#It’s a little slow to release but that’s the price of better translation

[ouroborosorder]

Look I respect all ya’ll but the amount of people I see watching the machine TLs for girls band cry is so depressing please sobsplease has been doing full singable translyrics for every song in the show with stylish subtitles you guys have no idea what you’re missing

#girls band cry #It’s a little slow to release but that’s the price of better translation

[halcyone-of-the-sea]

HAL, HEAR ME OUT !!! ghost coming home to wis wife on Easter, he thought he wouldnt manage to come back home in time, but Price dismisses him earlier, so he decides to surprise her by making a egg hunt for her, something she always said she liked to do when she was little, I KNOW THIS IS A SPECIFIC REQUEST, FEEL FREE TO DENY DEARIE, i just really love easter loool (and simon too)

love ur works, hal ❤

A Good Man

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x F!Reader

Synopsis: If such a thing as a good man existed, Simon Riley knew he was not it.

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: Self-deprecating thoughts, allusions to Simon's past & trauma, delving into his psyche, angst, but a lot of fluff, Simon's POV

A/N: I knew I had to get this out before Easter actually came around so here it is early, Anon! This was an adorable request. Enjoy and have a happy holiday! <3

*I do not give others permission to translate and/or re-publish my works on this or any other platform*

If such a thing as a good man existed, Simon Riley knew he was not it. 

Skin shredded; showing every tear and rip with a thinly veiled sense of pride along with a detailed description of every bullet wound and burn. Rope tears along the forearms and red stab marks over the visible spine of his back. Tattoos that depict skeletons and war. He couldn’t tell you every life he had ended, but he could name names until his tongue went black and fell off; though he spared you the details. 

Simon Riley was a devil incarnate. Dead-eyed and robust of body. Muscles wound with promised death and the trigger finger to prove it. His life was measured in an hourglass, the sand cascading down like the blood from his knife after a kill; it would stop flowing, one day – abrupt and final. Simon Riley was a demon, a monster. Simon Riley was a Ghost. 

A ghost with an impeccable memory and a deep love for the woman currently on the living room couch. 

The man blinks, slate eyes taking in the steady rise and fall of your chest with a slow melting of his shoulders. He had a doubt that you had planned to fall asleep with the Tv on – or the floor lamp, for that matter. 

Its golden light slipped over your form, and he traced the flow of it as the voice of the news anchor went in one ear and out the other. Gradually, a hand slipped to the balaclava over his head as your lips let loose a grumble, nose nuzzling the feather pillow. 

Simon often found himself watching you sleep when he was home; how your face would lose all tension in those brief intermissions between oblivion and awakeness. When his own nights were restless, it helped to know that at least someone was at ease, especially if it was you. The fabric slips from his tired visage, the mess of blonde locks atop his head sticking this way and that; layered with the gleam of grease. As the black face-paint stains his sockets and spreads with a swipe of a stiff palm, the ever-constant cloud over his head peels back but for a brief moment of peace. 

His bag was still in the foyer, holding three months of dirty clothes and gear hostage in its zipped space; stained, and bloodied. The man himself wasn’t much better. 

It had been a long few months. 

Hooking the balaclava onto the belt of his cargo pants, Simon bends down on an achy knee, a grunt in his throat sounding off like a boar. Scarred fingers go to brush your cheek, though no words exit his mouth, no whispers of adoration. Just a glimmer in his eyes, a release of that furrowed line in the center of his forehead that seemed permanent these days. 

Staring, the faint twitch of his lips is the only tell at all that he was content at all, feeling your skin as a feather would slide over water. He takes down a breath.

There were few instances that Simon fully remembers from his childhood – most displaced in the back of his mind with a barbed wire fence and a door with no keyhole – though there is one he refuses to lock away. His mother. He can’t help it, and before he can stop himself the words are spilling directly from his heart to his mouth. 

Hell, he really must be tired. 

“She’d of loved you, Sweetheart.” It’s like he’s startled by his own voice, head pulling back and walls going back up, but that delicate glimpse was enough. 

A gravel voice and manchester accent bleed together to form some piece of the puzzle that was his pure adoration for you; small cardboard cuts and divots that had been given over to create a picture. Simon Riley was a ghost, yes, the Ghost, but he was never that when he was home. 

He was just Simon to you.

Blue eyes study the small smile that blesses your face when the man runs his fingers into your hair and attentively separates knots; your body unconsciously molding to his touch. With a kiss on your forehead, Simon chooses to not wake you. It’s late, the man reasons, and he knows how hard it is for you to sleep when he’s gone. Almost as hard as it is for him when he can’t feel your weight on the opposite side of the thin mattress he’s cursed with in the barracks. 

Against his better judgment, he’d learned to love your contact; your presence next to him and the way you fit into his arms.

As gently as he’s able, the black ink of his tattooed arm slips under your shoulders, pushing between the cushion and your limp body to lie still. The other hooks around your knees, and with a pause to make sure you weren't going to wake up, Simon lifts you as easily as a piece of paper. Your weight lays comfortingly against his chest, shallow breath hitting his neck and he thinks for a moment just how it was possible to love something more than you can love anyone else that came before. 

“Simon…” Your voice brings goosebumps to his forearms, his fingers tightening over the shirt he now recognizes as his own clothing you. A smirk runs over his face. 

Lips caress his pulse, a nose taking in his scent of canvas and sweat; a tinge of barely restrained corruption, a soul more damaged than a window shattered into a million pieces.

How can you stand it? How could your body instinctively lay into him and give redemption willingly? 

Simon grips you ever closer, using his own body heat to lull you back to oblivion. He didn’t have an answer – probably never would – but that didn’t mean he wasn’t forever grateful. 

But he was a stiff man; a stoic one. 

He slips through the bedroom door, navigating in the dark as if his eyes had built-in night vision, and hums out, “it’s me. Go on – back to sleep now, Love.” 

Air communes with a soft grunt, and Simon watches from the side of his vision as your lids flicker open and closed. As desperate as the fight is, it’s over fairly quickly when he lowers you to the sheets, cupping your head and setting in on the pillow. 

Soft fingers wrap his lower arm, and with trapped breath, Simon watches your lips connect to the pale skin of his wrist before your form once more goes slack; ever the stubborn one to greet him even half-gone. Weak mumbles stuck forming ‘welcome home’ and ‘love you’ on a lead tongue garble to nothingness like a gargoyle’s stone speech. 

“Hmm.” The Lieutenant smirks as the area tingles, preening like a bird. There are many things to say to you, but he settles with a mumbled, “Don’t hog the sheets. Gotta go take care of the mess first, copy?” 

You don’t answer, of course. With a delicate pet on your head, Simon exits the room silently to take a shower and organize his gear; closing the door behind him only halfway so he can still keep an eye on you as he passes. Ever the neat partner, he wouldn’t go to sleep until all were in their proper places – clothes in the washer, knives and various licensed weapons in the nightstand, and paperwork in the office. 

There was a sanctity in this. A way to get rid of the lingering adrenaline of being on Base or in the field – deterioration of the mind but in such a way it would be described as a boil to a simmer. 

All of it is uneventful. 

He enters the kitchen with only a white towel around his waist sometime later, flicking on the lights and running his fingers through his damp hair before bee-lining to the fridge. If there needed to be a list made of the things he loved the most, it would be fairly short – only three. 

One, you, two, the adrenaline rush of a good deployment, and, finally, your food.  

Simon would listen to Johnny’s rambling for days if it ended with an excellent heaping plate of whatever you cooked for supper.

Opening the fridge, the man’s eyes widen, shimmering with azure glass.

“Fuckin’ hell, Sunshine,” he breathes to himself, hand reaching inside the box with fervor, “you’ve been busy, then, eh…? Bloody feast in ‘ere.” 

The Lieutenant drags out a heaping plate of steak and potatoes – a side of greens covered in plastic and a sticky note on top. 

‘Save for Simon.’ 

The food didn’t look older than a day or two…did you save him some of your meals every once and a while just in case he would show up?

He grunts, re-reading your chicken scratch with a swelling of his chest and a foreign heat on his cheeks. Simon moves to the oven, preheating it and placing a cooling rack on a metal pan over parchment paper. Damned if the man would mess up your masterpiece; he’d reheat it properly. 

With minimal noise, he waits for the meat to be done and settles on placing the potatoes in the microwave with the greens for time's sake. Standing in the kitchen, his eyes gradually fall closed, their weight heavy. But his ears perk at the faint pitter-patter of bare feet. 

The sneaking arms around his waist don’t startle him, and with a sigh on his lips, Simon feels you melt into the curve of his open skin. A head connecting with his spine. 

“Thought I brought you back to bed?” He whispers, flesh melding to you like hot iron, a scarred hand resting over the one that’s on his abdomen. 

Your nose nestles into the burns over his back, and even if you couldn’t see it – the sudden sweep of vulnerability is nearly heard. You lay a kiss and think no more of it, but Simon shivers with beautiful agony; eyes gazing off.

“...Erm,” you groan, fingers tracing the build of his ribs, “needed to hold you.” Your breath stills – half-asleep. “You’re…here?”  

Simon chuckles, hearing it echo off the walls.

“I’m ‘ere, Love. Few more bloody cuts,” he breathes, “but I’m here.” 

“Good. Missed you.” A second of kisses and distant blue eyes. Muffled yawns into his flesh. “Didn’t think you’d be back in time for Easter.” 

Simon twists, aware of the delicate fold of his towel, and lifts your fatigued form onto the counter, settling you down so you don’t fall sideways. He blinks down at you, cupping your cheek when your neck gets too heavy to hold up. Your lids rapidly move, your nose scrunched at the overhead light and the man knows you’re only awake because he’s home. 

He utters out to you, faces close, “The Old Man let me off early,” and lays a peck to your forehead, holding his lips there for a long second. Mutters into your skin, “prickly bastard’s been antsy – hasn’t had a good drink in weeks. Was about ready to strangle someone.”

She’s warm.

His body slots itself between your legs, one arm around your back and the other placed on the counter. Simon’s forehead falls to your shoulder, and with a groan of satisfaction, he feels your fingers go through his locks; itching at his scalp dreamily. 

“...Dunno whether to thank him or send ‘em to a therapist.” You whisper, kissing his neck, unable to keep your hands off each other for a mere second. 

“Better to place money on the both.” His grumbled words are barely heard. “I’ve got two weeks ‘fore they need me back.” 

A soft hum is all he gets before the timer goes off and he takes down a breath, forcing himself to peel back from you and grab his supper. 

By the time the both of you are in bed, he’d nearly forgotten about your comment, and as he stroked your hair and felt you bring him closer under the covers, he remembers. He’d asked Price to give him two weeks on account of the holiday you’d loved so much – Easter – and had used the Captain's deteriorating attitude as a pry. It had been easy enough, the two had known each other for a long time. They knew their breaking points. 

Sometimes living around a handful of other men formed unbreakable bonds of brotherhood, and while that was true for 141, it was also a pain in the ass. People long for home at the end of it – a soft touch and sweet kisses. There’s only so long you can go with yelling orders into the same faces and playing Poker in a shitty safehouse.

Simon never thought he’d be worthy of it, a home, but here he is regardless and here he would stay. And he knew Easter was your favorite time of the year, and he also knew that Easter was…tomorrow. His dead eyes widened. 

The plan formed quickly, his strategic mind helping as it always does, and as he snuck out of bed and laid his lips to yours in a tiny kiss, a shirt was tossed on along with boxers. You never heard the door to the garage door opening, just snuggled back up to the pillow and an old t-shirt he’d placed in his spot instead; inhaling his calming scent.

—

When the sun had risen an hour ago and Simon had finished with heavy fingers. Groaning, the back of a hand meets a forehead, trying to swipe away sleepiness as one would a fly. But he says nothing, feet hitting the floor as he enters the kitchen, an object held in his palm that was quickly stashed in the breadbox.

This was childish, he knew, not at all like the deadly Lieutenant of TF-141. Like Ghost. The boys would tease him relentlessly if they found out.

“Simon…?” Your voice draws him back, and with a look over his shoulders, he finds you wrapped in the comforter like a mouse. “What are you doing out here?” 

The lie comes easily.

“Fixin’ breakfast.” Your eyes flicker to the open breadbox, eyebrows furrowing. A smirk grows and you walk over with a laugh living in your expression. 

“I don’t even trust you to toast bread, Love, go sit down. You’ve been stuck on rations for too long.” Simon only steps back, gazing over your head and seeing your hand pause. “I’ll make us some…” 

He watches as he loves to do, memorizing the parting of your lips and the recognition lighting like a shy fire. The man smiles then, and it is a delicate thing; an expression not tainted with sarcasm or deception. 

Your hand delves into the box and pulls out a plastic egg softly as if it would snap in two. 

It’s cheap, made of thin plastic and fading in colors of the shade of pastel pink. Chipping. There’s nothing inside of it, just a bare piece of holiday joy that never meant too much to anyone beyond children. But with how you’re staring up at him, Simon thinks all the searching in the bins from the garage was worth it. 

“What’s this?” Your voice wraps him close, and your hand holds the object close. Simon shrugs, digging deep into your vision. 

“I’ve the faintest idea, Sunshine.” The giggle flies to his cold heart and he pulls you to his chest to still the raging of it. “My guess,” he raises a stiff brow, “intruder broke in, yeah?” 

“Did this intruder have ears and a pink nose?” You ask, noses brushing. “A hop in his step, maybe?” 

“Hell if I know,” Simon grunts, eyes flickering away before he can break before you. “Best get my gun just in case – you’ll ‘ave to find the rest ‘o the bastard things, though.”

You kiss him then, and he captures the back of your head, holding you to him as if you’d disappear if he let go. He doesn't know what you did to possess him so, to make his thoughts be only of you even when he’s halfway around the world. Were you an angel? A shred of light made physical? Perhaps an embodiment of all the good in the universe? 

Simon had no answer, as he usually did when it came to you, and you sighed into him, whispering redemption to his soul. 

You said you loved him, and he said it back with every ounce of him that was untouched by death. And then you pulled from him with a laugh that could throw away darkness and disappeared with promises of finding the remaining eggs. Like a loyal hound of hell, Simon followed, pulling on the comforter to slow you down so you don’t trip. He would always follow.

The vision of a good life starts with a view of the present. Who you choose to care about; how you make meaning of nothing but a shared morning and a memory of youth. Simon does not remember much of his childhood. Most of the memories are displaced in the back of his mind with a barbed wire fence and a door with no keyhole. Cast away. 

Coated in fear and lies.

Some days he asks how he can still call himself Simon Riley – it’s the name of a dead man, after all…and then he looks at your beaming face, and his question is answered as fast as it was thought up. 

You deserve Simon Riley, not Ghost. Not a devil incarnate or Dead-eyed. A demon, or a monster. If there was even a shred of purity left in him, that was what he knew beyond doubt. 

Simon Riley was selfish, he admitted, and he was loathed to leave you…so here he would stay. Hiding easter eggs and giving veiled hints when you were close to one near the planted flowers in the backyard. There was a simplicity that the man bathed in – the blatant enjoyment of a plain life. 

With a chuckle in the back of his throat, Simon pushes off the back porch and makes a comment about how you were closer to the dead bird you had buried in the garden bed than an egg. A flick of your middle finger leaves him smirking, and he splays a hand over your back, angling your body farther north. The kiss left on his stubbled cheek makes him warmer than he wants to admit; cold eyes soften.

If such a thing as a good man existed, Simon Riley knew he was not it…but he was trying to be damn near close. Until then, the ring he had bought would stay in his office.

TAGS:

@blueoorchid, @jxvipike, @revrse, @shuttlelauncher81, @bruhhvv, @kittiowolf210, @aerangi, @spikespiegell, @ghost-with-a-teacup, @1234ilikecowsthanyoumore, @uberraschungg, @shoe1412, @jemandderkeinenusernamenfindet @pukbadger, @omeganixtra, @gills-lounge, @voidinfernal, @sukunas-left-nut-sack, @untoldshortsofthefandoms, @batmanunicorns523, @icepancakes, @copiasratscheese, @besas-stuff, @marytvirgin, @misfne, @halfmoth-halfman, @lothiriel9, @anna-banana27, @jade-jax, @cl0wncxre, @john-pricee, @330bpm-whiplash, @lora21, @wolfyland07, @dilfsaremyfavourite, @levietc, @kk19pls, @semieitabby, @thriving-n-jiving, @cringe-kats, @n1choles, @gaychaosgremlin, @johnpricesprincess, @haleypearce

#simon ghost riley #ghost #ghost x reader #cod x you #cod mw22 #cod x reader #cod #mw2 fanfic #mw2 x reader #mw2 2022 #mw2 #call of duty modern warfare 2 #modern warfare 2 #call of duty modern warfare #modern warfare #cod fanfic #cod fic #cod mw2 #x female reader #cod fandom #female reader #modern warfare x reader #modern warfare x you #simon riley #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #mw x reader #call of duty mw2 #ghost mw2

[sylvia-forest]

[CN] Shaw's Leave and Go Date

⚡ This post contains detailed spoiler's for a Date which hasn't released in EN yet!⚡

[This was translated with the help of Google translate and by my friend!]

