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theresattrpgforthat · 4 months

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Are there any TTRPGs with a focus on weapons and weapon customization. I've been poking around and haven't found anything that was quite what I was looking for. There are a few about making weapons but those usually don't involve using them outside of recording their history.

Theme: Weapons / Weapon Customization

Hello there friend, I had a bit of a hard time trying to nail down what you were looking for, but I figured I could give you a few different approaches and hopefully something here works for you.

RIG, by NotWriting.

"You’re alive. Good."

"What do you remember? Do you know your Mars songs? Were you born on real ground? Do you remember Earth's hand reaching out to steal from the stars? Hmm. Endocortex must have some rot. Don’t bother with the local infonet, your soft is too old. I’ll find something. I’ll be your Local Admin. You have a rig, a mech. It’s a good one, a Dead Core. Good way to hop the gaps of the firmament, deal with threats."

"And we have problems aplenty right now."

RIG is based on the Rune RPG system designed by Spencer Campbell, perfectly tuned for capturing the difficult and disciplined design decisions of video games inspired by Dark Souls. Instead of quick reactions, each round of combat builds tension and rewards creativity and patience by giving you windows of opportunity and weaknesses to exploit. High risk maneuvers give high rewards but can build up dangerous amounts of heat that can damage your rig. Active your core, unsheathe your core blade, and sink that heat into your enemies, or risk death. Experiment with different builds as you refit your rig between encounters, or push your luck to delve deeper and deeper into the dying heart of Recombinant Earth.

The first thing I thought of when I saw your ask was mech games, and RIG is a solo game all about piloting a mech. Your rig is highly customizable, and the designer described it as rogue-like, allowing your character to try out new configurations using different pieces. Much of the building is a balancing act: you’ll be assigning dice to various modules and some modules take up more dice than others. Your mech also comes with a resource called Heat, which can be marked to give you short-term effects, but must be strategically dumped before it fills to the point of causing you problems. If you want a solo experience that allows you to progress cyclically, I recommend RIG.

Reclaim the Wild, by Elemental Knight.

The Legend of Zelda: Reclaim the Wild is a freely-distributed tabletop roleplaying system made by fans, for fans, of both tabletop games and of The Legend of Zelda. It was designed from the ground up to enable players to create all new adventures in the world of Zelda, and specifically the hit game Breath of the Wild.

Because of this game’s inspiration, there is a lot of detail put into the different kinds of weapons your characters can wield, and more importantly, make. Weapons break all the time in this game, and if you want something a bit more sturdy, you’ll either need to trade with a merchant, or build something yourself. Characters that specialize in weapons crafting have to pick what kind of weapons they can craft, and the party will want to keep whatever bits and pieces they can salvage from fights in the wild, because those pieces will become essential in creating more durable weapons, more magical weapons, and more effective weapons. If you like inventory and record-keeping, then this game is for you.

Numenera - Destiny and Building Tomorrow by Monte Cook Games.

Terrible beasts. Abhumans. The iron wind. Ancient machines that lurch to life unexpectedly—or leave communities desperate when they catastrophically fail. The Ninth World is awash in dangers left by the prior worlds. But these ancient remnants also hold the keys to the future. Those brave enough to discover and study the amazing structures, weird devices, inscrutable automatons, and extradimensional gateways can unearth the knowledge and materials to build the future.

Discover new kinds of numenera items, along with the plans and materials to construct them yourself. Explore the ruins of the prior worlds, uncover their mysteries, and from their secrets begin to build a new tomorrow for the beleaguered people of the Ninth World.

Out of all of the recommendations in this list, Numenera is probably the biggest investment if you’re looking at complex weapon design. First of all, Numenera has some really unique, one-time use items called Cyphers, which (in this setting), are objects that your characters don’t really know the original purpose of, but which can be insanely useful in fortifying settlements, finding information, and doing a lot of damage in a battle. Not all cyphers are weapons, and not all weapons get the same attention that cyphers do.

However, if you really want to explore what these items can do, you’ll want to take a peek at both the Destiny and Building Tomorrow books for this game. Destiny is the first book after the corebook that I recommend getting, because it provides character options that focus on salvage and building, and because it hosts the bulk of the creation plans for Cyphers and more permanent objects such as Artifacts and Installations. Building Tomorrow expands on this crafting system, by introducing new crafting materials, salvage locations, and weird side effects that might come about when your crafting roll is less than ideal.

LUMEN, by GilaRPGs.

This is a link not to a game, but rather a System Reference Document for a family of games. LUMEN is an RPG system for high-action, high-speed, high-power games.

The character classes in many big LUMEN games are often differentiated by fighting style or weapon type. You can see this in Monster Guts, a LUMEN game inspired by Monster Hunter, and NOVA, a game about piloting exo-suits after the world has gone dark. There are also plenty of customizable options within those classes, allowing you to try out different combinations to find something that works really well for you.

