through the WM field to the other glyph, and we meditated there for a while, too, trying to keep warm but getting frosty all the same, appreciating the sight of the ancestors approaching the mountain.
It's easy to forget about these glyphs after you've collected them all, but sometimes it's nice to revisit them and to really sit there to study them. Sure, they are fairly easy to understand. Some may even consider them boring, but thanks to this companion, I've learned to appreciate some of the more overlooked details.
Meanwhile, my lovely viewers (read Apno) were asking me to get chomped by the WMs.
Yet I had a feeling my companion didn't like losing his scarf. I honestly couldn't remember though. It was a hard call, but I decided, "Eh, we're almost through, why not."
Leaping onto the first segment where you hide, I waited with my companion for the light, then decided last second after its color change to red that I didn't want my companion to get hit, so I tried to fly away.
Instead I hopped and landed right in front of them.
Welp.
May as well get hit again, I thought.
This time I did try to spare my companion a little bit better, but he still went ahead and got chomped with me.
Ah well, I tried.
Past the patrol fields and in the courtyard, we watched the WM glide by the window, then flew up the ribbons to the top of the overlook and meditated there for a while longer. Then came the final stretch to death, where I performed my death waltz until we both fell.
Paradise was a blast. We wiggled up part of the ribbon bridge, twitched up some of it, then twirled up the rest. We ascended through Paradise fairly quickly until we activated the final trigger of music past the arch gate and let the music fall away to silence.
I took my companion back to the beginning to listen to the sound of the ribbon bridge as we played in it, race down the water fall, meditate on the gates, all while listening to the breeze blowing and the sound of the occasional chirp.
It was on the 2nd gate, right before the slide, where I decided I wanted to sing to my companion again, but instead he joined me in the song~ I think I've only had one other companion who knew me well enough to time their chirps with mine in a simple but wonderful song.
We listened to the sound of the water trickling just above the waterfall before the jelly pool for a good while, then flew to the center island to sing again together, this time at a faster pace. In both cases, I decided when the song was over because I had a feeling that if I didn't, my companion would keep chirping with me, hahahah.
When our duet finished, my companion and I played with the jellies for a bit and listened to them in all their awoowoowoo glory.
We met at the gate, and I pushed my companion into the pool to listen to the whale sing, and this time I managed to hop in after a few failed zen jumps. We did the same at the top pool and listened to the rush of water.
It was time to fly to the summit.
At the top we twirled around each other before I led my companion into the snow to write his name.
"Inf
Ty"
We used the glow of our companions to fly into the air a bit, but as with all things, eventually we had to end the journey by walking into the light.
Thankfully, my companion remembered that I like for them to go in first, so I didn't have to push him through like I do with Tonton.
My CMATW list confirmed my suspicions, but the best thing happened afterward when Inf stole the stream chat spotlight and sauntered in with the best message: "That's an interesting username, to be certain. The guy shouldn't have used alternating uppercase/lowercase though; it's a pain to type." (I'm laughing as I type it.)
What made the whole run even better?
We re-watched the stream and commented on it together. Being able to chat about it in-time was just as much of a highlight as the stream itself 'cause this time I got to hear your thoughts. I hated that I fell asleep before finishing.
I know I said it in the mic, but I also want to leave it as a message.
What I respect most about your companionship in Journey is your attentiveness to the other player. Not knowing whether your companion has had a good or bad day, just staying with them. It can make a world of a difference for someone, and you've always been thoughtful in that regard.
Returning to the community, you're one of the people who has helped me feel like I've come home instead of someplace completely new. Seeing you express your happiness, learning that I could be one of the reasons your interest in Journey returned, it gets me pretty choked up to be honest, haha, and listening to sad music is NOT helping.
Thank you for the one millionth time. I wish I could fully express my thankfulness and appreciation, but hopefully this will be sufficient.
Hopefully we can start together from BB someday and continue through to the end.
(And if we do, don't be afraid to show me some of your favorite things, too.)
Journey with Inf