✧[Part 1]✧

MC: No, it's not right here either…

I held down the delete button and let the screen full of text fly backwards and clear. 

Recently, [MC Company's name] was bidding for the right to host the opening ceremony of an international event. For this reason, we put in a lot of effort but in the end we failed...

I was a little reluctant to miss such an important project, so I planned to review it during this long-awaited weekend.

I sighed as I watched my frown on the empty screen.

At that moment, there was a hot, wet touch on my leg. I lowered my head and saw a furry head against my leg, licking me lightly.

MC: Beanie, did the keyboard sound wake you up?

[T/N]: The pet name is “豆豆” means “bean bean” so I'll name it as “beanie”!

It seems to be comfortable to touch, its head slowly slides down, and the hair between its belly also rises and falls quietly with its breathing.

Beanie is a Labrador that a director friend fostered at my house before he went on a business trip.

It isn’t noisy, it’s much better behaved than the last foster pet, Spicy Stick, and sometimes I feel that it's a little sullen…

[T/N]: Spicy Stick appeared in the first pet date series!

It's not that you miss your master too much, right?

Just as I was thinking, a doorbell cut through the silence. I glanced at the time and estimated that Shaw should be here.

MC: Come Beanie, let's meet an interesting big brother〜

I hurriedly stepped off the sofa, stomped my foot, and signaled Beanie to follow. With a sharp stomp, it finally lifted its head and jumped down.

As soon as I opened the door, Shaw was leaning on the side.

Shaw: What are you, a turtle? You're so slow to open the door.

MC: ...Beanie, bite him!

Beanie casually wiggled its ears, glanced at Shaw, then walked in circles with its paws before laying down on its stomach. 

MC: …….

Shaw: This dog is interesting, nothing like you.

Shaw: Doesn’t like to bite.

I was about to glare at him when he leaned over and looked straight at me. 

MC: …what?

Shaw: What else can I do? I haven't seen you for so long, so of course I have to take a good look at you.

Shaw: But have you been busy lately, why do you look so bad?

MC: Huh, do I?

The next second, he raised his eyebrows and flicked my forehead.

Shaw: How are you gonna take care of the dog when you can't even take care of yourself?

✧[Part 2]✧

I didn't want to be fussy with him, so I dragged him inside.

MC: Yes, yes, yes, so isn’t this why I "invited" you here?

Hearing me deliberately emphasize the word, he closed his eyes with satisfaction.

Shaw: It's all right, don't forget the ten hot pot meals you owe me.

Shaw: But that's just the price of taking care of the pet, if you want me to take care of you, you have to at least—

I hurriedly pinched his palm.

MC: I don't need you to take care of me, I will recover after a few more days of sleep, so I won't give you a chance to start raising prices!

Shaw: All right, don’t be fooled. 

Shaw: It seems that next time I have to change to a fresh trick.

He casually stopped, leaned over and scratched Beanie's head lightly. But it just raised its eyelids and closed them again.

Shaw: …Is it so listless every day?

MC: Well, I obviously prepared his favorite canned food and toys, but he wasn't interested in them.

I pointed aside to the bell ball and teething stick, which should have had wet drool stuck to them, and were now lying neatly on the floor.

MC: But it seems that you played well with Spicy Stick last time, so the important task of getting Beanie to cheer up is entrusted to you.

MC: But let me say this in advance that if you fail, the ten hot pots in the deal won't count!

Shaw: You don't want to suffer at all.

Shaw glanced at me, picked up the bell ball and tapped it on Beanie's paw.

Shaw: Hey, get up and play a game.

Beanie lifted his eyelids when he heard the voice, and only after a while did he reluctantly support himself and look at Shaw with his front paws folded.

Shaw didn't seem to care about its indifferent reaction. He raised his forearm and the bell ball was thrown up and down.

Beanie didn’t move at all, only his round eyes followed the rotation of the ball, as if coping. 

Shaw: …Are you tired of playing?

As a final confirmation, he threw it forward. The ball bounced a few times on the ground, and rolled quietly towards the wall.

During the whole process, Beanie remained indifferent, his chin pressed against his front paws and looked at us silently.

I pursed my lips, patting him on the shoulders with an air of experience.

MC: ...Don't be discouraged. I've had a few times when I've thrown toys at him and he's done the same.

Shaw: Who said I was discouraged?

He smiled and tapped Beanie's nose.

Shaw: Your name is Beanie, right? Look, not all cats and dogs have this treatment.

Shaw: But this trick works every time.

He confidently spread out his palm, and a cluster of blue-purple lightning hung overhead, flashing sparks, and fine fireworks were reflected in Beanie’s eyes.

Soon, the cluster of lightning started to move, jumping up and down nimbly in the sunlight, looking very cute.

MC: Wow, look at this, Beanie!

I stretched out my fingertips and followed the electric light slowly, glancing at Beanie from time to time to observe its reaction.

But it just lifted its head and rubbed my leg.

Shaw: …..

Shaw: Your dog is so boring. Not interested in "fireworks"?

Shaw: You should know that the school's King of the Mountain*, and the one next to you has all given high praise.

[T/N]: Reference from Shaw’s second pet date! King of the Mountain is a black cat which was living at Shaw’s campus!

Maybe it was because he was standing in the backlight, his face was extraordinarily "gloomy", and the corners of his lips were tensed into a straight line.

Seeing his rarely "defeated” look, I laughed.

MC: It seems that your fireworks is just like that, not having much effect〜

Shaw: Oh? Who stupidly reached out and touched it when they first saw it?

[T/N]: Reference from Shaw’s first birthday date!

Shaw raised his eyebrows, as if he wanted to "settle the score", but I couldn't help laughing loudly.

At the same time, there was a tickling sensation around my legs. I lowered my head, and Beanie's tail wagged widely from side to side, and seemed to stick its tongue out at me happily…

I blinked and poked Shaw's shoulder lightly.

MC: Why don't you have a few more defeats? Beanie seems to prefer to see you embarrassed~

Shaw: ……

I thought I would be mocked, but his expression converged for a few moments, gazing back and forth between Beanie and me.

After a while, he suddenly smiled.

Shaw: I know how to cheer it up.

MC: Huh?

Shaw: Hang around for a while and you'll know.

He spoke so mysteriously that I couldn't help but feel my heart flutter, but I also thought that there were still bidding documents in my hand that hadn't been reviewed yet...

MC: Why don't you take it out to play, I still have some work to do. I’ll join you later?

Shaw: Didn't you say that it was over two days ago?

MC: It's over......Oops, you guys go ahead!

Thinking that one or two sentences weren’t enough to explain, I simply pushed Shaw's shoulder to go outside. 

But he turned sideways and avoided my palm.

Shaw: Does it have to be today?

MC: No… 

Shaw: Is that document saved?

He interrupted me and asked a question that was a bit off. 

MC: I set up a regular backup, the document will be automatically saved every minute...

Before I finished speaking, there was a soft sound in the air, and the lights above my head went out.

I looked around in a daze, and found that the indicator lights of all the electrical appliances were off, so I looked at Shaw belatedly.

MC: Shaw, you…

I don't know when, he was already holding Beanie's leash in his hand and then grabbed my hand and walked towards the door.

Shaw: The electricity won't be able to recover in an hour and a half.

Shaw: Just follow me.

✧[Part 3]✧

After walking out of the gate of the community, Shaw stopped and turned to look at me.

Shaw: Tell me, where do you most want to go right now?

MC: Didn't you want to take Beanie out to relax? Why do you ask me...?

Shaw looked at Beanie at my feet and sneered casually.

Shaw: That stupid dog can't say anything, so I might as well ask someone a little smarter.

MC: I see you haven’t thought about where to go. 

Having said that, an idea popped into my head.

MC: I remember Beanie's owner said that he likes to watch the sea.

MC: Originally, I planned to take it out next weekend, but now that Beanie has come out… why not choose another day? 

Shaw raised his eyebrows. His eyes flashed with emotions that I couldn't understand.

Shaw: Looking at the sea. What about you, do you like it?

MC: I like it, I feel relieved when I watch the sea.

Shaw: Okay, let's go, then.

—

An hour later, we got out of the taxi and walked leisurely on the plank road by the sea.

On the other side of the plank road, the whole sea is spread out, and layers of waves roll on the soft, fine sand.

Shaw: How is it, are you feeling better?

I stopped at the sound and found that Shaw's gaze was falling from Beanie to me.

For a while, I couldn't tell who he was asking…

Shaw: What are you looking at, don't you want to watch the sea to relax?

As he spoke, he held my shoulders and turned me towards the sea, and the voice continued to come from behind.

Shaw: And you, don't cling to her every day, be independent.

Shaw: After finally coming to the beach, of course we have to have fun before going back.

He crouched down, took out a bell ball from his pocket and threw it in front of Beanie.

MC: You even brought the toy?

Shaw: Of course. Everything needs to be embellished for them to be interesting.

Seeing that Beanie finally fiddled with the bell ball twice, I was slightly relieved and turned to look at the sea.

On the sparkling sea, waves wrapped in foam burst on the reefs one after another, bringing a cool and refreshing feeling.

But this refreshment did not go straight to the bottom of my heart. Instead, I couldn't help but think about the failure of the bid.

I missed such an important project, what I need now is to sum up the experience and learn from it, not to relax…

I sighed quietly as remorse and anguish wove their way through my heart. However, the next moment, my cheek was pinched by a warm force and tugged from side to side.

Shaw: It's not like you to be so lethargic after a few weeks.

Shaw: I think that stupid dog is stronger than you.

At this time, Beanie seemed to understand something, bit the bell ball and shook his head randomly.

I glanced at Shaw next to me and patted his hand away angrily.

MC: What do you know? Stay out of adults' affairs.

Seeming to pick up on my pretentious tone, a snort came in my ear.

Shaw: OK, I don't understand.

Shaw: But I prefer to care.

The frivolity in his eyes became particularly dazzling under the bright sun, which touched my heart inexplicably for a while.

I moved a step towards him without a trace and tightened the railing in my hand.

MC: Actually, it's my own problem... It's the project that I told you I was busy with, but it didn't succeed in the bidding.

Shaw: Are you listless because of this?

MC: Can't I be frustrated by this?

What responded to me was a crisp muffled sound on my forehead. I covered my head in pain and stared at Shaw through my fingers.

The playfulness in his eyes has been curtailed for a few moments, leaving behind that pure flair.

Shaw: Of course not.

Shaw: If you were to put in the same amount of energy as me, perhaps nothing will beat you.

Shaw: Why do you have to be "invincible" in front of me, and easily get discouraged at work?

MC: Who said I...uh!

Before I finished speaking, he placed his fingers on my cheeks and directed my face towards the ocean.

Shaw: Don't scold me, scold the sea.

✧[Part 4]✧

The warmth from my cheeks intertwined with the tide repeatedly. I opened my mouth, and I couldn't say anything that was already stuck in my throat.

Shaw seemed to sense this subtlety and arrogantly took a step closer, bullying his way up to my ear.

Shaw: Is it true that you can only display that energy of baring your teeth and claws when you are in front of me?

MC: Hmph, I obviously don't want to argue with you…

Shaw tutted lightly, leaned over and rubbed Beanie's head.

Shaw: Tell your master in the future, next time you want to board, don't come to her.

Shaw: Stupidity is contagious, you know?

Hearing the staged tone of his words, I hammered him in exasperation.

MC: Shaw! I'm asking you to help Beanie cheer up, not to give it an earful!

MC: If this happens again, I will issue an ultimatum. If there is no effect before dark, ten hot pot meals will be canceled.

Shaw: Who says it didn’t cheer up? Watch it.

Shaw smiled casually, and a cluster of electric lights appeared in his palm.

MC: ...Haven't you used this trick?

Before I could finish my words, the cluster of electric sparks came to Beanie. As the lights flickered, the short hair on its body stood up suddenly, and a flower "exploded".

MC: Pff…!

It seems I’ve laughed too suddenly, Beanie reacted by lifting its tail. Along with the static electricity, it turned into a green foxtail. 

[T/N] Green foxtail is a type of plant!

MC: Hahaha Beanie, you look so stupid ~

Shaw: Is it so funny? So…

As he trailed off, the electric flower turned and flew towards me. I immediately regained my senses and dodged to the side.

MC: You, you stop!

Shaw: I don’t want to. 

MC: Then let's become dandelions together!

Seeing that the electric flower was close at hand, I hugged Shaw tightly and pressed my head against him. 

He didn't seem to expect me to do this and his body was slightly stunned.

The ball of electric sparks flew to the top of my head before I had time to stop. My scalp was numb, and the ends of my hair had already risen. 

I raised my head, and a few locks of Shaw's hair also exploded in the air silently. But in the next moment, the tingling sensation on the top of the head disappeared.

Shaw: …tsk, your reaction was pretty quick today.

MC: Hahaha, this is called having high aims, but failing! And you just look like a hedgehog— oh…

I couldn't stop laughing, and the boredom of the past few days seemed to dissipate quietly with the laughter.

Beanie: Woof! Woof!

At this moment, Beanie wagged his tail and ran in front of me, and called out twice in a good mood.

I reached out and stroked the fur that had just exploded.

MC: Beanie, you are laughing at him too, right?

It barked a few more times in agreement, then got more excited and circled around us.

Shaw: Happy?

Shaw rubbed Beanie's head. Immediately after, it grabbed onto Shaw's knee and frantically sniffed around.

Shaw: All right, all right, you're too happy.

Beanie couldn't seem to stop, and jumped on my lap again, rubbing his wet nose on my arm.

Seeing its sudden change in appearance, I could not help but look at Shaw, but found that he also raised his eyebrows in a wanton manner.

Shaw: It seems that the task has been completed, and the ten hot pot meals can be remembered.

MC: Huh…?

Seeing that I was still a little confused, he casually flicked my nose.

Shaw: Haven't you discovered that it was like this because of you?

Shaw: You must know that dogs understand human emotions best. If you are unhappy, it will of course be affected.

I was stunned, remembering that when Beanie temporarily lived in my house, I had been busy with work…

Except for regularly taking it for a walk twice a day, it spends the rest of the time anxiously facing work.

Especially after the bid failed, I completely stayed at home to reflect, but it stayed by my side from beginning to end.

Looking at Beanie who was still wagging his tail at me, a burst of sourness surged in my heart, and I reached out and hugged him.

But it doesn't seem to know what this sudden hug means, and it burrows into my arms while breathing heavily.

MC: Sorry Beanie, I made you worry about me.

Beanie moved his ears and looked up at me, his round eyes filled with only me.

Soon, it sticks out its soft tongue again and licks my arm, as it has done countless days and nights before.

Bang, bang –

In the distance, a crackling sound like fireworks sounded behind me, and Beanie in my arms grabbed my shoulder and shouted.

I turned my head in surprise and saw clusters of pale pink fireworks blooming in the sky in the distance.

Even in the bright sunlight, it still did not lose its color, burning enthusiastically.

MC: Shaw, look, there are fireworks during the day. It seems that there was something going on at the beach today.

Shaw: Such big fireworks can be seen without shouting.

There seemed to be a smile hidden in his tone, and then he hugged the excited Beanie up to the railing and rubbed its head indiscriminately.

Shaw: So you guys like fireworks.

Shaw: It seems that the one I showed you in the morning wasn't big enough, and I will show you something more powerful than this when I have a chance next time.

MC: Forget it, if there is really such a big electric shock, be careful that the Loveland City Electric Power Bureau will settle accounts with you!

Shaw: Then we have to know it.

Immediately afterwards, he took off the sunglasses that were stuck in my hair and put them on Beanie's face.

Shaw: Children shouldn't look directly at the strong light for a long time, wear it well.

Beanie didn't resist, and continued to stick out his tongue to look at the daytime fireworks in the air.

The sound of fireworks and the waves echoed each other. Looking at the fireworks in Shaw's eyes, some emotions in my heart also crackled and drummed.

MC: Shaw, after going through today, I’ve come to realize something. Some people actually have something in common with Beanie.

MC: They'll always accompany me.

Shaw seemed to be enjoying himself. He smiled and bent down to be at eye level with me.

Shaw: You are half right.

Shaw: But I’m not as dumb as the dog, companion isn’t always the best option.

Shaw: Making a change is the only way.

Boom — another burst of fireworks cut through the sky in the distance.

And in my heart, there was a small cluster of fireworks that bloomed silently.

—

🐾 Call and moments (coming soon) 

#this date is full of rollercoaster of emotions 🫠 #but no worries shaw's here to the rescue! #shaw's caring and attentiveness towards MC will make your heart melt 🥹 #you'll know when you read the date so enjoy~ #mlqc spoilers #mlqc cn #mlqc shaw #mlqc ling xiao #mlqc translations #mr love queen's choice #mlqc #love and producer

[ariesmemes]

♡    ╱    FML SENTENCE STARTERS ( created using seventeen’s 2023 album fml. lyrics have been taken from genius english translations. feel free to adjust to fit your muse. )

“what a fucking world”

“i’m the only one who became a fool in this fucking world”

“lost on the way”

“i’m the only fool”

“let’s forget it”

“let’s laugh like this”

“i try to comfort you”

“crying on the way home”

“i want to cry”

“keep crying”

“i just want to find it again”

“is there anyone who can exchange hearts with me?”