This game can really sing in a small group, as each player can build their character to do some outstanding combinations, and then synchronize those combinations with things that the other players at the table do really well. There’s a lot of interesting things being done with this rules system, and if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for in this collection compiled by Gila RPGs, then perhaps you still have the tools you need to make what you want for yourself!

Heartbearers, by Whimsy Machine.

It's a dangerous world of heroes and monsters. You play in pairs: a sentient weapon and their bearer. You go on thrilling adventures with other pairs. Be the greatest fighter pair through the ultimate feat of strength: making friends!

Long ago weapons realized that their bearers can get really hurt in battle, so culture shifted: the goal of combat changed to skillfully clash weapons, not harm bearers. Two weapons going head to head can show off their magic, abilities, and legends. Colors burst, sparks fly—it's intense!

In this game, players pair up and choose whether they will play a hero or a sentient weapon. Bearers and Weapons will have very different responsibilities in game; while Weapons focus on shifting their forms or concentrating their attacks, the Bearers will determine why they are fighting in the first place, ruminating on desires, emotions, and goals. Duels use d12s as counters to track actions, with a rest for all of the characters once their counters reach 0. Weapons can also aid their Bearers during non-combat parts of the quest, while Bearers will determine what alliances they will make (and possibly whether they will lay down their Weapon for good). If you want a game that gives personality and sentience to a weapon, or if you want to play a weapon yourself, this might be a game for you.

Lancer, by Massif Press.

In Lancer, players adopt the roles of mechanized chassis pilots - mech pilots - comrades together in a galaxy of danger and hope. Some groups will fight to rectify the crimes of previous administrations; others will fight for their nation, pieces in a greater game of hegemony. Others will carry the banner of a corpro-state or mercenary company, working to advance private interests while lining their pockets. Others still will fight for groups acting in opposition to those in power - for the underground, for the forgotten, agents of entropy and agents of yet more radical revolutions.

If we’re going to talk about mech games and weapons, I’d be remiss not to talk about Lancer. This is a highly tactical game with most of its rules focusing on mech combat, and a very exciting wealth of mech options that you’ll be toying around with after almost every section. Your mech will have distinct weapons, such as the Blackbeard’s Chain Axe or Omni-Harpoon, but there’s also systems that you can add for specific strategies on the battlefield, such as the Swallowtail’s cloaking field, which helps you hide both you and your allies, or the Goblin’s metahook, which allows teammates to share their systems and sensors, for improved e-defense and a broader range for electronic warfare.

Other Thoughts

If you like the high tactics and strategy of Lancer, but you want a fantasy setting, then I'd recommend Gubat Banwa instead.

If you want to focus on inventory and less on character class, you might want to check out the OSR side of things, including games such as Knave or Into the Odd.

If you like inventory but want to keep your character class, then Troika! might be for you.

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #dnd #game recommendations #asks #weapons

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babyfairy · 11 months

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hello…life updates lol

i saw the little mermaid with my mom and my niece (we went on my mom’s birthday 💌) and i loved it??!? i think halle was the perfect choice for ariel!! i was so enchanted by her mannerisms the entire film. she’s got such an otherworldly beauty so paired with her voice she REALLY looks and feels like a disney princess…loved her so much. no comment on awkwafina’s unfortunate addition to the film

we’re restarting one of our long running dnd campaigns and i’m pretty sad about it ❤️‍🩹 it’s the best choice because the setting was made by our DM a long time ago and she wants a reset because she’s improved her narration/lore/etc since its creation but it’s still sad and hard to let go. i’m really excited to relive some of my favorite moments with some new twists and i have a deeper understanding of my character now so i think i’ll only end up loving her more as i replay her. dnd with my friends is truly one of my favorite hobbies and it’s so important to me! there have been so many changes throughout the years i’ve played but i’m so glad to still be playing despite it because it’s very fun and therapeutic lol

i got a raise at work 🫨 not that it makes much of a difference LMFAO but i was seriously considering leaving my job before my raise so it’s nice to be making a little more money. the cost of living in washington is so insane that i feel really unsure of my future lol but it’s seriously my dream to own my own house. just a little one story house that i can call my own. i know it seems like a small dream lol but it’s literally my number one motivation and i’m always daydreaming about how i’d decorate my own home inside and out!!

i finally bought tears of the kingdom and i’ve been obsessed with it!!! not surprised because i loved breath of the wild lol. i love link so much he’s such a cool protagonist. always wanted to be like him when i was a kid LMAOO either him or sheik! i would say i’m more like a deku scrub…💀 like look at this fella…

like….???!!!! THATS ME…the lil angry face. love these guys. anyways i love the game LMAO i hit about 50 hours and realized i should maybe try tackling my first dungeon 💀 it’s just so much fun to run around and collect ingredients and koroks…plus i have a little pack of zelda amiibo cards so every day i hop on and scan them all so i can open treasure chests as a little treat…love it!!! i can’t wait to see king sidon again btw. that’s the light of my life

