Go hug yourself, and everybody else in the world, in HUGPUNX

It's dreary and drizzly, but I'm grinning like an idiot. Wanna know why? I just went and embraced the everliving crap out of numerous strangers, and then started hugging their cats too. This is thanks to HUGPUNX, the newest, almost suspiciously happy browser game by Merritt Kopas.

This hippy alternative to PUNKSNOTDEAD turns the foulmouthed violence on its head, instead having you deal out doses of affection. It's quite a step away from Kopas' most well-known work, the anxiety-inducing Lim —this time around, you're pressing Z to envelop random, willing people in your tender arms. And their cats will come out for some love, too (though if my pet tabby is any indication, this is not normal cat behaviour). In the spirit of true whimsy, there's a bicycle, and the flowers sprout into a towering forest o' cheer by the time the indie-pop backing track finishes.

This is by far the quickest, most sugar-sweet way to kickstart one's day—you can play HUGPUNX in your browser at Merritt Kopas' website.