“fight for my life”

“fight for my life for me”

“now i want to find myself”

“i’m getting tired of the dream i’m dreaming alone”

“i’m so tired of it”

“i want to quit”

“i don’t want to be embarrassing tomorrow”

“even if i make a promise, that doesn’t work”

“i looked at the ground and kept going to the top”

“i’m so proud”

“i always win”

“it’s key that you got a strong will”

“the future’s not going anywhere”

“hop on our cloud and get around”

“we can proudly stand tall”

“let’s move onto the next world”

“catch this rhythm and flow”

“a stand of being free of all time and space”

“i give it my all and slip up”

“don’t know how to give it up”

“i’m running riot”

“we’ll never rest”

“don’t break it till we make it”

“i love my team”

“i love my crew”

“we already made it this far”

“we already made it this high”

“it’s all thanks to you”

“we’re on our way now”

“we’re not stopping”

“we’re racing now”

“the backseat still goes pow”

“be a hardworker now”

“every day we always come and go”

“let’s move for the sake of it all”

“we can keep running forever more”

“sometimes the truth hurts”

“sometimes the lie’s sweet”

“sometimes kind’s a kind of lie”

“shove all the bad stuff together”

“gather your strength”

“this is the cartoon’s credits song”

“be careful”

“get rid of them first”

“my turn is okay”

“my freshly made home-cooked meal”

“hold it back”

“take off your mask now”

“release it now”

“it’s time to dance now”

“we’ve been touring domes”

“haven’t your heard it now?”

“stadium tours too”

“release it now”

“i got the fire”

“i don’t retire”

“passion is a bonus on the main dish”

“the price tag rises”

“pop the champagne”

“i have the confidence to rise again”

“we are the masterpiece”

“i got the fantasy”

“i got the dream” 

“you’re the only one for me”

“i’m more afraid that it will get erased”

“different languages and different times”

“you don’t have to undersand”

“only the two of us shared in secret”

“it’s enough for just the two of us to know”

“you know there are more important things than words between us, right?”

“i don’t understand but i love you”

“look at it with your eyes closed”

“i won’t stick by any time, any day”

“even though i don’t understand, i can know you”

“the language barrier is just an illusion”

“you know that i also don’t believe myself but you still believed in me”

“i wish i can stop liking the word hate”

“i want to stop my feelings”

“i’ve been hearing news that you’ve been doing very well”

“they let me know as if they teasing me”

“i carelessly picked on the closet”

“hat are those feelings that piled up on top of it?”

“the dust of stinging and better longing that is stained by your scent”

“they don’t just float away”

“they just stack up in my heart”

“they get tangled up”

“no matter how much i throw away, they return back like dust”

“i say the lie that deep memories are childish”

“i want to be deceived even though i know”

“ the saying that time heals everything is fake”

“what words do i have to believe to make my heart feel better?”

“your id picture remains in the deep corner of my wallet”

“i love you”

“the rain showers around april”

“they always fall down beside me”

“the rain gently rises and fills up my heart”

“even if i walk a little slow in this rain”

“even if the lights change freely”

“it’s like directing everything”

“it seems like a stage just for me”

“when the april shower falls in late spring, put down your umbrella and walk in the rain”

“we are like flowers that bloom in may”

“rain drop on me”

“i wanna rock with you in this rain”

“dance with me in a better mood”

#rp meme #sentence meme #rpt #rp prompts #sentence starter prompt

[fourseasonsfigs]

The Moonlight on the Roof is Beautiful Tonight

But not as beautiful as A-Xu!

The lounging inspiration for this handsome fig set. Surely nothing could ruin the mood on such a beautiful night on the roof above (rechecks the ep) Cheng Liquor Store.

I missed this incredible set twice - first in the initial sales, and then was too slow to snap up the very few remainders when the fig maker released them. I consoled myself that I didn't really want it that bad (dear figthusiast, I sure did), and decided I would simply find a well priced set on Xianyu at my leisure.

I haunted Xianyu for months. Any time I saw a set, I'd have my agent inquire if it came with the roof, which had been an add-on purchase during original sales, and which in my mind was kind of the whole point of the set. Most did not. The few ones that did, I purchased and they were cancelled for various reasons. Finally, there was one set that showed up, and it came with the roof. Sounds great, right? Yeah, except for the price. 300 yuan. 300 yuan!! The original price, mind you, was 94.56 yuan plus a 9 yuan supplement for the roof, so basically 3x. Plus all the fees and stuff. I swore I'd never buy it at that kind of crazy pricing. It doesn't do to encourage scalpers, right?

And apparently I wasn't the only one who swore off of buying it, because every time I searched, there it was. The only one. Over and over and over. So yeah, more months went by.

The good news here, delightful figthusiasts, is that technically I did not buy it from that enterprising profiteer. I got it as a Christmas gift. And if I may note, the listing was marked as sold and then another set immediately went up from the same seller, for the exact same price. I mean, kudos to them I guess?

But, what is Christmas for but for people you love to buy you things you love the holiday spirit, and I did feel pretty joyous as I unwrapped these little guys, and the much-longed-for roof.

You can see why. The roof is just too good for posing figs of all kinds on! (speaking of Christmas, if you don't think I'm going to put Santa Han lounging on this roof next year, I'm sad you think I'm going to pass up such a golden opportunity!)

The underside - it's pretty light since it's hollowed out. It sits sturdily - not uneven or off balance at all.

Our two moon watching, wine-drinking cuties. The only thing I'd have preferred with this set is if Lao Wen's hair was a little more wispy-hair forward - you can see the wisps at either side, but he ends up more with a slicked back look overall. But it's a very minor thing.

Their little legs sticking out is SUPER cute.

A better view of their hair styles.

Lao Wen's hair looks a bit glossier than A-Xu's, but that's just due to the lighting in my little fig photographing area. It would certainly make sense if A-Xu's hair was a bit duller - if I had that much iron blocking my meridians, my hair would be looking a little less sleek too.

As you might imagine from the supporting robes all around them, these figs sit well and have no problem sitting on the roof. No concerns about them tumbling off, thankfully!

The roof ridge is a nice wide base.

There we go! Home at last.

The quote on the card / box is this beautiful line from the theme song Tianyake:

将平生霜雪 与君煮酒烹茶 jiāng píng shēng shuāng xuě yǔ jūn zhǔ jiǔ pēng chá A life of snow and frost melts away as I brew wine and make tea with you (translation Cee)

Material: PVC

Fig Count: 160

Diorama Count: 9

Snowglobe Count: 1

Rating: Appreciate the moon with great wine!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

#wenzhou #word of honor #word of honor merch #zhou zishu #wen kexing #lao wen #a-xu #zhang zhehan #gong jun #figthusiast

[everythingblreview]

As a big fan of BL games, I always been very supportive of companies who license and release them in English. I will wait and buy a game, I didn’t play in Japanese yet if it is announced in English and will buy the English version of a bl game I already played in Japanese.

Consider all this I will not support and encourage anyone to support Jast blue anymore and the shit they are doing.

Let’s break this done.

Jast is licensing nitro+chiral game, especially popular in the west and known for their darker content, (which is good even though most of them already had a fan patch) but honestly they are doing a horrible job with it.

Even ignoring that their game often tend to have errors and bugs, but them cutting up and trying to sell their games to minors is a big no no.

I’ve been in their server and they seem completely fine with having 14 years old children on a server for 18+ bl games (and yes I’m sure some played dmmd when they were 14) but were are talking about adults here trying to sell their games to children and not even caring. Also cutting bl games that are not mean to been cut in the first place, is dumb. They removed so much stuff from sweet pool the game didn’t even make sense to people who played it cut. Sure maybe dmmd works a little better but you won’t go far with their other games. Slow damage will be even worse because it’s so much darker and if you cut it you will just remove the whole plot, and all the poor people who will play it cut without even knowing, ruining the game for themselves. Do you need money that badly jast?

Secondly, I would like to talk about a big problem I have with their games: the translation. It’s bad.

They add unnecessary swearing, things like “bro” “dude” making them sounds like so edgy American teenager, I don’t know who is translating this but don’t add stuff that is not there in the first place, don’t try to make everything more “edgy” and don’t try to make Japanese people talk like some Americans, yes this is translated by americans with amrican audience in mind probably but please be more respectful toward the original. Sweet pool already made Makoto sounds stupid but dmmd was just a joke. the game is already seen as a meme but jast made it only worse, to a point you could not read it anymore.

And the last thing that made me especially mad the last few days: How Jast is handling slow damage. One pic of the game showed ones again unnecessary swearing and it was not even translated correctly (sure it can only be this one time but consider they disappointed me enough already, I doubt that)

What makes me really made is how they present the game: as some edgy game meme, what are you doing Jast trying to make a dmmd out of this, or what? Sure, people who didn’t play don’t know it but this game is so far away from being in any way funny or “edgy”. I really want to know if the person who tweets this shit even played the game. Giving the most stupid answers to question people ask. They are not your characters jast answer with that what n+c wrote in the game. Them making a joke character out of Towa, makes so MAD saying stuff like “he would read killing stalking” or “make you worse” WTF jast. Are you fucking stupid to portray a fucking mentally ill character with heavy trauma who is one step away from committing suicide as some fucking joke?? this is not dmmd, THE GAME IS NOT FUNNY, TAKE THIS FUCKING SERIOUS JAST.

Are they so desperate to sell this game that you need edgy 14 year old kids for your costumers? How about selling them for a higher price and taking things serious for ones jast?

I can only imagine a lot of people going into the game expecting some Aoba kind of joke character only to be hit with one of the most traumatic and darkest themes in a game I ever played.

Consider this I won’t ever judge people who still buy their games because some people only have this option.

But this makes me really said, fans deserve a good translation and a game that is treated seriously but all we get is...jast and their cringy joke.

No wonder n+c doesn’t want to work with them if their sell their games for such a low price, and I hope they never can translate lamento because they don’t deserve the game (go play the fanpatch version it’s great) if you want to support n+c directly go buy their games in Japanese, use the fan-translation or machine translation to play it if you can. At this point I don’t think Jast will ever change, and I will not support them in any way.

On a better note, Tokyo Onmyouji will be finally released on the 25th February. Please support the game it looks great and Moonchime Localization did work really hard on it to release it on time unlike some others who make empty promises, took the game and the character seriously and didn’t try to make a joke out of it.

#Nitro+chiral #n+c #boys love #jast blue #jast is trash #bl game #blvn #Dmmd

[karasuno-chaos]

Window Shopping (Asahi x Reader)

When Asahi has trouble finding inspiration, you know just how to help him.

Word Count:  1,261

Masterlist

He’s smiling as you weave through the stream of shoppers, your fingers entwined so you don’t get separated.  You never knew someone could get such pleasure from window shopping, but his eyes scan the storefronts and signs with eagerness and enthusiasm.  It makes you smile as you follow him.

He needed this.  You can always tell when Asahi needs a little extra inspiration.  He loves his job, but it demands a lot of creativity, and that’s an impulse that is hard to wrangle.  Every once in a while, you notice his enthusiasm dim and a worry settle behind his brow when new ideas are slow to come.  You know the best way to help is to get him out of his head and onto the streets, so on your next mutual day off, you plan a trip to the shopping district.

Despite the small puddles left by the morning’s rain, the sidewalks bustle with people.  You are thankful for your boyfriend’s warm hand tethering you to him as you weave slowly amongst strangers.  You have no distinct destination and yield to those moving with a purpose.  Sometimes on these outings you find a cafe and people watch for an hour.  Inspiration blooms from the crowds as often as it does from the window displays, so you keep an eye out for potential spots to sit while Asahi studies the people and shops.

He drifts towards a window, and you follow.  You stop in front of a mannequin in some ridiculous pose that is probably meant to make the outfit it wears look particularly cool, but you’ve never seen anyone stand like that unless they were trying to be funny.

Asahi studies whatever caught his attention, but you look at your reflection in the window, fractured slightly by raindrops lingering on the glass.  You like how you look standing beside each other with your hands comfortably clasped between you.  Fondness flutters in your chest.  You’re both good at setting time aside for dates and quality time, but you don’t have many pictures together.  There’s a certain comfort and affection you see when you stand together like this that encapsulates your love.

The lighting and angle is just right to snap a picture with your phone.  Then you make a silly face and take another to send to Noya.  Last you’d heard, your best friend is somewhere in Africa helping on a wildlife sanctuary and is in and out of cell service all day, but he likes getting mundane updates from you and your boyfriend.  It helps you feel connected when he’s half the world away.

Asahi is still staring through the window when you tuck your phone away.  You squeeze his hand to get his attention.

“Like what you see?” you ask.

“Mostly.”  He squeezes your hand in reply.  You see fondness in his eyes, but you can also read a familiar hesitation that makes you smile.

“We can go in if you want.”

“Are you sure?  You’re not tired of walking around?”

“Not at all.  I could keep going all day!”

Relief replaces the hesitation, and he squeezes your hand again as he leads the way into the shop.  You love how considerate he is, even though you emphasized on the drive over that he is free to wander wherever his ideas take him.

He makes his way to the hangers of shirts to find the one featured on the mannequin.  You release his hand to let him search unhindered, watching as he switches to designer mode.  You don’t get to watch him work often.  He’s still a little shy about designing, though the successful completion of several projects has boosted his confidence.  You treasure the moments when you get to see him in his element, when his focus narrows to what he can make, translating his ideas to reality.  You’re not sure how he does it, but it delights you every time.

You wander nearby to let him work through his thoughts undistracted.  You’ve passed by this store before but never been inside.  It doesn’t cater to your style or price range.  There are a couple of pieces you might consider trying on if you were in the mood, but today you’re content to just look.

Cocking your head, you wonder what Asahi sees when he looks at clothes.  If you were to deconstruct the shirt in front of you, where would you start?  There are so many elements to it - material, colors, the cut and shaping of the pattern - that you wouldn’t know where to start.  It’s amazing how your boyfriend can pull it apart in a glance and rebuild it with the slightest changes to create something brilliant.

“Y/N,” he calls softly, bringing you back to his side.

“Yes?”

“What do you think?”

You look at the shirt he’s been studying.  Honestly, it looks like a dozen other shirts in the store save for the blocky pattern of the fabric.  But you try to see what caught his attention from the window.  The asymmetrical hemline adds some interest, but the cuffs on the sleeves seem wrong, though you’re not sure exactly how.  Maybe they should be thinner?  But then they won’t match the collar, which looks good as is.

“It’s nice,” you say.  “The sleeves bug me a little, but I like the hem.”

“Yeah, I would change the sleeves,” he agrees.  “Chop them off, make them short sleeves and do away with the cuffs.  They don’t work with the fabric.  And I’d adjust the cut a little so it drapes better.  Probably change the fabric to something lighter, maybe a rayon blend?  Or a nice knit cotton.  And I’d shift the pattern so it follows the angle of the hemline.”

You smile as you listen to him redesign the garment, using his magical imagination to make it new, to make it his.  The spark of inspiration dances in his eyes, and you see him:  Asahi the designer, yet another side of the man you love so much.

You slide your arm around his waist and press a quick kiss to his cheek.  “Write it down before you forget,” you tell him.  He chuckles as he pulls a small notebook from his inner jacket pocket.  He’s usually good at remembering his ideas, but forgetfulness can be just as frustrating as a lack of inspiration, so you do what you can to help with that, too.

You check your phone while he jots down notes and a quick sketch.  Noya must have service today because he’d sent a string of emojis and half-formed thoughts in reply to your photo.  You craft an equally chaotic response that has you grinning.

“Is that Noya?” Asahi asks, returning the shirt to the rack and pocketing his notebook.

“Yeah.”  You show your boyfriend the texts.

“That’s a good picture,” he says, squeezing your shoulder affectionately.

“It is.  I’ve already set it as my new lockscreen.”

“You should send it to me later.  Then we can match.”

“Aw, you’re cute.  Finished with your notes?”

“Yes.”

“Anything else you want to look at here?”

Asahi scans the store, but nothing else catches his eye.

“Are you hungry?  Do you want to take a break?”

“Not particularly.”  You grab his hand again as you step back onto the sidewalk.  “I’m fine wandering a little longer if you are.”

“Okay.  Let me know if you want to stop anytime.”

“I will.”

You share a smile before his eyes return to the crowd and storefronts.  Gripping his hand, you head off toward the next moment of inspiration.