ever since my OCD diagnosis i’ve been avoiding my therapist (L) and struggling to really understand why but i think it’s because i feel guilty about being diagnosed LMAO…i have like this weird fixation on unknowingly manipulating/lying to others and my brain keeps trying to convince me i manipulated her into a diagnosis. i don’t feel like i have “real” OCD if that makes sense. and i feel this weird sense of guilt about making light of it or like taking resources from people with real, severe OCD. it’s frustrating because i know that’s definitely a symptom of OCD but i also feel like none of my symptoms are legitimate and they’re just delusions. it’s incessant. which like logically is that probably just a symptom of the OCD? yeah but i also am having trouble admitting that to myself for some reason lol. at least not without guilt or shame attached and i really try to avoid feeling that way if i can. anyways it’s a real pain in the ass and i finally sucked it up and made an appointment for tomorrow so i can try to talk through some of this with her

i’m up and down a lot, it’s been the worst year of my life i think lol but somehow i’m still chugging along 💀 every day i put the rainbow clown wig back on and march thru my day despite it all though so it’s whatever i guess. definitely going thru my saturn return and ngl so far it sucks and i definitely hate it but you know! my 20s have been Not Great so maybe my 30s will be better for it. hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. let me know what you’re up to in my inbox if you want! i always like when people message me their life updates lol. it’s sweet when people think of me as someone they want to update ❣️

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whostoleallthecookies · 5 months

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i stumbled into a particular botw rabbit hole which is the sixth hylian script used throughout botw and totk because i wanted to transcribe zelda's journal into hylian script and i found some absolutely fascinating things and also some potentially groundbreaking lore revelations like THE MONTH OF APRIL AND APRIL FOOL'S DAY BEING CANON

(in depth findings under the cut)

image and translation source https://zelda.fandom.com/wiki/Hylian_Language_Translations/Breath_of_the_Wild

1) it seems that the hylian script is the official writing system throughout hyrule. the gerudo have their own script but you can find written hylian script in gerudo town too. even the zora signposts are in hylian script although the zora seem to have their own script too

2) hylian script has little to no punctuation

first page transcription:

april first

today was a dry hot and sunny day i went to school this diary is

very important document

second page transcription

april second

yesterday was fools day

everything that i wrote was false

that is all

see you tomorrow

sometimes a new sentence will start from a new line but not always; the title is separated by an empty line, and an empty line may be inserted to signal a paragraph break. notice also the lack of commas, full stops and apostrophes.

3) APRIL FOOL'S DAY IS CANON IN BREATH OF THE WILD AND TEARS OF THE KINGDOM. (and also the month of april.)

here the small text is too blurry for me to decipher but it gives us immense insight into the hylian script text structure. a new paragraph, even the first one, may be indicated by an indent; in here, a new sentence within a paragraph seems to be indicated by a new line.

although it seems that you can just go buckwild and do whatever you want.

5) hyrule has not had a government or any kind of formal education for 100 years so it's a wonder the literacy rates are still so high despite all that; even in the little farming village of hateno, written notices and accounts are posted on walls and noticeboards. literacy must be highly valued among the common folk if the parents are teaching their kids to read despite living off of manual labor mostly

6) the sheikah use the same script but written top to bottom, right to left the same way as japanese text is written, which i find fascinating

#the legend of zelda #breath of the wild #zelda lore

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thecatfight2023 · 1 year

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Updated Bracket™!

here are our round 2 competitors!

the polls for now are staying in four mini-brackets, but will merge into two brackets for round three!

THIS WILL ALSO BE UPDATED TO HAVE THE LINKS TO THE POLLS!!

mini-bracket 1

Mewo (OMORI) V. Ghost (The Owl House)

Marie (Aristocats) V. Mochi (Big Hero 6)

Cat (Coraline) V. Tubbs (Neko Atsume)

Daffodil (Spiritfarer) V. Black Cat (Divinity Original Sin 2)

Goose (Marvel) V. Alfred the Cat (DC)

Mikeko (Ace Attorney) V. Shadow (Super Lesbian Animal RPG)

Fat Louie (The Princess Diaries) V. Milo (Milo & Otis)

Cat God (Identity V) V. Ice Cream Kitty (TMNT 2012)

mini-bracket 2

Ichigo Momomiya [cat form] (Tokyo Mew Mew) V. Kyo Sohma [cat form] (Fruits Basket)

Kuroneko (Trigun) V. Neko (Genshin Impact)

Pusheen (Pusheen) V. Nyan Cat

Video (Strong Hearts are Mandatory) V. Midnight (Castle in the Air)

Schrodinger’s cat V. Pura (Crash Bandicoot)

Murr (The Case Study of Vanitas) V. Mausfänger (Pentiment)

Cam (Squishmallow) V. Wolfie (Barbie Princess and the Pauper)

Melog (She-Ra 2018) V. Webkinz cats (all of them)

mini-bracket 3

Tama V. Stray Cat J

Miette V. Jinx

Gandalf V. Smudge

Norman (SolidarityGaming) V. Jellie (GoodTimesWithScar)

Meowth (Pokémon) V. Kitty Softpaws (Puss in Boots)