#azumane asahi #azumane asahi x reader #asahi x reader #haikyuu!! #hq #haikyuu!! x reader #hq x reader #haikyuu!! scenarios #hq scenarios #haikyuu!! fanfiction #haikyuu!! fanfic #hq fanfiction #hq fanfic #asahi #karasuno-chaos #fluff #mentions of best boy noya because I couldn't resist

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Victor’s Delicacy Date (Eng Translation)

🍒Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers!🍒

Note: This is a cancelled date which will unlikely come to EN :’(

More from this Collection: Gavin // Kiro // Lucien

The date begins with MC sitting in for a negotiation meeting between Loveland Financial Group (“LFG”) and Yuan Shan Company

The negotiation has been dragging on for 2 hours because both sides cannot agree on a price

Victor has been silent and no one knows what’s going through his mind

When he finally speaks, MC is startled because she has never seen Victor in full-blown work mode before

Lots of business jargon follow. Victor is basically really badass and shows he has done detailed research on Yuan Shan Company and knows that it’s not worth the money they are asking for:

Victor: You think LFG needs to rely on the little credit standing Yuan Shan has? Or do you think you’re in a position to discuss terms with me?

Victor: An LFG without Yuan Shan will still be LFG. Without LFG, what would Yuan Shan become?

Victor: I don’t plan to rescue a company that has decided to “commit suicide”.

Victor gives the representative of Yuan Shan Company another chance to re-consider, then leaves the room.

While MC is out for a breather, she overhears employees from Yuan Shan gossiping about Victor:

Yuan Shan Employee A: I heard early on that Victor is no-nonsense at work, but I never thought he’d be so…

Yuan Shan Employee B: He’s so domineering and arrogant, though you can’t deny he’s cool.

Yuan Shan Employee C: Sure, he’s cool, but if you were to live with him, the stress would be akin to shouldering an entire mountain.

Yuan Shan Employee A: What do you mean?

Yuan Shan Employee C: He’s basically an ice sculpture. I felt like I was going to suffocate in the meeting room… tch. His words are vicious! He’s so harsh! He clearly wants to swallow us up whole.

This lady… She actually gets it…

Yuan Shan Employee C: Also, I heard that last month, he fired an elderly worker who had been working here for five years because of some trivial reason.

MC: !?

Yuan Shan Employee A: Is that true? Don’t spread false rumours!

Yuan Shan Employee C: I already said I heard it from someone. Though… seeing him today, I wouldn’t rule it out as a possibility.

Yuan Shan Employee B: Just think about it. If he isn’t hard-hearted, how could LFG grow into what it is today in just 8 years? I also heard…

Their voices trail off, and I’m unable to hear what the employees say after this.

I originally saw Victor as just being plain overbearing, but I never thought…

MC starts getting flooded with memories of how Victor points out minor issues in her reports, his red-inked comments haunting her.

In the midst of her trembling, she sees Victor coming her way.

I panic and shift backwards, almost tripping because of my shaky feet. Victor quickly reaches out and steadies me.

At this moment, his black eyes, which look as deep as the sea, betray no hint of emotion. His frown, however, carries slight reproach.

Feeling shocked, I tear myself from his grip and jump to the side.

MC: S-sorry!

Before Victor says anything, he can only watch the girl’s retreating form as she hurriedly runs away.

Goldman: CEO, do you think MC is a little weird today, like she’s gotten possessed…

Victor doesn’t respond, only watching as MC grows smaller and smaller into the distance. He looks to be deep in thought.

MC continues to feel anxious as the afternoon goes on.

MC: Don’t think about it! Don’t think about it!

Victor: Don’t think about what?

Turning my head, I see a cold-faced Victor standing behind me.

MC: …!

Caught off guard, I am once again shocked out of my senses. With a ‘clang’, my lunch box falls to the ground.

Victor looks at the sight on the floor and frowns.

Victor: Why are you afraid?

MC: …Nothing…

I hurriedly squat to clean up the mess, but he reaches out to pull me up.

Victor: Come to the office with me.

MC: W-what do you want?

Victor doesn’t turn around, leaving me with the sight of his back.

Victor: There’s some wrong data in your report.

The curtains in the office are drawn and sunlight pours in through the window. The air is warm, but the only thing I feel is coldness.

The only sound in the room is the rustling of paper as Victor flips through the documents.

I stand in front of his office desk, like a child who has been punished.

After an inordinate amount of time, Victor finally speaks.

Victor: Do you have any questions for me?

I nod my head mindlessly, and then hurriedly shake my head.

In my heart, I mutter, “Weren’t you the one who came asking me about the wrong data…”

Victor: None? Very good. But I have a question for you.

Victor folds his arms on the desk and looks at me.

Victor: You’ve been avoiding me today?

MC: N-no I have not!

Victor: How so?

MC: …

I have nothing to say in response, and lack the guts to look at Victor. I stare at my toes.

I hear the sound of him getting up and his footsteps coming towards me. I feel his breath on my skin. I instinctively shift backwards, but he holds on to my waist to stop me.

I hear his voice from the top of my head.

Victor: Am I very scary?

I’m frozen to the spot, unable to answer.

The palm of his hand is slightly warm. The heat seeps through my clothes and onto my skin. I have nowhere to escape.

Victor: You look as if…

Victor pauses and lets out a sigh.

Victor: I let you sit in during the negotiation for you to learn. Not to let your wild imagination be used for things that serve no purpose. Ask me directly if you have any questions, instead of troubling your own IQ.

MC: …

Victor and his usual snarky comments.

I lift my head to look at Victor. His eyes lack the same coldness they had during the negotiation, but they carry an unreadable emotion.

This person… is he trying to explain himself because he can sense that I am avoiding him…

Victor: Do you still have any questions for me?

MC: …Yes, I have one question.

Victor: Speak your mind.

MC: …I heard that an elderly worker made a tiny mistake, one that could be ignored, but you fired him?

Victor:  You’re very free today. You even have time to listen to gossip.

I duck my head slightly in embarrassment. Victor sees this and laughs in a low voice. I feel his grip on my waist tighten.

Victor: What else?

I shake my head.

Victor: Listen well. I don’t have the time to bother myself with trivial mistakes. Furthermore, firing someone requires legitimate and reasonable justifications.

I feel Victor releasing another sigh. After pondering for a moment, he continues.

Victor: As for the negotiation earlier… that’s a necessary technique.

He really looks like… he’s explaining himself to me.

Right now, Victor may not be gentle, but he doesn’t come across as aggressive.  

Victor: Are you still scared?

With my face beet red, I shake my head again. Satisfied, Victor retracts his hand.

Victor: All right. Make a reservation at a restaurant then.

MC: Huh?

Why does he suddenly want to make a reservation? I haven’t even corrected the data yet…

Victor, as though reading my thoughts, continues.

Victor: Even though your data is strange, it doesn’t stump me.

MC: …

Victor: Don’t forget the restaurant.

MC: How about Souvenir?

Victor casts me a glance.

Victor: I’m very busy today.

I nod my head vigorously. He spent the entire morning on the negotiation, and having to cook at night… Even King Kong would be tired to the point of paralysis.

~

MC: I didn’t ask what kind of restaurant Victor wanted, or who he was going with…

MC leaves the office and looks for a restaurant on her phone. She finally decides on one and notifies Victor, who doesn’t reply. After a successful negotiation with Yuan Shan, he calls out to her:

Victor: Let’s go for dinner.

He says this naturally, but I don’t know how to react.

MC: …Don’t you have plans tonight?

Victor: You picked the restaurant yourself, so I should like it.

The restaurant is in a rather inconvenient location, so they have to walk quite a distance to reach it. MC is wearing an uncomfortable pair of stilettos. He notices that her expression is off.

Victor looks at my stilettos, takes my hand in his, and slows down his pace.

Victor: Idiot.

The temperature of his hand flows into other parts of my body. Although only a mere second passed, both my cheeks are already flushed. I unconsciously wiggle my fingers but his hand simply grips even more tightly instead.

Victor: Such thin high heels, are you trying to sprain your ankle?

MC: Of course not!

Victor: Then be obedient.

He doesn’t continue, leading me to the restaurant slowly.

MC: Victor, why did you suddenly invite me to dinner? I thought you were going to eat with some important guest, so I specially picked this…

…exorbitantly priced restaurant with a meal that will take hours to complete…

Victor: What, do you want to go somewhere else?

MC: …No need!

They proceed to have an evening of fine dining.

Victor: I didn’t expect that you’d be competent at picking out a restaurant.

MC: What do you mean by “didn’t expect”? It’s just picking a restaurant. My work is so much better than this…

The corners of Victor’s lips waver, but he doesn’t speak.

Under the warm yellow lights, I suddenly feel that the Victor in front of me and the Victor earlier in the day are two completely different people.

I ponder for a moment and decide to ask a question.

MC: Are the reports I give you really that bad? Is that why…

Victor continues ladling his soup, lifting his eyes towards me.

Victor: When I pick out mistakes, it means you have space for improvement.

Even though his answer is short, he says it seriously.

Their meal takes hours to complete.

While walking out the door, Victor naturally takes my hand in his.

Victor: Why is your hand so cold?

MC: Maybe the food we ate just now was on the colder side?

Victor: Let’s find a place to have something warm.

MC: Huh?

Did Victor not have enough? 

The portions just now were quite small, and easy to digest.

It’s already late, so most restaurants would be closed…

I think for a moment.

MC: How about going to a food street for supper!

As predicted, Victor’s expression reveals a look of distaste.

MC: It’s really delicious… I always have wonton and spicy stir-fried river snail there with Willow and Kiki!

[Note] Wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling

Seeing how my eyes sparkle excitedly, Victor can only give in.

Victor: All right.

Victor parks his car outside the food street and they go to the store.

MC: Boss, I want a big portion of spicy stir-fried river snail! And two bowls of wonton!

Boss: Yo MC, you’re alone today? Where are the other two ladies?

MC: They’re busy so they can’t come. I’m not alone though!

I introduce the boss to Victor, who is standing behind me with a cold expression on his face.

MC: This… this is my friend Victor.

Boss: Ah, this lad is not bad, rather serious hahaha~  Lad, spicy or non-spicy?

Victor: Either way is fine.

Boss: This MC – she can’t take spicy food but always wants maximum spiciness, and even adds a layer of chili powder into the soup hahahaha~

A little embarrassed, I stick out my tongue.

MC: That’s only because your wontons and chili powder are just so delicious that I can’t do without them!

Victor looks at me, his voice carrying with it a rare smile.

Victor: Wouldn’t have expected you to have such a quirk.

MC: What “quirk”? This is clearly an interest… No, a hobby!

Victor arches an eyebrow.

Victor: Quirk. It means the person has an interest that differs from other people.

MC: Fine fine fine, and this CEO likes collecting small toys!

Victor’s expression suddenly falls. Meanwhile, I continue treading these dangerous grounds.

MC: For example, a cute lamp…

Victor: …

The food is served and Victor tries them.

Victor: I’ve never had such… interesting food in a long time. It tastes very good.

MC: Ah? … Which tastes better – this or the food from the restaurant just now?

Victor taps the bowl of wontons and points to the food in front of us, probably saying that the food here tastes better.

I smile, my eyes crinkling in happiness.

MC: Come to think of it, the best things I’ve eaten would be the food you make, and the food prepared by the boss here would be in second place.

Victor laughs lightly.

Victor: You dummy. Food doesn’t exist solely to pander to one’s tastes or to fill one’s stomach. There’s something more important - “companionship”.

MC: ?

Victor: It’s okay if you don’t understand.

MC: I understand!

Victor turns to look at me, a serious look on his face. I think for a moment before speaking.

MC: It means that when you eat with certain people, even delicacies can become tasteless. And when you eat with certain people, even cold soup can become excellent!

Victor: Although the way you express it is a little lacking, the idea not wrong.

Must Victor’s agreement carry with it a flavor of ridicule as well…

When I look up again, I notice some sauce at the corner of Victor’s lips.

He doesn’t seem to have noticed, taking his time to finish the food in front of him.

Seeing him like this, I let out a laugh.

MC: Victor, come here a little~

Victor: ?

Victor leans towards me.

I reach out to help him wipe off the traces of sauce. He is stunned for a moment, then grabs onto my hand before I can retract it. His warmth travels across my entire body.

Suddenly, time seems to have stopped…

Under the luster of the lights, the steam from the food rises. Victor’s face seems to fill my entire vision. I can hear the faint noise from the crowd, food stall owners shouting, the sound of food being cooked…

These sounds tell me that time is ticking on…

It’s just… me…

I feel a thin layer of Victor’s breath slowly encasing my surroundings. I can almost hear his heart beat. It beats with strength.

He looks at my shocked expression, and slowly opens his mouth.

Victor: Just now, you asked why I invited you to join me for dinner. I think you already know the reason.

Through the steam, I can see a rare tenderness in his eyes. As well as the seriousness that has never left.

Victor: I know people think I’m unreasonable, or even scary. But the last thing I want is for you to be that person.

#mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc victor #mlqc spoilers #love and producer #cncancelled

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

Goddamn it Kyra I wasn't even interested in the Lego Lokis before, but now that you've so rudely posted pics of the options I'm probably going to have to buy some. So, couple questions: I'm not familiar with the website you linked to (it doesn't help that I'm on my phone lol) - do you get them from that site or just Aliexpress? I've kind of poked around there but I don't think I've ever actually bought anything - do you have links to those ones you bought or any tips for finding them on the site? (or like. using the site in general without getting scammed or something? Idk much about it other than stuff being low priced lol).

😇😇😇

putting the rest behind a cut because oops this got long

OKAY SO the cool thing about knockoff Lego figures is that a) there are a ton of them, so you can probably find multiple versions of most characters, and b) they're super cheap, so if you do end up getting ripped off, you're probably only out a few bucks. plus if you don't get ripped off, you feel like a genius, because authentic Lego minifigs tend to cost way more than they should (and if you get them online, you probably don't have a good way to know that they're authentic) and here you are getting something just as good or better for way less.

the site I was getting pictures from is HeroBloks, which I only just discovered myself a couple days ago; it looks like mostly it's good for tracking your collection (and learning more about bootleg Lego minifigs in general, maybe--I didn't really realize until now how many different companies there are making Lego-like minifigs) rather than buying, with individual pages including sale links that are only mildly useful. like, the extremely sad TVA Loki has an AliExpress search link that apparently just searches for "blocks," which is the least helpful search term imaginable; the eBay link uses "xinh+xh1745+loki (tva)" as the search term and that's definitely better, although it doesn't actually turn up anything. maybe that one's too new to be widely available yet, I don't know. (I hope that's the case. I need him and his sad little face to come and live with me.)

anyway--eBay is a possible source. searching for "loki minifigure" gets me results for several of the new ones I’ve been seeing, and they all seem to be shipping from Japan or South Korea. the problem is they're all selling for $4.99 plus $7.49 shipping each, which is...more than I want to spend on something I know is a knockoff of some kind when I don't know anything about the quality control and I'm not guaranteed to get what's in the picture. (here's another listing asking $40 total for all 8 figures I bought yesterday, which is actually a better price, and I'd probably end up doing that if I hadn't found them elsewhere, but that's because I have a problem.)

this is why I like AliExpress, because the risks are slightly higher but the prices tend to be much lower, even with shipping prices having gone up a bit over the last couple years. as I understand it, the site is basically just a huge marketplace for tons of different sellers in Asia, like if eBay only allowed fixed-price listings and it was based in China. the vast majority of the site reads like it went through Google Translate, because it probably did. you can find...basically anything there. I have no idea if any of it's authentic. (I also don't know anything about how or where any of the knockoff stuff is made, so...there is that.) I would not, for instance, drop $300 on a Hot Toys Loki from here, even though I absolutely would have the option to do so, for the obvious reason that I'm not going to risk that much money on an item that might be a cheap knockoff or could arrive broken. there is, in general, a solid possibility of breakable things arriving broken, because decent packaging costs more. cheap shipping will be slow (by which I mean like...up to 90 days), and most purchases either won't have tracking at all or won't have accurate tracking, so this is absolutely not a place to buy anything you want to get quickly. you also don't want to just buy something and forget about it, because there are (variable but generous) time limits past which you can't get a refund if you don't receive your items. the site's UI is...mostly functional. you often have to get a little creative with your search terms to find what you want (and sometimes you won’t find what you want through searching, but through looking at related items on the pages of things that aren’t quite what you want or are what you want but aren’t a good price). you will, absolutely, come across a lot of stolen art on things like pins, t-shirts, stickers, and phone cases, which you might not realize until you see something you recognize from a fanartist you like, and obviously that sucks. listing photos are nearly always stock photos, so in many cases they won't tell you anything about the item you're actually getting. you know the Wish app, and all the crazy things people get from that? you can find all the same stuff on AliExpress, at similar levels of quality.

however, if you approach it keeping all that in mind, it can be a great resource. I can't make any guarantees about the site's safety, but to the best of my knowledge it's secure and I've never had any weird charges show up after buying something. it's also my understanding that Alibaba, the parent company, is more or less the Chinese equivalent of Amazon in terms of the amount of business it does, which would probably be pretty tough if customer data were routinely being exposed to thieves, you know? I've also successfully gotten several refunds for items that never arrived, which actually hasn't happened all that often--but knowing that it can happen and that the return period expires, I’ll check back on the site if it seems like it’s been an unusually long time and I’ll make a reminder for myself of the deadline so I can contact the seller in time if necessary.

so the way I shop there is, I don't buy expensive or fragile things in general, because I recognize there's a nonzero chance I'll get a cheap knockoff, or something that was broken in transit because the seller tossed it in a box with no padding and called it good, or sometimes nothing at all. but like eBay, the sellers and items have ratings and reviews from customers, so that helps avoid some risk. items with lots of reviews tend to include at least a few customer photos, which are great for getting a better idea of what the thing you're buying actually looks like. I took a bit of a risk last year buying a Hot Toys (or the equivalent, I actually have no idea) Steve Rogers head for about $20, for instance, but I wasn't super worried about it because the customer photos looked good, the seller I used had a lot of sales and a lot of good ratings, and it was still a lot less than I would've paid for an authentic Hot Toys Steve Rogers head--and in fact he got here just fine and he looked fantastic. I also spent about $20 for a knockoff Iron Studios Loki statue, because in that case it was like...yep I’d love the real thing, nope I’m not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on it, yep I am willing to spend $20 on something that doesn’t look quite as nice but still looks good enough for me in the customer photos. well, and I’ve also bought knockoffs I knew would look bad, because they were cheap and I want all the Lokis and I have enough of an addiction that all the Lokis does in fact sometimes mean “even ones that look really bad” to me.

anyway, uh, Lego-type minifigs. this is an especially good area to go knockoff, because--okay, apparently I can’t link to a page of HeroBloks search results for some reason, but it’s the best resource I’ve found for this type of thing that isn’t just authentic Lego figures. but if you go there and do a search for “loki” you’ll get a bunch of results and you’ll see that they come from like...9 or 10 different brands. Lego specifically has only four Loki options: Avengers Loki in black, Avengers Loki in gray for some reason (which, frankly, looks like a cheap knockoff but isn’t), movie-inaccurate Ragnarok Loki with the blue outfit and the full helmet, an ugly Classic Loki, and a mostly green Loki from I guess the first Thor movie (and then I think they’re going to release a TVA Loki, a Sylvie, and a Throg). all those other results--all those different outfits from every single Loki appearance, and different variations on those outfits, nearly all of them more screen-accurate and/or detailed than the Lego versions--are technically knockoffs. they’re better and you can buy them for way less. (I mean, a lot of them are new so I don’t have them yet, but I do have frost giant Loki, better Ragnarok Loki, better Avengers Loki, opera Loki who actually has another face that’s half-Jotun, and at least one chrome-helmet option, and they all look basically like the photos. so I think I can reasonably expect most of the new ones to look basically like their photos too.) 

for reasons that I don’t understand aside from a vague guess that it’s copyright-related, AliExpress pretty much no longer shows full pictures of Lego-type figures in their listings--instead, you have to pick just based on the heads. this is a problem when lots of heads look very similar to each other! luckily, the listings also typically have the actual serial numbers for each figure, as do the HeroBloks listings, so you can cross-reference them to see what you’re really getting. for instance let’s take this listing because it’s cheap and it offers most of the Loki figures that are currently available. say you’re interested in one of the horn-less Lokis. there are...let’s see, five of them, but you have no idea what they actually look like aside from slightly different facial expressions and maybe weapons. however, the first one listed says XH1359 for its color...and what do you know, 1359 is the serial number for this Loki by a company called Xinh. okay cool, how about the last one? the “color” is listed as WM2182--and yes, HeroBloks has a listing for a Ragnarok Loki from World Minifigures with the serial number 2182. (I just ordered all 8 of the new World Minifigures ones yesterday, so again, I can’t personally guarantee yet that they’ll look as good in person as in the pictures--but I think they probably will, and more importantly they cost a whole dollar each.) and if HeroBloks doesn’t have a particular figure, you can probably find something useful just by googling the serial number.

I specifically bought from this listing yesterday because they currently have a bit of a sale going and a deal for free shipping if you buy 10 figures, and I wanted a couple duplicates, so it worked out to be the cheapest option. the same store has another listing for a bunch more Marvel characters, including a couple more Lokis I already had, so it should be pretty easy to get the free shipping so the figures are less than a dollar each and you’re only risking about $10. if you’d rather try one or two and see how it goes, it looks like this listing is probably the cheapest, with figures currently going for a little over a dollar each once you add shipping (although it’s totally possible shipping is more for me because Alaska).

that’s...probably already way more information than you really wanted, but I hope at least some of it makes sense. feel free to ask other specific questions if they come up--I might not be able to give answers exactly, but I can probably tell you what my experience has been, which is better than nothing.

#loki #action figures #lego #marvel cinematic universe #conversations #scintillatingshortgirl19

[phoenotopia]

2020 October Update

So... we've launched. And our launch was... actually kind of... bad...

This is a dev blog, so I'll speak on it. But before that, we do have the game's steam page up. If you're anticipating the PC release, please do visit the steam page and add it to your wish list. It would help us a lot.

VISIT STEAM LINK

...

So what didn't go so well?

1. We launched in Nintendo's Americas and Europe territory. If you've been following the release, you'd know that America got the game first. We didn't move to launch in Europe at all since I thought the EFIGS languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish) were pre-requisites for Europe. By the time I learned that this wasn't necessarily the case, and attempted to course correct, the damage was done. We had half the allotment of keys to do outreach, and maybe some European outlets that would've covered us, did not.

2. When the game launched, rather than a victory lap, what we experienced was more of a public lashing. We did get some reviews that praised the game highly, but just as many reviews lampooned the game for its high difficulty or other failings. I've since released two patches (or 3, depending on how you count it) to address the difficulty. A lot of overnighters. If you recall in the last blog post, I thought it'd be a good start if we got 20 or so reviews on Open Critic. But we've only 8 as of this writing, and the aggregate score isn't so hot. So that's a fail by my metric.

3. A publisher reached out to us because they were interested in physically printing the game! Yay! But... to advance our talks, they wanted to see the game's sales numbers to ensure that there's a good chance their investment could be recouped. And unfortunately, the game's sales numbers are pretty low. They backed out :(

Some hard lessons were learned. The biggest lesson for me concerns how well we playtested the game. Looking at the original playtester list, it's a short list. You may recall from a previous blog post that our ability to test was severely hampered by technical limitations. Add to that, a lot of people on this list are objectively really achieved players. We're talking power ranked in Smash Bros, regular tournament goers, and people who've played and bested every Souls game. And as the maker of the game, I am most blind to the game's challenges.

Now, I'm definitely more of the opinion that you prioritize PC development first. I still have some reservations about some stages of PC development. But if you do PC/Steam first, you have the great benefit of being able to do Early Access, which gives you access to a greater testing pool. I now view it as an invaluable part of the equation. If we had been able to do Early Access for 1 or 2 months before release, we probably could have ironed out most of the game's difficulty and balance problems. Hard lessons, indeed.

There were a lot of other notable events that occurred over the past 2 months - the travails of press outreach, realizing my own limits as a developer, feeling defeated and getting back up again, etc. There's too much stuff to chronicle or go into detail. But it wasn't all bad.

Some good things did happen...

We got a publisher to publish for Japan! It came as a huge relief, because clearly, we don't know what the heck we're doing.

The publisher has been an invaluable source of information and feedback. They've recommended some changes to the game to improve user experience. Some of these changes I was hesitant to do at first because they concerned systems I thought integral to the identity of the game. But after trying it, I have to admit, they're good changes.

So a Japanese version of the game was moving ahead. And it looked like that'd be it. I wasn't planning to move forward with any other language translations due to the game's low sales and our funds being depleted. 

But, I was approached by a translator who urged me to move ahead with translations. He told me he was willing to work for only a small price initially and then be paid the rest after from a percentage of the game's sales until the cost of the translation was paid in full.

I was surprised translators were willing to work under such a model since it's entirely likely the game's current low sales trajectory would continue and they wouldn't earn back the full cost of translation. But I was also flattered they were willing to take a risk with me. After that, I approached some others with the same hypothetical deal, and long story short, we're now moving forward with French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian translations. As for why these languages in particular, they were languages for whom I had contacts (because they reached out to me at some point in the past). And also because they were deemed more likely to be profitable based on their home country's gaming market/buying habits. I'd be personally happy to have my native language be represented, but it's not expected to be a profitable territory. But if the game does better in the future, it may justify the costs of translation. There could be a chance!

The plan right now is to get the game supporting these first round of languages and then to patch that into the Switch version as well as launch the PC version with these languages - all in December. A lot of things need to align for this to occur, so a delay isn't out of the question. It'll be busy... I'll update the blog again in latter half of December, probably near the game's PC launch date... OR to announce a delay. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Fan Support

While the past two months have been grueling, one good thing remains constant - fan art! Thank you everyone who submitted. It means a lot to me and the team!

Big thanks to Pimez who's taken on watching over the reddit community as moderator. He also combs the other communities and makes sure I see every new art piece. Despite juggling his own life and all these tasks, he still found some time to draw.

Pimez's piece reminds us that just because the new game's out doesn't mean we can't still celebrate the original flash game. The jail dog is a dog found only in jail and only in the flash game. I imagine Gail is just tossing a stick, and they're playing fetch.

A new artist to this scene æv draws both the Phoenix logo AND a super cute picture of Gail playing the flute. So precious, you want to pinch her cheek. Even the Sand Drake is enthralled!

Another new artist, beet4ppy arrives on the scene with two pictures! One features a no-nonsense battle-hardened Gail looking stoic and tough! Kinda reminds me of Vinland Saga actually. The other, a more cheerful group composition - I must say I'm a big fan of Fran's classic anime-style eye!

A returning artist, Cody G, returns with a picture depicting the tribulations of cooking. Gotta love Gail's frantic expression! I've heard the complaints, which is why we've added an option to slow the cooking mini-game down. An improved button font is also on the way.

Gamesing with two undertale x phoenotopia crossovers. Thomas being a robot builder makes sense taking a role similar to Alphys. But why is Alex dressed like a clown? Perhaps there is a hidden meaning here... 

A new artist, Warotar, draws both a pooki wearing Gail's clothes and Gail wearing pooki clothes. Awww. The pooki is a bit scary - it kinda reminds me of a tragic event in a certain anime. But the Gail is adorable!

POL#5655 submitted this one to KM's discord which made its way to me. Here, a stylized Gail appears unnerved by the dark red eyes stalking her in the background. Are they bats or something more sinister?

A new artist, MilesCPW, arrives on the scene with three rare well-vectorized arts! Love it! One scene depicts Gail balancing a bomb on her head - that's a speedrunning trick I only learned about recently after someone emailed me a video O_O

The other drawing gives us new insight into Katash - he could actually look cute if he wasn't trying to kill you.

And the bees... Okay, this one got a chuckle from me :D

A returning artist roccy_chair draws this heart-warming scene from the beginning of the new game. Aww. Mika doesn't get much screen time for story reasons, so it's nice to see her represented.

UnrealWorld_32 returns with another drawing of Gail in Panselo, this time capturing a more idyllic time. I like the tranquil nature of this piece. And Gail does in fact play the guitar, denoted by the guitar in her room.

Returning artist shafiyahh draws a nice portrait of Prince Leo - looking regal and princely. I like the storybook art style of this piece. It made me immediately think of "the Little Prince" - one of my favorite books actually!

Negativus Core returns with a beautiful group composition of Gail and the gang - flying from a Switch shaped window - totally sensible considering the game is only Switch right now. As usual, I'm impressed by Negativus Core's use of challenging angles to frame a more dynamic shot of the characters. Great job!

And it wasn't only artists bearing the banner. I'd like to give a big shoutout to everyone in all the game's little communities (from the reddit to the discords to this tumblr). I've seen this community help newcomers with gameplay and walkthrough advice, discussions, updating the wiki, and so on. It does bring a smile to my face. Thank you everyone!

#phoenotopia

[et-lesailes]

mellifluous // rhee’s 1k celebration

details on rhee’s 1k celebration ! SPOTS STILL OPEN !

pairing: chris evans x celeb!reader

word count: 2160

summary: you are a singer and actress working with chris on a rom com, and while the two of you are only vibing for now, he makes his move on the jimmy fallon show for all the world to see after a fun segment of google translate songs. 

themes: fluff, comedy, romance

taglist: @viarogers , @evanstush , @chibi-crazy , @chalamet-evans , @world-of-losers , @songforhema, @sebabestianstan101 , @tanyam93 , @bval-1, @wonderwinchester , @little-miss-exo, @poerebel , @pining-and-tired , @gogomez-509 , @patzammit, @a-distantdreamer, @malthestorytellerblog, @rainbowkisses31, @jbug491writinghelp, @quaiderade, @melannie77, @gigistorm, @lille-kattunge, @teller258316, @rohaintahquil, @deidrashouseofpain, @firstangeldragonranch, @peach-acid, @allsortsofinterests, @xoxabs88xox

note: finally getting around to my 1k celebration requests, and this very first one was submitted by @raveviolet! i took a pretty different approach to this one. this fic is based off this jimmy fallon segment and these are the songs i used in order-- tbh i’d recommend watching these videos, they’re hilarious! one // two // three. in this fic, the words in italics are the actual lyrics and the words in bold are the translated ones.

GIF:

As co-stars in an upcoming rom com, you and Chris were currently on Jimmy Fallon to promote your new movie and you were excited. You had been on his show a couple of times before and each time had been great; it felt like fun rather than working or some boring interview. Now you could share the fun with Chris, the man who had come to be a very close friend over the past few months of filming and… perhaps something more? You had told yourself you wouldn’t let your roles impact your feelings. Yes, you played a couple in the film, but that did not mean you could automatically be compatible in real life. However, after spending so much time together off camera, it really felt like he was perfect for you. Funny, kind hearted, sincere, dedicated, always positive-- you could go on for hours about all of his good traits. Even better, you had a feeling he may have felt the same about you. Your relationship had started to become a little more flirtatious these past few weeks, and you had been spending a lot more time together. At the same time, you did not want to focus too much on trying to date him or get serious; it was also important to you that you maintain a good friendship first, and so you were perfectly fine with taking it slow and simply going through a “vibing” period with him.

“Alright, guys, we’re going to start our next segment. To those of you who have watched before, I’m sure you’re familiar with the game Google Translate Songs! Y/N, you recently released your latest album and it was a hit, so I’m sure you’ll kill this game. And Chris, you’re a pretty decent singer yourself, aren’t you? Don’t you even sing a little bit for this movie?” Jimmy asked as he turned to the actor, and he chuckles, nodding in response. “I do sing a little here and there-- I used to be very much into theater when I was younger, and as most people know I absolutely love musicals, so I dabble in singing every now and then-- just not professionally, like Y/N. She’s absolutely amazing, her voice is angelic.” He complimented you, and you smiled happily, playfully fanning your cheeks in an exaggerated flattered gesture. “Well, thank you! And I love this segment of the show, oh my God it’s so funny.” You giggled, fingers adjusting around the mic you had received for it. 

Jimmy explained the rules of the game for those who did not know. A popular American song Google translated to another language and then back to English would result in very different, often funny and nonsensical lyrics that would then be sung by the show’s guests and Jimmy. For instance, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” when translated into Croatian and then back would become, “The Evening Show that Plays Jimmy Fallon”. You were already smiling in amusement thinking of how funny the songs that had been arranged would be, shifting to sit on your knees on the couch due to the position causing for better vocals. 

“Alright, Chris, how about you start us off?” Jimmy suggested, and the actor laughed but nodded his head, getting more comfortable. “Oh man, alright, I’m ready. What song do I get?” Jimmy looked towards the screen and clapped his hands in amusement. “My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion!” Chris laughed even louder as the audience howled loudly, looking around. “Celine, I’m sorry in advance.” He playfully apologized to the camera before turning slightly to look to the screen where the lyrics would display. Jimmy nodded towards the band and they started to play, Chris beginning to sing the skewed words to the tune as best as he could.

“(Every night in my dreams) Every night in my painting cream

(I see you I am agradable to you

(I feel you) Beethoven

(That is how I know you go on) I know I know you

(Far across the distance) Remote

(And spaces between us) And there was a gap between us

(You have come to show you go on) I showed you

(Near) Off

(Far) Yes

(Wherever you are) Check it out

(I believe that the heart does go on) If you have a heart valve”

The music stopped and everyone burst out into laughter; Chris had already been stifling laughs as he had been singing, and if anything, you were impressed that he had been able to hold it in for so long. “Where did Beethoven come from?!” you exclaimed in amusement, clapping your hands as you continued laughing, almost getting breathless. “I have no idea,” Chris was gasping out in between loud laughs, instinctively reaching his hand out to grab your left boob, though only hitting your arm because you were covering your face with your hands. After everyone had finally calmed down, Jimmy turned to you with a smile. “Your turn, Y/N! Are you ready?” You giggled as you wiped around your eyes as lightly as you could to avoid ruining your makeup, nodding. “Oh God. Yes, what song do I get?” 

“We’re going to get a little festive here. I’m pretty sure almost everyone knows this song-- All I Want for Christmas is You, by Mariah Carey!”

You smiled in excitement as the band started playing, looking towards the screen brightly as you began to sing.