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess cats V. Shiro/Blanche (House 1977)

Slugcat (RainWorld) V. Li'l' Mittens (WordGirl)

Maurice (Discworld) V. The Cat (Infinity Train)

mini-bracket 4

Cat (Stray) V. Salem (Sabrina the Teenage Witch 1996)

Firestar (Warrior Cats) V. Leafpool (Warrior Cats)

Sprigatito (Pokémon) V. Shinx (Pokémon)

Jiji (Kiki’s Delivery Service) V. Artemis (Sailor Moon)

Ravage (Transformers) V. Nyanko-Sensei (Natsume Yuujinchou)

Mr. Midnight (Fran Bow) V. Khoshekh (WTNV)

Spot (Star Trek: The Next Generation) V. Lumi (Cats are Liquid)

Ser Pounce-A-Lot (Dragon Age) V. Frumpkin (Critical Role)

polls forthcoming (hopefully tomorrow), but will still post around 2 pm EST whatever day that ends up being! reminder they will be open for 1 day each!

again, propaganda is encouraged!! go wild! we will do our best to reblog as much as we can and it will be tagged with "purr-opaganda" (for those who want to filter the tag). we also recommend making propaganda for your cat blorbos sooner rather than later so there's a chance for them to win!!

-mod orange

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iridescentgleam · 1 year

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I did it! I finished the Four Swords Manga! It's really late in the day for me, but I didn't finish it until now because I ran out of the sticky tabs I was using to write down any notes about Vio and I couldn't get more until a few hours ago, actually lmao. So here are my final updates! I'll probably do another post tomorrow talking about some of the notes I wrote, but I'd just like to thank you all for joining me on this journey! I've had lots of fun!

We get to see more of Vio's sick archery skills and, honestly, I'm here for it! Love this pose!

No, because this is actually really important. Especially Shadow hearing these words from Zelda, who outright slapped him in the face early in the manga. The open look of realization and vulnerability is so powerful,,,

I'm sorry, I know this is a really big moment in the manga, especially because it preludes to Shadow's death, but, like, this lowkey jump-scared me. Like, I had to do a double-take. They were eluding to something being up with Vio, but I was not expecting them to just come out and say that Shadow was pretending to be Vio. It gives much-needed context to the reader, but damn did that take me off-guard lmao

Vio looks so stern here! He's realized that Shadow's up to something, but he's scared of what it is because whatever way the implications lead, it's not looking good either way. Not to mention, Shadow ran off before anyone could confront him about it but AFTER helping them, so like, Vio's mind is probably going a million miles an hour.

AWWWWWWW!!!! Vio being the one to tell him this is really sweet, despite the fact that they haven't talked to one another after Vio's betrayal,,, His whole death scene is really bittersweet, actually, but I like the ending they gave him! Especially because... well, you'll see!

Had to include some Red before I finish off the post because I love him dearly! ❤️ Genuinely was not going into this expecting Red to be my favorite of the Main Four, but he is and I cherish him quite a lot. He may be kind of tied with Blue for "comic relief character" but they both have really serious moments, too, and, overall, I don't have a lot of complaints with Red's characterization tbh, and I liked the way they made Blue mature by the end without ruining his character either!

Hmmmmmmmmm... HMMMMMMMMMMMM... (This. This is what I mean when I liked the ending he got. I know people like to bring him back in fanworks and such, and that's okay too! I like both equally, but I also don't have complaints about his ending!)

I think I'll leave it here for tonight! Overall, I'm so glad I gave this book a chance! It was such a blast reading it for the first time!

#loz four swords #four swords #four swords adventures #four swords manga #four swords vio #vio link #four swords shadow #shadow link #four swords red #red link #reading the four swords manga #the end!

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silentprincess17 · 1 year

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A Trail of Letters

Written for @raysoftwilight as part of the Loftwing Letters Fandom event by @zelinkcommunity :) I hope you like it!

Fic Summary:

Link realises he needs someone to vent out his feelings too. And no one will really understand apart from Zelda, but she's... rather occupied at the moment with the Calamity.

So he writes to her.

Better formatting on AO3!

Dear Zelda,

Today I figured out weapons break. Why I’m telling you this, I’m not sure. I guess maybe because everyone has gone to bed at the tavern and I’m still awake. But it’s not like you can tell a random stranger this fact anyway.

Maybe it’s more to do with the fact that I remembered something, when my bokoblin bat broke. It was a flash. A metal coloured stick. It was… rusted, hurt, chipped away. Much like my memory actually.

You’re the only name from the past I know of. And you’re the one that called for me. Whose voice woke me up. You’re like my companion, strangely, even if I can’t see you.

So I guess this is me saying I’ll be writing to you some more.

Hopefully, I'll be able to match up the patchworks in my memory. I’ll be able to help you soon, Princess. Just… gotta get myself together a little first.

Dear Zelda,

The sky went red today. The air felt charred, thick with poison. It hurt to breathe.

Is this what you’ve been facing?