“(I don’t want a lot for Christmas) I do not get a lot of Christmas gifts

(There is just one thing I need) I only have one

(I don’t care about the presents) I do not care about the price, please

(Underneath the Christmas tree) Christmas tree festival

(I just want you for my own) Simply want to own

(More than you could ever know) Perhaps more imagination

(Make my wish come true) Make my wish become a reality

(All I want for Christmas is you) I want for Christmas is you~

It was already hard for you not to laugh, but while you were so focused on singing, you did not notice the way Chris was looking at you in pure and utter awe and fascination. He had always loved hearing you sing, and even though this was meant to be a comedic segment, his breath was still taken away with how beautiful you sounded, though he was laughing at the same time simply because of how messed up the lyrics were. You continued on with the chorus,

“(I don’t want a lot for Christmas) Do not get a lot of Christmas gifts

(There is just one thing I need) I only have one

(I don’t care about the presents) I am a duck

(Underneath the Christmas tree) In the shade of a tree

(I don’t need to hang my stocking) No need to interrupt my tights

(There upon the fireplace) There is no air conditioning

(Santa Claus won’t make me happy) Santa, you are not satisfied

(With a toy on Christmas day) Birthday other Diploflix sports

(I just want you for my own) I want to be alone

(More than you could ever know) Click here for more information”

You finally stopped, unable to help but laugh loudly, the band pausing in their playing. “Wait, what?!” you exclaimed loudly, looking towards the screen with a giggle. “How did these lyrics change from the first verse?” Jimmy laughed too, shrugging playfully. “We used a different language halfway through! Why’d you stop, it was so great!” At this point, Chris was practically cracking up, clapping his hands as he beamed widely. “There is no air conditioning,” he repeated through his laughter, finding the particular quote hilarious, shaking his head as he clapped you on the shoulder. “Man, I don’t know how you did all of that with a straight face.”

“Well, you better get ready to do it yourself, Chris, because it’s time for you and Y/N to do a duet!” Jimmy said with a playfully devious grin, arching an eyebrow. “I take it you two know the Aladdin soundtrack pretty well? Especially you, Chris, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard you know the entire soundtrack.”

“Hell, yeah I do. What are we doing, “A Whole New World”?” he guessed, and Jimmy nodded, making you squeal in excitement. “I love that one!” you spoke happily, sitting straighter once more and glancing to him with a giggle. “You ready?” He laughed and squeezed your thigh lightly and briefly, nodding his head. “Oh, of course. I was born for this. Let’s go.” Taking the part of Aladdin, he began,

“(I can show you the world) I can add it the clarity of the world

(Shining, shimmering) Shiny, shiny

(Splendid) Large

(Tell me, princess) Now when I want to talk to princess

(Now when did you last let your heart decide) Finally decided to make up your mind

(I can open your eyes) I can turn in your eyes

(Take you wonder by wonder) You’re a miracle band

(Over, sideways, and under) The assailants of cross and in-low

(On a magic carpet ride) In a tour carpet magic

(A whole new world) A new entire world!

(A new fantastic point of view) Please check the new dreamlike point

(No one to tell us no) Does not say us not

(Or where to go) Or I’ll go there

(Or say we’re only dreaming) No say that that separates some dreams

You kept a straight face as best as you could, now ready to sing your part as Jasmine.

“(A whole new world) A completely new world!

(A dazzling place I never knew) A stunning location where I did not know

(But now from way up here) But here all the way

(It’s crystal clear) It’s glittering and translucent

(That now I’m in a whole new world with you) That now a new world and I wish you I’m”

The music ended and the two of you started cracking up, especially at the last part that ended so abruptly. You loved how both of you could find these silly, stupid things so hilarious; you had the feeling that both of you wouldd be binge watching Jimmy Fallon’s Google Translate Songs together later on in the night once you were going home from this show. “Man, I’ve been singing Disney songs all wrong this whole time,” Chris joked, earning laughter from Jimmy and the audience. Looking towards you, he smiled as he added, “but damn, hearing Y/N sing was still just as amazing as ever. You are really talented, you know that?” You couldn’t help but blush but smiled as you genuinely returned the compliment, “You’re a good singer too, you know! Maybe we should do a collab one of these days…”

The audience cheered loudly at that and all of you laughed again, Chris playfully leaning over to give you a squeeze. “The fact that you want to do a collab with me is flattering in itself. Thank you.” Jimmy chuckled as he watched, arching an eyebrow. “You know, you two seem pretty close in general. Is there something we should know about…?” You were about to say something but Chris suddenly spoke up instead, smoothly replying, “I mean, there could be in the near future, if Y/N agrees to the date I was going to ask her on tonight…”

You were practically speechless, which was for the best at the moment anyways given the loud gasps and cheers arising from the audience; looking to him in shock, you giggled slightly, biting your lip. “Um, yeah, of course I’m gonna go on a date with you, why would I ever say no to that?” You practically blurted out, and everyone was clapping their hands, even giving a standing ovation to support the two of you. You could see how happy he was, but you definitely were not expecting what he did next.

“Do you think you’d say no to a kiss, then?” he asked innocently, and you widened your eyes. You weren’t even sure how to verbally respond, but the light blush on your cheeks and the way you bit your lip gave him all the answer he needed.

Leaning in, he framed one side of your face and gave you a gentle and loving kiss right then and there, in front of the audience and for all the world watching to see. You kissed him back immediately, no hesitation in your mind as you did so, smiling against his lips as you brought your own hands up to lightly touch the sides of his neck. Even Jimmy was cheering now, clapping his hands in support of the two of you, though you could barely even hear him or the audience; you were far too lovestruck now, already in way too deep as you pulled back to look into Chris’ beautiful blues, but you had a feeling that this was the best choice of your life.

#chris evans x reader #chris evans fluff #chris evans imagine #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x you #rhee's 1k celebration #i'm sorry if this is a little confusing??? #but it took 5 years to edit holy shit #so i'm really hoping it all made sense

[scoutception]

Dragon Quest I & II review

Dragon Quest: the definitive Japanese role playing game series, the one that started it all, kept improving upon that foundation, and has kept sight of just what made it a success, and stuck to it, for almost 35 years. In Japan, anyway. While the series certainly put in a good effort, managing to release the first four NES games overseas, under the title of Dragon Warrior, it was just too little, too late, in each case. The first game only got localized in 1989, 3 years after its original Famicom release. By then, the third game was already out in Japan, and the original Final Fantasy, an undeniably more advanced game than Dragon Quest I, would be localized less than a year later. Despite acclaimed offerings in later gens, like Dragon Quest VIII, and the DS remakes of Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI, the series has just failed to make an impact in the West despite its importance, and while it’s currently probably the most popular it’s ever been, thanks to the release of the even more acclaimed Dragon Quest XI, and the Hero’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it’s still a far cry from its status in its home country, and thus, out of curiosity, I decided to start going through the series myself, starting with the SNES remake of the first two games. Note that this version was never actually released outside of Japan, and thus requires a fan translation to play in English. Almost every other release, including a similar remake on the Gameboy Color, and a collection including the third game on the Switch, were officially localized, and so may be better options. Either way, let’s start on it all.

Dragon Quest I:

Story: The story of Dragon Quest I takes place on the continent of Alefgard, ruled by King Lorik of Tantegel and protected by the Sphere of Light, a magical object originally bestowed upon Erdrick, a legendary hero who once saved the land in ancient times. Alefgard’s peace is shattered, however, by an invasion by the Dragonlord, an evil sorcerer residing within Charlock Castle, who caused a mass appearance of monsters throughout the realm, stole the Sphere of Light, and kidnapped Princess Gwaelin, Lorik’s daughter. Just when it seemed Alefgard would be permanently shrouded in darkness, however, a descendant of Erdrick appeared, and with the assistance of Lorik, sets out to defeat the Dragonlord and save the realm as his ancestor did. That’s pretty much the extent of Dragon Quest I’s story. There’s really not a plot so much as just a premise. The towns have no story going on in them, no substantial events happen as you progress through the game, even saving Gwaelin is more for the sake of gameplay than anything else, something I’ll get to later. That said, it was 1986, and the game even having as much dialogue throughout as it does throughout was extremely uncommon in those days. It also had a few neat twists throughout, like rescuing Gwaelin happening partway through the game rather than being the ultimate goal, similar to Final Fantasy, the Dragonlord making the Hero a deceptive offer of alliance instead attacking on sight, and the Hero speaking, after spending the whole game silent, to decline the king’s offer to rule the land, deciding that if he is to rule a kingdom, he wishes it to be one he makes himself. The original NES translation, and the revised translation for the mobile version, also have pseudo-Elizabethan dialogue that, while incredibly cheesy, gives the game a lot of charm. Overall, there’s really not much to find in Dragon Quest I’s story, and is quite possibly the most basic JRPG story there is, but it deserves appreciation for what it did at the time, especially considering that Yuji Hori, the designer, also made The Portopia Serial Murder Case three years prior, an adventure game that helped influence visual novels as a genre. It may not be impressive now, but it was significant all the same.

Gameplay: As you might suspect, the gameplay of DQ1 isn’t much more advanced than its story. You control the Hero, and, unlike almost all other RPGs, only the Hero, exploring Alefgard, visiting towns, fighting enemies on the world map and within dungeons, gathering equipment, and collecting various plot items necessary to create the path to the Dragonlord’s castle. Combat simply consists of physically attacking, using magic, namely healing, attack, and status effect spells, defending, and running away. Monsters are only ever encountered one at a time, and there’s only four bosses scattered throughout the game, with only the two phase Dragonlord being outright mandatory. Equipment comes in the form of weapons, shields, and armor, plus a few accessories that can be equipped, and consumable items such as herbs to restore HP, torches to light up dungeons, and keys to open locked doors are also available. The Hero naturally learns spells as he levels up, and besides the aforementioned combat spells, he learns utility spells as well, such as Glow, which lights up dungeons without needing a torch, Repel, which keeps weaker random encounters from appearing, and Return, which automatically teleports you back to Tantegel Castle.

While you can get some information talking to NPCs, generally, you’re left to figure out just what to do next on your own. Most of the time, the answer is grinding. It’s not an exaggeration to say that most of the game is made up of grinding. With only four dungeons in the game, one of them being completely optional and only containing some items, and another being little more than a passage way outside of containing Gwaelin and the first boss, and only six towns, with nearly nothing to do within except buying items and resting at inns, the game would be absurdly short on its own. That said, while justified, it’s not the most forgiving time. While equipment is obviously quite helpful, the limited availability and high price of each piece means that, invariably, you’ll have to go out onto the overworld and grind for lengthy periods of time, either to accumulate levels to make you strong enough to safely make the trip to your destination, or earning gold for items that’ll fulfill the same purpose. Trying to go anywhere underleveled almost always results in a swift death, not helped by how difficult it can be at times to discern just where you’re meant to be next, and Tantegel being the only available save point doesn’t help. Not even the start of the game takes any mercy, with you only being given a torch, a medicinal herb, if you look around, and a fairly piddly amount of money, which really stings when you start absolutely no equipment. You either have to forsake proper armor in order to buy the second best weapon, or buy armor, and be stuck with a bamboo spear that’s barely better than your bare fists. Grinding out for the rest of the equipment either way isn’t especially dangerous, but it sets the tone for the rest of the game quite well.

That said, as restrictive and unforgiving as the game is in a lot of ways, it’s surprisingly relaxed in other ways. The lack of story, and sheer strength of the random encounters, means there’s surprisingly few physical roadblocks, other than doors that need magical keys, which mostly show up in dungeons anyway, and the path to the Dragonlord’s castle that requires the Rainbow Drop, the culmination of the fetch quests throughout the game, to be traversed. Otherwise, assuming you’re strong enough, you’re free to go wherever you wish. Additionally, assuming you know what you’re doing, important parts of the game, such as rescuing Gwaelin, which requires fighting the Green Dragon, and opening up Cantlin, which requires fighting the Golem, are completely optional; their main purposes are to help locate a key item on a nondescript part of the world map, and if you know where to find it, you can simply collect it on your own and save yourself the trouble, something most later RPGs would usually bar you from. The game will even alter the ending a bit if you don’t mess with rescuing Gwaelin, or don’t return her before the end of the game, showing it was very much intentional. This helps give the game a very casual feeling pace; since there’s not that much to see or do, there’s not much reason to try to rush. You can afford to take it slow and steady, which helps make the grinding a bit more tolerable than if it were keeping you from some detailed plot event. There’s not even a way to actually game over, as death simply sends you back to Tantegel, at the cost of losing half your money. Punishing if you got caught off guard during a grind session, not so much if you were simply exploring after gearing up.

There’s also a good amount of surprisingly thoughtful gameplay elements throughout. For example, the Golem boss is normally a very difficult opponent, but there exists a flute that can put it to sleep when used in battle, making it much, much easier. Despite this, however, you can still beat the Golem without the flute, if you’re strong enough, so it’s more just a way of letting you beat it at lower levels. There’s also the infamous Metal Slimes and Gold Golems, who can be encountered in specific parts of the world map, and reward massive amounts of experience or gold, respectively, if you can manage to defeat them. While more than a bit luck based in the case of the Metal Slime, as they take minimal damage from physical attacks, are immune to magic, and will gladly flee at any opportunity, they’re still massive boons if you can defeat them, and save you a good amount of grinding. There’s also an example as far as equipment goes: the second best weapon and armor, the Flame Sword and the Magic Armor are prohibitively expensive, and trying to get enough to afford them could make you do more grinding than you’d need to beat the game anyway, but the best in those categories can simply be found for free, with Erdrick’s Armor being guarded by the third boss, the Knight Aberrant, and Erdrick’s Sword being found in the depths of the Dragonlord’s Castle. While acquiring them is obviously a bit more difficult by skipping buying the sword and armor, and the best shield, the Silver Shield, needs to be bought regardless, it’s still very possible, and can save you a good bit of work, especially with the armor’s ability to heal you with every step you take.

The experience is also streamlined a good deal by the changes this remake, and all the remakes afterwards, make, most notably reducing the amount of experience needed to level up, and increasing the amount of gold dropped by enemies to make grinding slightly faster. Additionally, compared to having to go into the menu for actions such as talking and opening doors, a general purpose button has been added that do such things automatically, and stat boosting seeds have been added across the game, allowing you to strengthen yourself a bit more than usual. Overall, saying Dragon Quest I’s gameplay is primitive by today’s standards would be an understatement, and yet it’s held up oddly well despite that. The grinding is simply emblematic of NES RPGs as a whole, and because of its simple gameplay, it’s nowhere near as cryptic, overly convoluted, or frustrating as many others that would come afterwards, such as the original Mother, Final Fantasy II, or its own sequel. That said, it’s so simple and repetitive that it’s unlikely to do much for you if you don’t have a taste for older games, and most of those games with much more visible flaws are often much more entertaining experiences.

Graphics: As this remake uses the engine for Dragon Quest V, it looks quite similar, comparable to the SNES versions of Final Fantasy IV and V. Generally, the graphics are decent, but unremarkable, especially with the overworld sprites. Dragon Quest famously features art and designs by Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, but while the art and designs themselves look great, they aren’t translated into the game the best. While it’s certainly an improvement over the NES version, the overworld sprites are still small and simplistic enough that they don’t look that great, and the rest of the characters and environments aren’t anything special either.

That said, the enemies are a whole other story. Toriyama created possibly the most adorable bestiary of enemies ever, from the famous smiling, tear drop shaped slimes, to bats with equally goofy smiles, ghosts wearing witch hats, and even the Dragonlord looks pretty goofy at first. It’s hard to be intimidated by most of the enemies, but it gives them a lot of charm, and the more serious looking enemies, like the golems and dragons work quite well. Their sprites in battle are a huge improvement over the overworld sprites as well, and are easily the highlight of the game’s visuals.

Music: Dragon Quest I’s soundtrack, as with the rest of the series, was composed by Koichi Sugiyama, and while the amount of tracks is quite small, it’s still a very catchy and classic soundtrack, especially in this version. Tracks like the Tantegel Castle theme, the overworld theme, and the battle theme have been significantly extended from their original versions, making them much less repetitive, and the music in general is updated very, very well. My favorite change is to the cave theme, which, in the NES version, would simply slow down and lower the pitch the lower you go in each dungeon. In this version, while not every floor has its own version of the theme anymore, the different versions are much more significantly different from each other, with the third version being downright sinister, and the exclusive version for the Dragonlord’s lair being near unrecognizable. It’s very much worth checking out. Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line

Here we have the awkward middle point between Dragon Quest I, the game that started up the JRPG genre, and Dragon Quest III, the game that would definitively refine it. It’s not that Dragon Quest II was a bad effort, as it is in many ways a much more advanced game than DQ1, and holds up surprisingly well in most aspects, considering it had a mere six months to be developed, but at the same time, the greater complexity means it doesn’t have the simple appeal of DQ1, and the improvements are still well behind what DQ3 did, and that’s not even considering the problems within DQ2 itself. Unsurprisingly, it’s easily the least popular of the original trilogy, and one of the most obscure of the main games. Still, I tried to give it a fair chance, so let’s get into it now. Story: After defeating the Dragonlord, the Hero set out with Princess Gwaelin to discover lands away from Alefgard, eventually resulting in the founding of three different kingdoms, spread out between the landmass of Torland: Middenhall, Cannock, and Moonbroke, all ruled by descendants of the Hero. After 100 years of peace, however, Moonbroke Castle is attacked and destroyed by the forces of Hargon, an evil sorcerer and cultist seeking to destroy the world by summoning Malroth, the god of destruction. Though the king of Moonbrooke is killed in the attack, the princess of Moonbrooke escapes, as well as a lone soldier, who travels to Middenhall Castle and informs the king of Hargon’s attack and ambitions before succumbing to his wounds. As the king of Middenhall is too old to stop Hargon himself, he instead tasks his young son to join up with his cousins, the prince of Cannock and princess of Moonbrooke, so that they may fight Hargon together. Thus, the prince of Middenhall ventures out, to live up to the legacy of both Erdrick and the Hero.

It’s really not much more plot than the original, and while the game is a good deal longer and has more mandatory locations, it still doesn’t really have anything that could be called a defined plot, so much as just going through towns and dungeons for whatever plot item will let you into the next area. It does have the “twist” of Malroth ending up as the final boss instead of Hargon, but Malroth’s existence is only mentioned offhandedly in the opening before said event, so it’s ultimately just another thing that’s hard to appreciate past the era the game first came out. There’s really not much more to say, so let’s just move on.

Gameplay: The gameplay of Dragon Quest II is very similar to its predecessor. You go out onto the world map, grinding for EXP and gold, going between towns and traversing dungeons as needed. The big toss up is the party system. Instead of only having one party member, you gain a total of three early in the game: the prince of Middenhall, who I shall refer to as the Hero, the prince of Cannock, who shall be referred to as the Prince, and the princess of Moonbrooke, who shall be referred to as the Princess. Each character has different attributes; the Hero has access to every piece of the equipment in the game, with the best equipment in the game being exclusive to him, such as the Thunderbolt Blade and Erdrick’s equipment. He also has the best physical stats, such as HP and strength, and is in general an extremely effective physical attacker and tank, with the trade off of not having any access to magic, being the only hero in the series with this drawback. The Prince is a generalist, with a variety of magic, mostly supportive, and being capable of equipping most of the equipment in the game, making him an effective support character in each role. Lastly, the Princess has terrible physical stats, and has access to the least equipment, but learns much more potent spells, in particular having access to the best healing and attack spells in the game. It’s basic, but an effective change up from the first game.

To compensate for having more party members, enemies are now capable of appearing in groups, with certain formations resulting in as many as 7 enemies in one battle, though only specific types of enemies can achieve this, as bigger and tougher enemies seem to occupy more slots. Enemies also have access to a wider variety of magic and abilities, including being capable of summoning reinforcements mid battle. Status effects, such as poison, are more prominent, and with spells to cure them being among the new additions, along with defense buffs and debuffs, encounters have become a lot more tactical, with you often having to weigh your options to get through effectively. It makes the very prevalent grinding much more interesting, if much more difficult, and difficult is the word of the day, as this game is infamously brutal. Dungeons are much more prevalent, and much more complex, with the layout of some of them reaching spiteful levels of confusing. The limited inventory slots, previously a minor deal, since you could stack most of the important items available, quickly turn into a complicated juggling game, as item stacking has been removed, and key items are much more numerous, limiting the amount of healing you can carry around rather severely. Enemies show up in large groups so frequently that trying to take them out without group wide magic usually gets you smacked around a good deal, and tougher than average enemies will gladly show up in groups as well. The game is even less linear than the original past a point, which can easily lead you to areas you’re in no way supposed to access so early, and worst of all, the game is just plain unbalanced thanks to the rushed development, with the endgame land of Rhone containing enemies terrifyingly, and jarringly, powerful compared to even the dungeon before, being capable of demolishing you with little effort if you aren’t prepared. While the difficulty is more balanced in versions past the NES, with the Prince being given better stats and being able to equip better weapons, after being infamously weak and only being able to use a few weak, early game weapons in the NES version, to attack and the defense affecting spells having more of an effect, in addition to the rebalanced EXP and gold drops that were also in the original. You also have access to the bank, which allows you to store gold and items, and while its use in the first game is questionable, it becomes a lifesaver in this, simplifying the inventory management puzzle the game would be otherwise. It also makes a small, but important change to the final boss, namely removing the ability for it to use Fullheal, which, in the NES version, more or less made defeating it entirely luck based. Despite all this, however, Dragon Quest II is still a grueling experience, and the difficulty is certainly one of the big reasons why Dragon Quest II is obscure compared to other games in the series.

As for other new features and improvements, helmets have been added as an equipment option, though they’re very underutilized, with only 3 being available in the game, 2 of them exclusive to the Hero. Cursed equipment has been expanded past the few accessories in the original that only existed to inconvenience you. Here, they confer the biggest stat bonuses out of all the equipment in the game, on paper, but carry the risking of occasionally paralyzing the user in battle. Enemies are now capable of dropping items, from basic items like herbs, to equipment that could be sold for a decent amount, or even save you having to purchase them in the future, to items that can’t even be found elsewhere, such as the aforementioned cursed equipment, the infamous mad cap, the only helmet the Prince and Princess can equip, which cuts the amount MP needed to cast spells, and the dragon potion, which allows you to save your game anywhere you wish. Speaking of which, instead of only being able to save at the starting castle, many other towns and castles allow you to save your game, not only saving you a significant trek to Middenhall Castle, but allowing you to warp back to them with the Evac spell, which can save a lot of travel time. Most notably, the world map is much larger than the original game, including several different continents and smaller islands, accessible via a boat acquired fairly early in the game, marking the first appearance of transportation in the series. Alefgard is even visitable in a cool instance of continuity, though unfortunately, it’s quite underwhelming, as it is much, much smaller than in the first game, and only four locations that can be visited, with the only significant ones being Tantegel, which has fused with the town of Breconnary, and the remains of Charlock Castle, inhabited by the grandson of the Dragonlord, who, instead of battling the party, offers critical advice instead, in a fairly cool twist for the time.

While the game is certainly bigger and longer than the first game, most of it consists of just sailing around the overly large seas, with most of the locations being visitable as soon as you get the ship, barring the strength of the encounters. While it does give the game a much more open feel, most of what you do is just desperately scrounging for key items, many of which only have use towards the end of the game, and are often found in small, obscure locations. There’s little sense of progression, and very few dungeons manage to feel memorable or significant in any way, not helped the inexplicable lack of any bosses outside of the final dungeon. Sure, there’s a few scripted encounters, but only with enemies that are common within the area, or otherwise nowhere near dangerous enough to justifiably call bosses. While there are a few “quests” you have to do to progress at points, they’re all very short and simple, consisting of things like fighting a rather unthreatening enemy in an arena for the amusement of a king, or traversing a dungeon to grab the Wind Mantle, allowing you to cross to a different part of the continent, with said item never being used again afterwards. This all combines to make most of the game oddly dull, in my opinion, with the difficulty pretty much being the only thing that makes it stand out. As mentioned above, though, the endgame absolutely makes its mark, with the maddeningly confusing Road to Rhone being one of the most infamous dungeons in JRPGs, and the final dungeon, while being extremely simple to navigate, makes up for the lack of bosses elsewhere by having five of them spread out across it. Overall, while Dragon Quest II’s gameplay is technically much more refined than Dragon Quest I, it’s not necessarily much more enjoyable, and most of the time simply dances between repetitive and frustrating.

Graphics: The visuals of Dragon Quest II are, sensibly, about equal to the first game. The character designs do shine through a bit better with the party, and the battle sprites are once again great. Similarly to Final Fantasy II, though, the game does contain some of the weirder enemies to be in the series, such as baboons, giant Venus flytraps, and flying Medusa heads, though at the least, it introduced bubble slimes and liquid metal slimes. It also includes a few neat effects like parallax scrolling in dungeons that take place in high towers.

Music: Once again, the soundtrack is absolutely great, with the highlights being the upbeat town theme, the calm castle theme, the intimidating final boss theme, and especially the world map themes, of which there are two, the melancholic A Lonely Youth, for the earliest part of the games, before you acquire your full party, and the extremely cheerful Traveling With Friends, for once you’ve assembled your party. Even if you have no interest in playing the games, the soundtracks are definitely worth a listen. Conclusion: Overall, I would have to give Dragon Quest I&II a pretty firm not recommended. While they’re not completely unenjoyable, and can be a decent time if you enjoy older RPGs, or are curious about the roots of Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest III and IV are much better options in both regards, not to mention others like Final Fantasy I and III, and the original Mother, as far as NES RPGs go. Still, I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t have fun with them both, in varying amounts, and the remakes certainly make them much easier to digest. Either way, that’s about enough for now. Till next time. -Scout

#dragon quest #SNES #JRPG #square enix #game review #long post

[princessbilliam]

Otaku Nation: Anime's Effect on American Pop Culture

The modern age of Anime arrive in Japan in the 1960s, and within the course of the following decade or so prospered to the giant robot, distance battle genre bender that we would soon realize as the anime of now.

Evolving within the next 30 years or so, it reached a summit where it could start to overtake and eventually become an essential component of different cultures, similar to the Hollywood of the 1930s quickly grew to encompass the remainder of the planet and inform their pop culture. In precisely the exact same fashion, American pop culture becomes increasingly informed by the trends and cult reaction to anime.

On the other hand, the national awareness as to where these shows came from as well as the poor marketing of the shows made them forgettable and rather than a jump in point, they behave as a nostalgic reminder. Know more NaijaVibe is a pop culture and entertainment website

When Speed Racer came, the beginnings of a true understanding that Japan was producing something fresh and exciting started to install. The prevalence of Speed Racer was never that of its American contemporaries, but it created at a established fanbase the openness to devour newer offerings in the future in Starblazers and Robotech (a convoluted perversion of multiple animes, but nevertheless a comparative success in the countries ). Nonetheless, the effect was largely underground.

From the 1980s, the addition of Beta and VHS made it possible to join together with friends and watch more varying forms of anime. When Akira arrived in 1989, the effect was real. People who knew of Akira were lovers for life, eagerly awaiting their opportunity to partake more and more of the developing tendencies out of Japan.

For Japan's role, this age was a period of major expansion, a veritable boom in the company. The 1980s saw the success of shows such as Gundam and Dragon Ball overgrow the national consciousness and become runaway sensations. The explosion of the manga sector before hand, with serializations of works by Akira Toriyama and Katsuhiro Otomo in the early 80s simmered in the childhood of Japan and finally seeing the commercial possibilities of those functions, creating in the process a major conglomerate of companies in the Akira Committee to bring the huge funding of Akira to fruition.

By the 90s anime was the mainstream in Japan, and the result was that the ramping up of production and increased output of shows. In part because of the simple, streamlined art style, multiple artist were able to work on a single project and create episode per week for years at a time, leading to monumental runs such as the case of Dragonball (156 episodes) and Dragonball Z (276 episodes). The ability to serialize and turn a story into something that millions of youths would tune into each and every week made firms billions (of yen) and secured the sorts of industrial sponsorships and funds necessary to undertake extraordinary jobs that would require huge sums of cash to finish.

Back in America, a few executives were starting to see the impact that these shows were having in Japan. Slowly and very carefully they began taking the hottest, Dragonball Z and Sailormoon by way of example and finding timeslots first in the afternoon, before the daily retinue of American cartoons, testing the waters of marketability. In 1995, the trickle of anime into the states was only that, a relative trickle. Sailormoon aired every morning in syndication, but sliced and missing key seasons to relate the endings of significant storylines. Dragonball Z ran an equally mild run early on Saturdays in syndication that was abruptly cut when the rights to the show have been lost by the initial company and bought by Funimation.

All the while, works from Japanese specialists like Hayao Miyazaki were being overlooked, passing undetected through limited release in the countries, while making him a God of his own craft in Japan. All the while firms like Manga, Funimation, and Viz were buying up licenses and releasing small known, untraceable reveals that no one knew the origin of. The shows were treated badly, often dubbed and cut up to accommodate American audiences. Viz even launched the very first Anime magazine in 1993 using Animerica, primarily reviewing their particular products but still giving a view of this civilization that nobody knew anything about.

Butin 1995, the release of the shows in the Usa along with the premiere and rave reviews of Neon Genesis Evangelion at Japan, Otaku curiosity abroad began to spike. Otaku is a bid of a misnomer as it is a little bit of a insult in Japan, a mean spirited way to call someone a nerd. Here though, it normally signifies a purveyor of Japanese pop-culture and with all the Otaku so in fashion right now it's less of an insult than the clique. The early 90s was a time of massive growth of interest from the little known import of Anime however, and the American marketplace was not slow to react.

In 1997, tv programs made broad sweeping moves to bring displays to the mainstream. The Sci-Fi station had always needed a small market in its own latenight line up for cult classics like Vampire Hunter D, but Warner Bros finally brought the genre to primetime. And in 1998, a small known video game for the Game Boy exploded at the American market, bringing along with it its whole arsenal of marketing ploys, including the childish, but enormously popular Pokemon anime. Finally, kids throughout the nation were gluing themselves to the tv series as earnestly as their Japanese counterparts had for nearly a decade earlier hand.

Miyazaki's new film played to better reception, receiving a proper release through Miramax. Princess Mononoke has been a success in the terms of the time, even receiving the coveted two thumbs up (let alone an overview whatsoever ) out of Siskel and Ebert. Movies started to arrive in America more liberally, still finding small release, but release at least. And the shows started to pour into. At the time, the fansub scene was more or less the only way to get access to some of the more obscure titles being released in Japan. But since the market thrived, so did the licensing by major companies, and it really started to become prohibited to fansub certain shows since they might be published by a company eventually.

Thus began the closing and full assimilation of Japanese pop culture into American. The DVD format sped up the process, as more episodes of a series could be packaged into a disk than a VHS and production prices plummeted, removing a lot of the financial threat of an untested foreign product in the American marketplace. Cartoon Network surfaced its Toonami afternoon cartoon slot, in which they showcased anime that had been in existence for just a time, but was able to appeal to a much larger demographic and spread the word about these great narrative driven cartoons from throughout the ocean. An whole generation grew into the expanding popularity and became entranced by the epic storylines, amazing storytelling and capacity to show in a cartoon what many considered adult topics and much more mature perspectives on matters like competition and personal success. The Japanese ability to cross genre as well as the extremely higher production values which started to enter displays made in the late 90s and outside supposed amazing shows that appealed not only to children but to adults and outside.

What began as a crossover, gradually began to actually alter the manner in which American's promoted their tv to kids. Shows with more adult articles appeared, and in some cases emulated the Japanese structure. The authors at Pixar crafted brilliant, more maturely themed animations with no ridiculous musicals of Disney ago, and Disney even dissolved their attempted format in favor of much more adult, stories that were complete. The devolution of American quality in animations though as they attempted to match the output signal meant even more Japanese entries in the market. Now, if you flip on Fox kids in the morning you'll find more than half of those shows on are animes. And Cartoon Network nevertheless presents multiple entrances themselves, with much more adult offerings in their Adult Swim block late at night.

These days, you will find anime oriented t-shirts anyplace, an entire aisle devoted to DVD releases at Best Buy (compared to the 1 row only seven years ago) and the achievement of this Anime Network, a channel solely devoted to Anime programming. Magazines like Newtype, a Japanese trade magazine to the Anime sector is now translated and released in America every month with previews of new shows, and American directors like James Cameron are looking to direct live action versions of manga like Battle Angel Alita.

Now, we view new releases from Japan within seven weeks, and the fansub community has to scramble to keep up with what is legal and what's not legal to offer through their services. The internet itself has made it a huge community, in which a show can be recorded on Japanese television, ripped and subbed, subsequently uploaded within a couple hours for the entire world to view. There is no place over, and new displays are immediately available. And it's evident in the universities too. Japanese is one of the most pursued languages, filling up instantly with a lawn long waiting list each year, and much more segments being added each year.

[thatonebirbnerd]

All Those Chains You Bear

Word count: 1417

Trigger warnings: Violence, injury/blood, death, goes into detail re: effects of (ritual) self-poisoning

So, this is a new fandom for me! I've loved LoL's lore for a long time, but never thought I'd be able to write fanfic for it... and then Aphelios came out. Something about him and Alune drew me in enough that I made a cover of their theme and finally wound up smashing out the first draft of this story in a clearly lunar (read: stayed up til 5am) frenzy. Now it’s polished, and I hope you enjoy the results!

The title’s from Aphelios and Alune’s aforementioned theme.

AO3 link

Breathe.

Come on. I've done this dozens of times. Have to just - breathe -

Dammit. 

Every time, I seize up and let go of the bowl. That moment of weakness could kill me. Can't let that keep happening.

But it's too late to try again now.

A familiar surge of energy rushes through me, forcing every muscle in my body under its caustic, unforgiving whim. But that's the price I pay to... not even to speak with her. Just to be with her.

As much as the poison shakes me to the core, it cuts deeper that I may never see my sister again. Our orbits, our paths in life, led us to separate realms, with this ritual the only way for her to find me.