Is this your daily reality? Is this what you see, hear, feel in that castle?

I saw the same colours surround you when I activated the tower.

I saw it. I saw it all surround you. Your light pierced through but –

It was horrible. It hurt me so much and it was only for a minute. I can’t imagine 100 years of such… such vileness. I’ll be there soon. I’ll be there soon I promise.

Dear Zelda,

Purah is now in the body of a 6 year old! I thought I was going to see a grandma like Impa. Instead, she was… a child. I guess I don’t remember her from the past anyway, but I thought this fact might startle you. She’s helping me with the slate. I thought… I thought it was best I fix it first, so that I can capture the memories you left for me whilst I sort out the Divine Beasts.

The last thing I want is to fail again. And this way, I hope to learn of… whatever mistakes Past Link made.

Dear Zelda,

Today I found the Zora. I actually was on my way here anyway, but it turns out Prince Sidon also needed help, so two birds with one stone right?

The rest of the Zora… are strange. They seem to hold something against me. I’m not sure why they hate me. Everyone makes these… sarcastic comments. Do the Zora not believe in memory loss? But why? Maybe it’s more that they don’t believe me. Was what I’d done so horrible that they can’t trust me at all?

Sometimes I wish you were here with me. I wish I could talk to you more. But I know that’s being selfish. Especially if you’ve got to face… that thing.

Don’t think I’ve forgotten!! I won’t forget again I promise.

I’ll get to talking with the King tomorrow. Maybe that’ll help clarify what all the fuss is about.

Dear Zelda,

Goddesses I was very callous in my last letter. I… oh. This is going to sound horrible but I didn’t remember Mipha at all. And… she was going to propose? PROPOSE??? And I FORGOT? Who forgets their fiancée??? That’s just as bad as forgetting you in the castle. I –

I guess. I. Oh. I know I’m supposed to have thought through before writing this but I mean, I’m just going to – I thought – I mean – was it so outlandish to think –

Nevermind.

I’m not entirely sure how to process this. I guess… I’ll go to Ruta tomorrow and see… see this out.

Dear Zelda,

I met Mipha’s spirit today. She glowed, just like the King. I defeated the… blight that had entrapped her for 100 years. She is happy now, and she is free. At long last.

I… still don’t really know how to process it all, but I did find her diary and that helped explain some of it, and Bazz filled in some of the remaining detail.

It is strange, this mix of not knowing what I felt, really, in the face of it all. She never gave me the armour, and from her diary it seems we were best friends who… grew apart. The sword changed things I suppose but how? Why? Did it… affect things with other people in my life?

Will all the champions fade away like Mipha?

Will you, Zelda?

I’m not sure what I would do if you disappeared too. I… No. I refuse.

Dear Zelda,

It’s been three blood moons since I last wrote to you. 3 months have whistled past so fast. I have met Revali (a slight prick in my humble opinion) and Daruk’s spirits now. I’ve set them free.

Revali is an interesting figure. He… just wanted to prove himself, and I… I must have stood against his entire purpose of working towards something yourself. The sword chose me at 12. What had 12-year-old me even accomplished for it to do so?

And that led me to realising that actually, my life before the age of 12, is a huge unknown. Did I have parents? A sibling? How did they die? Did I have other friends like Daruk? I must have had some friends in the Army right?

I know the memories you left me are significant. I understand now that you also disliked the sword. And it’s easy to see why. I hope things changed between us. And… maybe when I meet you, we’ll be able to track down if I had any family…

I’m almost there, Zelda. Please hold on a little longer for me.

Dear Zelda,

I’m leaving the desert now with a… much clearer mind. I feel like I have a better grip on my memories. On what happened between us. I’m going to now track down the last few memories I have yet to find, Pikango has promised to help. And then… One final trip to the Deku Tree to reclaim the Master Sword… if it’ll have me that is.

I’m sorry for making you wait one more month. Just… the final push now.

Dear Zelda,

The Master Sword has not stopped glowing blue since I’ve entered the Castle. I’m sorry in advance for reading your diary. I’m hiding here for the night because I can barricade the door. I… recovered the last memory on your balcony. I’ve got them all in order now, the memories, and I can finally watch them all as a… film of my life. Our lives.

The sword helped too. It filled in a lot of gaps, gaps I never would have guessed otherwise.

I loved you then, Zelda. I chose you over the world. Over everything and everyone. And… and I think, I think you felt the same.

Somehow, I… I knew. I knew from the moment I heard your voice. From the moment you woke me up.

Goddesses, I’m so… excited isn’t the right word. Relieved? On edge? Thrilled? To see you again. To hear your voice. To finally finish the fight that our lives have stopped for.

I want to hold your hand. I want to hug you. I want… I want to rediscover Hyrule with you. I want to show you the shrines. I want to show you how much the Silent Princess has thrived.

I want, most of all, to see you smile. Free, unburdened, relieved of your duty.

I’m here, Zelda.

I’m here at last.