I drop to the ground, catching myself with one hand. My throat tightens, and my breaths become shallow. It’s almost over. A voice creeps into my mind as I cough and sputter, no longer able to cry out. It is faint and distorted at first, growing ever clearer like the moon emerging from behind clouds. 

Aphelios. 

I'm here. It's okay.

I just wish I could talk with Alune for a while. I try to say her name, but I can only choke out a pitiful noise.

It always starts with pain. I'm sorry.

I kneel, letting myself recover between gasps for air. Another moment of vulnerability, but one I can use to collect my thoughts.

We have work to do. Raiders took one of our relics. Show them the moon's light.

If only I could answer. I must do that through action.

I stand up, as tense as a drawn bowstring, and leave the gloom of the temple. Every movement I make is awkward, but… I’ll get used to it. 

After all, I have to.

---

They're camped near the Rakkor, hiding from their wrath. Would-be climbers of Targon, carried away by their own greed. Even the Solari can't pardon thieves.

I'm not far now, but traveling around Targon’s slopes like this is deeply exhausting - more than fighting. But I never know what could ambush me in the night, and I need Alune. I can fight without the noctum, but not without her.

The dull ache breaks my focus and overwhelms my senses. I have to force myself to track a lone, unfamiliar war whoop, echoing from the valley below. My quarry.

There they are. Take this. 

Calibrum.

Gleaming stone and metal work their way into the physical realm, taking a slender form in my outstretched hands. The rifle Calibrum is all too familiar, a weapon I can use for anything. I can probably get a good angle from that ledge a few paces away. The brigands are downhill.

Breathe, focus... fire. A bolt of magic flies from my weapon, piercing a man who was standing close enough to my perch that I can see him bleed silver. They'll be looking for me now. I need to enter the fray.

You're fading a bit. Our thoughts separate.

I rarely dread words. These, however, the thought of having to take more noctum… I feel a pang of fear, through the numbness.

I crouch out of view, and take just another sip. The liquid glows like moonlit waters, even more than the night-blooming flower from which I distilled it. It is at once my strength, and the single thing most likely to end my life.

The fresh wave of agony always stops me in my tracks. But this time, I collapse. My limbs jerk, and I’m breathing hard, too hard. I lose control of myself, convulsing as my body rails against the poison in my veins. And then I panic, a primal terror that cuts through even the strongest of my walls.

Even if there were help nearby, I couldn’t scream for it - the best I can do is grunt. I can’t die like this - 

Steady, Phel. I’m still here. Starforger’s claws, you’re foaming at the mouth… Breathe. Let it pass.

I think it’s only been a few seconds, but it seems like an eternity before the spasms end. It’ll be a while before I can take on even one attacker, but I don’t know if that will mean minutes or hours. I rest, curled into a ball, recovering what little I can as the noctum urges every fiber in me to move, to fight.

The outlaws still haven’t found me, even after all this. Did Alune misdirect them, or are they merely so stupid that they can’t check the high ground?

Regardless… I wish I could thank her, that she could hear me.

At last I rise, still trembling, and head downhill.

---

Crescendum.

The firearm fades, and I reach for another - for Alune. The next weapon to enter my grasp is a chakram, round as the full moon.

There are only six people left in the camp. They're clearly confused. And no wonder; the Burning Ones stamp out whatever they can find of my people.

Of course, they finally grasp what happened when they see me striding toward the windswept clearing they’ve staked out. They cease their fireside chatter, and walk over to meet me. They expect a bargain. After all, one man cannot stand against a group - in their homeland.

"Whaddya want, kid?" The leader's Targonian is... shoddy at best.

I still try to give ultimatums sometimes, out of habit. This is one of them. It’s… embarrassing, not being able to force out a single word when I need it.

"Wildclaw got your tongue?" I don't understand the turn of phrase - it's not in any dialect of Targonian - but Alune laughs as she translates it for me.

Unlike my sister, I don’t have time for jokes. I look the ringleader straight in the eye, and with a flick of the wrist, I send the blade flying.

I'm still stiff, sore, exhausted. But adrenaline is stronger, and I need to stay alive. 

I weave between the warriors. They seem clumsy, and they all wield slow, heavy weapons that they now have to reach for. And like most foreigners, they’re unused to the thin mountain air. In seconds, the leader is on the ground, his blood shimmering just like his friend’s.

But the rest are ready now.  I've taken on more than five before, and the chakram easily leaves wounds in every one. A woman with a club covered in ice tries to swing at me. She misses, but her companion's axe lands low, grazing my leg.

Severum? Yes. You’ll need it.

I catch the chakram in my left hand, and it disintegrates, leaving this realm. The scythe that forms in my right hand is even smaller, but it fires a spread of magic that saps the life from the hooligans. I feel better, and my own wound shines as it knits itself together.

They're faltering. You can do it, Phel - watch out!

Her voice becomes urgent, ringing in my head, and I realize there's a greatsword headed for my neck.

Time slows down.

Only one way to save myself - 

I am with you.

- with the only words I wish I could see her say to me.

I throw my head back and let out a guttural roar. My throat burns from the effort, a feeling that spreads through me. Lunar power surges outward, staggering the few barbarians still standing.

But when the searing sensation ebbs, and ceases to cloud my vision, the cowards lie dead around me.

It’s over, Phel.

Give them traitors' burials before the sun rises. Their supplies will feed the Lunari.

I'm sorry it has to be this way, brother.

My muscles relax as Alune speaks, and her voice begins to fade from my mind. I call out for her - she might be the only one who understands whatever came out -

And she's gone.

The moon is cruel, to keep us so far apart.

For a moment, my mind swims, trying to think of a way to get her back, get her out of that lonely temple beyond this world… no. I can’t give in to that.

I'll bury these friendless fallen, and take back the stolen symbol of our faith. But perhaps I’ll do that closer to dawn. For now, I sit and reflect, surrounded by the carnage I wrought. To ground myself.

To remember the pain, to relive it, to force myself back to reality - away from her.

To feel anything else beside that pain, to hear my own voice again as the noctum releases its stranglehold. 

To mourn.

#league of legends #league of legends fanfiction #fanfic #aphelios #alune #lunari #canon universe #angst #violence // #blood // #kestrel writes #i might be like #the third person to write a fic about phel that doesn't ship him #by the way this is the non gw2 fic i was referring to a couple days ago!!!

[gamingandeducating]

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

The game touted as “the end of the beginning” released in 2018 had the unenviable task of following up from the critically applauded but commercially iffy Rise of the Tomb Raider and I think it ultimately failed in this endeavour. 

Much of the core mechanics were there. The tombs, the raiding, the platforming and the unnecessarily violent kills (both from and to Lara) but when I played through this game I found myself asking what was really new about this instalment. 

Lara’s South America journey is focused on the re-discovery and subsequent saving of a lost city, Paititi, in order to stop the Mayan Apocalypse which Lara may have had something to do with starting. While this was a cool framing device I have to say that the environments were pretty stale after a while. I am not asking for some geographical nightmare scenario where tropical meets tundra but I would have liked to have seen more variation in the terrain. Rise made excellent use out of the semi-open hub areas that gave the player a chance to explore between linear story segments and while they return in Shadow they feel less explorable and unless there was a tomb there I felt like there was little incentive to go and have a look around. Shadow did introduce a number of settlement type areas but these smacked of a lean to the open-worldification of the game and were so poorly. Of the 20 ish residents maybe 1 would have something they want you to do and one would sell you something. It was so unnecessary to include these groups as they add little to your experience and less to my enjoyment. Then there was Paititi (Spoilers), the lost city, who react surprisingly non-plused to your arrival besides a sense of mild distrust, like why the hell are these people as open to you as they are is beyond me. 

The most praiseworthy thing this game does is build the relationship between Lara and her family as well as Lara and Jonah. I haven't really been too fussed about the whole trinity storyline all the way through the games and would much rather go back to a “one shot” approach to each game, but the character development was great. It was rewarding to see Lara get knocked down from her two past victories in a way that made sense and to see the strain it was taking on her relationship with tomb raiding facilitator Jonah. 

The story is pretty forgettable, mixing elements of history, religion, culture, prophecy and the supernatural to varying degrees but the tone of the game was much stronger and darker. Whereas Rise was shown as her elevation to her status, Shadow feels much more about her title weighing her down and this translates really obviously into the gameplay. The tombs are going down further and require huge climbs through partings of rock to reach your destination all building into this idea of Lara being a shadowy raider. The emphasis on swimming was noticeable, even if it wasn't fun, and the length of time that Lara had to spend submerged in a given cave system was giving me claustrophobic vibes. 

The gunplay was great but I think that games like Gears of War still do this better and the classic archery/hunter mechanic is better done in Farcry, but where Shadow excelled was the tombs. Forget about the killing and guns, the puzzles and platforming in this game are brilliant. I would happily forego a massive world ending story to receive a £50 with 15+ of these tombs. They are designed so well that you know 90% of what you need to do by looking at them without the dynamic camera pan through to show you how to proceed and my experience was made so much better through the breaks that these tombs afforded me.  

The buzz and reception around these game’s release was flat and I have to say I completely understand why. This game doesn't do anything that is jaw-droppingly brilliant, the story won't blow you away in a trailer or in the 15ish hours of playing it and the game doesn't look that good. Instead it’s a slow burn that has some high points but won’t be enough for me to recommend this to someone at full price or in front of a plethora of other games in their backlog.

#xbox one x #xbox one #ps4 #ps4 pro #pc games #square enix #tomb raider #lara croft #shadow of the tomb raider #rise of the tomb raider #games #video games #review #game review #shooter #third person

[sscamanderr]

@kokomobunny This is for you. Welcome to winter in Paris

She always promised to come back to Paris. After the war was over and there was no longer any danger awaiting her and the men she loved. For once, France didn’t mean killing Nazis or healing wounds. Aria could finally walk down the streets with her arms linked around Aldo’s and Hugo’s, not worrying about a thing except where they were taking her for a surprise dinner.

“I remember this street,” Hugo spoke quietly, still looking around him like they were being followed. Aria took notice of the grip on her gloved hand and she squeezed it in comfort, pulling him down to kiss his cheek.

“I do too. It’s pretty this time of year,”

The street lamps were wrapped in some kind of garland and were topped in a thin dusting of snow that seemed to sparkle in the reflection of the light. Sidewalks were freshly shoveled that day and teeming with people going about their business. The three of them passed a little cafe Aria recognized from one of the passes the Basterds enjoyed, though now it seemed more vibrant and warm. It reminded her of a fellow Basterd who stole the money off one of her scalped victims and paid for the entirety of their meals.

“It’s just up here, honey,” Aldo released her arm and went ahead, turning to walk backwards and swinging an arm out to bring attention to the restaurant on the corner. An elegant black sign sat atop a set of glass double-doors that marked the entrance to Le Cinq. Aria saw the finely dressed clients walking through the doors and felt underdressed, looking down at her coat which covered her simple black slip dress and small heels.

“You’re the loveliest person arriving, princess.” Hugo pecked her blushing cheek and tugged her along. Aria still stared in awe as Aldo held the door for her.

The interior was finer than anything she’d ever seen; marble tiles and mahogany tables set with porcelain dinnerware, a grand piano in the center of the room, playing softly, and palm trees in front of each pillar spaced evenly along the sides of the room. She couldn’t determine if they were real or faux but it wouldn’t surprise her if they were living.

“Oh my god…” She gasped and resisted covering her mouth, as to not look more out of place than she already felt.

“I’ll get our table,” Aldo smiled at her expression before walking up to the man at the host station. Aria cherished his not-so-bad attempt to recreate the lines her best friend had tried to teach him to help them on their trip. Soon after the staff was taking their coats into a closet with other patrons’ belongings and they were following the host to a circular table near the back. Directly over their heads was a crystal chandelier that cast a dim yellow light over them all.

“How did you manage…?” Aria trailed off when her eyes kept wandering around the dining room.

“Aldo and I planned it way before we came here. We wanted it to be perfect,” Hugo grabbed her hand on the table.

“This place will cost an arm and a leg!” Aria scoffed, but her heart still skipped a beat.

“No price is too great to please you, gorgeous,” Aldo flashed her a smile to die for. Aria relented, sighing happily as she looked between the two men who had made her the happiest woman on earth.

“Keep saying those things and we’ll have to leave early so I can prove just how happy I am,” Aria smirked. Hugo and Aldo shared a glance.

“Oh believe me, you’re going to be even happier before the trip’s over,” Hugo winked at her. Aldo chuckled at her widened eyes.

The waiter came before Aria could reply, speaking in long phrases of French that they were slow to translate. They managed, Aria sent a prayer to her friend, and they ordered without further trouble. When their food was set in front them, her mouth watered and she couldn’t stop a soft ‘mmm’ from leaving her lips. No one knew how to use the array of silverware on the sides of their plates so they made their best guesses. They talked of things back home, times from the Basterds, and of things that could happen in the near and distant futures. Aria munched on the complementary chocolate mini-truffles in a basket at the center of the table until Hugo and Aldo were finished.

“Amazing,” Aldo mumbled over his mouthful of food. Hugo let his silverware fall from his hands and he wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin from his lap.

“So gut,” He agreed.

“Better than anything I’ve tasted before,” Aria nodded her head, cheeks warm from the few glasses of wine she had. “Let’s see the damage,” She reached for the bill but Aldo swiped it from her hand with a tsk of his tongue.

“Don’t worry about it, sugar,” He patted her hand before reaching into his pocket and placing a few bills on the tabletop. Hugo stood and adjusted his tie.

“I’ll go catch us a cab,” He said and moved to turn away.

“We can walk--” Aria tried to say, but he was gone. She looked after him, confused. “Alright.”

“Come on, Ari,” Aldo held out his hand to her and she took it. Once she was standing, Aldo pressed a long kiss to the back of her hand, keeping eye contact with her until she blushed. Aldo guided her to the front again, helping her slip back into her coat. Aria looked outside to see a mist of fresh snow falling from the sky.

“Aria!” Hugo’s voice called from the street. Aria’s mouth fell open.

Hugo laced his hands behind his back, standing in front of a topless carriage pulled by two identical white horses. Aria ran to him as fast as her heels would allow and hugged him around his waist. When she pulled away, she ran her fingertips over the polished white paint covering the carriage. She bit her lip and turned towards the men again.

“You did this for me?”

“Step on up, honey,” Aldo grabbed her hand to help her into the cushioned seats. Hugo hopped into the carriage before her and helped her the rest of the way. Aria sat with Hugo and moved closer to him to make room for Aldo. It was a little tight because of the limited size of the carriage but they manage to squeeze in all together. Aldo placed his arm over Aria’s shoulders and Hugo slid his arm around her waist. She snuggled deeper in between them and smiled to herself, closing her eyes and feeling the brisk air hit her face when the carriage began to move. The brush of Aldo’s mustache against her neck brought her back from her reverie.

“I hear the Eiffel Tower looks beautiful at this time of night.”

“Is that where we’re going?” Aria giggled. Hugo pulled her a little closer.

“It is, princess.”

Aria’s gaze traveled from the buildings they passed, up into the sky until a snowflake melted on the tip of her nose, finally landing on the lights scattered along the length of the Eiffel Tower as they got nearer to the park around it.

“Ici!” Hugo asked the carriage driver to stop in the middle of the park where the tower was in full, perfect view. He helped Aria out, insisting on it when she gave him a look. Aldo and Hugo took each of her hands and began to walk down the pathway nearby.

“Are you enjoying Paris?” Aldo said after a moment of walking silently. Aria smiled wide and nodded enthusiastically.

“It’s so beautiful here!”

“Not as beautiful as you,” Aldo grinned and tightened his arm around hers. Aria blushed and looked away.

They walked a little further until Aldo stopped her and grabbed her waist, turning her body to face him. Hugo kissed her cheek from the side and took a small step back, but kept a hand on her back. Around them, snow fell. It covered Aldo’s hair and made a quirky addition.

“Aria,” Aldo took her hands in his and held them in front of them both. “You’re probably wondering why we brought you all the way back here, just for some time together. It’s because this is place I knew I wanted to be with you always. The last time we were in France we were trying to keep ourselves safe and never had the chance to truly enjoy how amazing it is here. But it was at the same time we had our friends with us and were creating something that would last forever.”

“Aldo…” Aria said, her voice choking up. Hugo wrapped his arms around her from behind now and cleared his throat, making her turn to face him.

“I first knew I needed you by my side when you stopped by my room some time ago back in that inn, making sure I was okay. No one’s ever cared for me like you do. No one looks at me like you do. Like I’m someone better than I am, someone who deserves love as deep as yours. I never want that to change. I never want you to be away from me.”

“Oh, Hugo!” Aria whined, putting her hands on his chest. He kissed her lips before turning her around again. Aria’s heart nearly stopped when she found Aldo on one knee, holding a box with a shining ring inside. Her hands flew to her mouth and her knees became weak.

“We love you so much, Aria. We’ve been waiting for months to give you this night.” Hugo whispered against the shell of her ear.

“Aria, will you marry us?”

#aria #inglourious basterds