Love,

Link

#zelink #legend of zelda #botw #breath of the wild #zelda #link #zelink fanfiction #botw zelink #silent writes #zelink fanfic

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arecaceae175 · 11 months

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👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾

👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾

👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾

🚀

I'll write one sentence of a fic for every emoji in my inbox (until tomorrow 9AM EST)

I added 3 sentences, 28 words to the gift raffle fic

AND 61 sentences, 509 words to Authenticity, which I forgot to put on the list! So here's a short pride-themed chapter for Authenticity! I'm also counting this as today's pride month drabble.

Summary: Wild and Warriors spar. Warriors learns something new about Wild.

My gender and sexuality experience is directly related to my autism, and now so is Wild’s!!! :D. 509 words, fluff and dialogue

Wild lowered his sword carefully. His muscles felt warm and he was breathing hard from the exercise. It felt good.

“Nicely done. You catch on quick,” Warriors said.

Warriors was teaching Wild some sword drills at Wild’s request. Wild had gotten a vague memory of sword drills recently; he didn’t remember much detail, but he knew the repetitiveness of the exercise was calming.

“Might be muscle memory,” Wild said with a shrug. “Plus, they’re patterns, which I’m good at.”

Warriors smiled. “That you are.”

Wild was about to sheath his sword when Warriors spoke again.

“How about a spar?” Warriors asked. Wild looked up in surprise.

“Spar?” Wild asked.

“Yeah, you know. Old-fashioned practice fight, man to man. We won’t actually hurt each other, but it’s good practice,” Warriors said.

“Can it be man to person?” Wild asked.

Warriors’ head cocked to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not a man, so can the fight be man to person? Or is that against the rules,” Wild said.

“You’re not… Wild, are you coming out to me?” Warriors asked. He lowered his sword and stepped closer to Wild.

“Oh,” Wild said. He felt heat bloom across his cheeks and he knew his ears were going bright pink. He was so comfortable in his identity, and everyone in his Hyrule already knew. It must have slipped his mind to tell the others.

“I guess I forgot to mention that,” Wild said. He shook his free hand to get out the awkward feelings and began swaying side to side.

“Have we been using the wrong pronouns? I’m sorry I ever offended you in any way,” Warriors said.

“No, no, you’re fine. I still use he/him. I don’t feel any sort of connection to gender, and changing pronouns sounds too hard and scary, so I just use he/him,” Wild explained.

“Are you sure? If you’re worried it would be too hard for us, don’t. It should be about whatever you’re most comfortable with,” Warriors said.

Wild smiled and shook his head. “Trust me, I’ve thought about it a lot. Flora tried some others for me, and the change felt wrong. I use he/him, but I’m still not a man. Does that make sense?”

“Perfect sense,” Warriors said immediately. Wild felt his smile grow and a warm, happy feeling replace the tightness in his chest from the stress of having to explain his inner feelings.

“I’m actually trans, too,” Warriors said.

Wild perked up. “Really?”

Warriors chuckled and nodded. “Sure am. Trans man,” Warriors said.

“Cool!” Wild said. Warriors chuckled again.

“Now, how about that spar? Man to person,” Warriors said.

“You’re going to regret this,” Wild said. He was only joking, which Warriors caught on to. Warriors bent his knees and got into an attacking position.

“I don’t think so. You’re going down,” Warriors taunted jokingly.

Wild brought his sword back up and easily fell into a stance his body remembered more than his mind did. He took a deep breath to center himself, then lunged forward into battle.

#ace writes #authenticity #pride month drabbles #happy pride 🌈#linked universe #lu wild #lu warriors

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cynderrfall · 8 months

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Hello Cynder!

Congrats, you've been visited by your LU Self Care Anon!

I hope you had a great day, and if not, don't worry, you did your best, and tomorrow's full of new possibilities!

Have you drank enough water? It can really help your body and mind feeling well! Also, remember to get enough sleep, did you know underground rooms are often the freshest in the house? I can assure you there's at least a 2F difference between my basement and my ground floor. It really makes a difference in hot days!

What have you been working on lately? Would you like to show me a wip, or describe it? I'm sure it'll turn out amazing, even if you now think it's nowhere near good!

You can do this! Believe in yourself, you're awesome!

awww thank you!!! This is very sweet :))

Don’t have any real wips besides incomprehensible pencil scribbles but heres stuff I’ve been wanting to draw:

-legend and warriors (been stuck on them for a while bc I cannot draw them for the life of me + have no ideas on what to have them doing)

-otgw stuff for autumn

-gotta prep for Oct 3 w Fma ofc ofc

-smth for Totk bc i just finished the game

-ofc zelda in general

don’t hold me to it lol I tend to never draw what I say I will bc inspiration strikes or whatever (artblock hits and I’m incapacitated and unheard from for a month)

#asks #I’m always like guys pls send me asks so we can interact #and then I never fucking check my inbox #so sorry for late responses gonna try to stay on top of it 💪#not my art

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misterewrites · 1 year

Text

Year Two and a Halfish (Threads of Fate)

Hi! E here still alive. Been. a while. Sorry if you were expecting updates sooner my laptop was having some serious black screen issues and every attempt at sending it to get repaired is getting stonewalled and honestly it's infuriating and yeah. That happened. Hopefully this time it gets properly fixed and i can go back to writing consistently. I'm just using my mom's laptop to write in the meantime.

So it's super late but Merry Christmas @hains-mae! WOO! this is her gift that she requested at the time (I was pretty surprised when she wanted me to write this story but then i was promptly told she wanted her Solider Poet King for her birthday so that explained everything haha.

I started working on this a few days ago and unfortunately something happened here in America relates in a small part to the story. Honestly maybe I'm overreacting or overthinking it but I also know a lot of people read this story and i rather be overly prepped than accidentally not doing enough

Mae wanted a situation where Jason loses it after you, the reader, is injured. She gave me little requests like Robin's line and has to end in all warm feel goodness (cuz i am not legally allowed to write angst haha) so I have chosen that the reader is shot in the shoulder.

Yeah my little thing makes sense now.

It gets a bit intense, maybe? I can never tell cuz I'm writing it. Like i said I could be overthinking this but heads up. It also does end very sweet and homely and all that goodness so no worries. If you don't feel like reading it I understand.

Stay safe everyone. Lose yourself in a story whether it be mine or someone else's and just relax. breath. It'll be okay. Even if it seems like a lot right now.

So yeah hopefully I'll have my laptop fixed and we're all good but at least for now i have an alternate means of writing! Next is probably Mirror's Edge, Mae's birthday gift, Mirror's edge, another gift i owe but that's a personal one that won't be posted.

Be safe, take care of yourself and your loved ones. Wear masks (i know i know but remember you can pass them on to people with compromised immune systems.) remember to get the vaccine or booster cuz it'll help make it bearable. It's okay to just exist and be and let the world pass you by. One step at a time together. Also vaccine worldwide push for it cuz it's important and frankly whatever you feel is important. The issues that matter to you and remember. It'll be okay.

That's it for me! E is out have a great week and i'll see you really soon!

If you want to read this from the start you can find the whole story on this really awesome site right here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/29955270/chapters/73737858

For the rest of my work that includes some awesome original work (so i am told haha) Arcane Legend of Zelda and Soul Eater you can find that over here https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrE42/pseuds/MrE42

Summary: A few months later, you are trying to get to work when a very unfortune thing happens. For better or worse Red Hood is saving the day.

-----

It’s pretty cold right now. I…I don’t recall ever feeling this cold before.

Wait. That’s not…true. I think. I’m pretty sure I’ve been this cold before.

Have I?

Whenever Mister Freeze has a snow day it gets really cold.

I feel for him, I do but...

God it’s cold. Or is it warm? My head is warm. Hands not so much. Feet freezing too.

Am I cold? I can’t tell. Everything is a lot right now. The floor is damp I know that much. I can see my breath frozen midair for a moment.

Someone is yelling, waving something towards me from overhead but I can’t focus. Everything’s a bit blurry.

Why does my side hurt? Fuck did I pull something again? I really hope not. I have work tomorrow. Eww wet too. Did I spill something?

Wait, no. Today. I have work today. Right now I think. What time is it?

Shit why do I feel weak? Arm’s shaking too. I didn’t forget to eat again did I? Ugh Jason’s going to kill me.

Hee, Jason. He’s soooo handsome. I have no idea why he wants out hang with me though. He is way out of my league. Like he’s fucking Batman’s son! HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO IMPRESS THE ACTUAL SON OF BATMAN!?

Mister Wayne? Bruce? Bruce. No not Bruce. I’ve never met him, I don’t think I can be on a first name basis with freaking Batman if I’ve never met him. Well him him. I’ve been saved by the bats before. Few times actually.

I should really thank him for Jason. He’s just amazing.

Okay so maybe I drank a lot. Why am I thinking of Jason?

Ugh, this asshat is yelling at me still. What the hell does he want? He’s talking to me right? Ugh my head’s pounding, I can’t hear anything.

The guy seems frantic, keeps looking back expecting something but I have no idea what. He just keeps gesturing to his open hand. What the fuck does he…

FUCK! That’s right this asshole shot me!

I wince as the sound turns back on all at once: The angry honking of impatient drivers, the numbing chatter of a thousand people living in a concrete jungle as one. The adrenaline is making my senses so sharp I can hear the dripping water splatting against the cold floor of the alley.

I must’ve gone into shock without realizing it. I mean I was just shot so can you blame me?

My shoulder is burning with a white hot pain I only felt twice in my life: Once when Bane slammed a mailbox into me and when I was 12 and I was really trying to…

You know what? Not important. More pressing matters right now.

I remember now that my flight or fight kicked in: I was late to work and I tried cutting through an alley for a shortcut.

Terrible idea in Gotham I know but this one was brightly lit. I didn’t think anyone was stupid enough to try anything.

So naturally the universe decides to give me the one stupidest person who would try.

He waves his gun at me again (it was a gun. Duh.) but honestly I’m too wired to care. Plus he shot a hole in my favorite jacket! AND IT’S GOT BLOOD RUNNING DOWN IT! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO GET BLOOD OUT OF CLOTHING?! Really fucking hard.

Oh. Shit. I’m bleeding out. That’s probably important too.

I try to pick myself off the floor but he takes a step forward, threatening me with the gun again.

“I’ll shoot!” he yells.

Even now, with the last possible moments of my life slipping away, I can’t help but be a smartass.

“You already did you asshat! Shooting me again isn’t gonna make me want to give you my money anymore than the first time!”

Gonna die as I lived: Sassy.

He clicks the hammer on the gun, prepping it to fire again.

I…I feel numb. The adrenaline lessens the pain but it’s still mind dumbing. I just want to scream and fight and yell and go down swinging.

But that’s not who I am. I’m not some superhero or even a regular hero. I’m just a person trying to make my way through this chaotic journey called life. I couldn’t even get up and now because some idiot wants the 10 bucks and a very, very old video rental card to a place that doesn’t exist anymore in my wallet, it was about to end.

I could feel fear bite at my resolve, a dreadful overwhelming sense of finality wash over me. Goosebumps crawled down my skin, the air felt stuffy and too cold all at once as time slowed to a crawl.

I….

I can’t even think.

I’m just scared. I don’t want to go out this way.

I took a deep breath and close my eyes.

I think of my mom, waiting for my phone call later.

I think about Jason Jr, a cat I adopted by accident cuz he had streak of white that was way too familiar. Feed them once and every Jason refuses to leave you.

I do my best to not think of him but Jason Jr leads to Jason the human: His piercing blue eyes that feel like he’s seeing deep into my soul. His messy black hair with that one streak of white that made him so iconic, so distinct from his brothers. The various knicks, tiny bruises, cuts and scars from years being Robin then the Red Hood. Invisible from afar but so, so clear up close.

I can hear his laugh, mostly teasing but with a hint of warmth when I do something dumb. The way shows off his prowess with a knife and how proud he beams when I clap excitedly. Wide smirks when we get into one of our playful chats and jabs. The small smile that graces his lips when he thinks I’m not looking. The quiet thoughtful look when something troubles him. A distance gaze only someone who has experienced for too much has.

I see Jason in my mind but I don’t want that. I want to look him in eye when he tries to be all broody and cool. I want to mess with his hair and tease him about his terrible tastes in books. I want to see him again!

Not like this. No fucking way. I have no idea how I’m going to go but I refuse to let it be like this.

I snap out of my stupor, time seemingly unmoved by whatever deeply reflective crap I just did.

He still has his hand on the gun. I’m still on the floor and this still sucks.

I prep my body, tensing and wincing from my aching shoulder but I try not to be distracted. One shot and whether it works or not, I’m not going to go quietly.

“JUST GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!” the man screams hysterically.

“Fuck you.” I spit out as I’m ready to make my move.

The red string tied around my finger slackens, distracting me at a really bad time but suddenly goes taut like someone is pulling at it.

A thud is all I hear and suddenly the guy is gone. Just vanished into thin air.

I weakly try to stand but my legs turn to jelly and honestly I’m not in fight or flight anymore. I’m in “the floor is nice and solid and I’m just gonna lay here” mode.

So I do just that and fall back on the floor and decide to exist for like the next ten minutes.

I mean I would’ve if something didn’t pick me up.

“Are you okay?” A voice asks, young. Younger than me at least.

“Umm.” I smartly reply.

The young man hums thoughtfully “You’ve been shot.”

“Yeah. That thing.”

“Shock.” He concludes before slipping my good arm over his neck and helps me over to a wall. I take this sec to look and am unsurprised to find Red Robin at my side.

“JA.…” Someone else from above calls out, nearly saying a full name before realizing his mistakes “HOOD!”

Hood? Jason. Jason is the Hood. Jason is here. God I’m tired.

He doesn’t respond if he is here.

A figure elegantly sails through the air, tucking into an impossible swan dive only a skilled master of acrobatics whose trained his entire life could manage so effortlessly.

Plus that’s Nightwing’s ass. It doesn’t matter where you land on orientation, everyone in Gotham and Bludhaven knows that ass.

“HOOD!” Nightwing shouts, less cheery goofyball as per his usual self and more firm. More worried.

Red Robin looks now and his practiced, measured posture drops. He doesn’t even bother to hide his brother’s name.

“Jason. Jason stop! JASON!”

Nightwing has already broken into a full sprint towards where I assume Jason is but Red Robin take a second to make sure I’m comfortable. He places me against the wall and hands me a thick cloth to press over my shoulder. A second later and he’s off. My eyes follow and land on Jason.

Except he’s not Jason right now. He’s Red hood and the difference is….staggering to be honest.

I…forget who he is, the brand of justice he deals out with harsh sentences. Somehow, despite how we first met, I managed to split Jay and Hood into two different entities. Two different people who never happened to be in the same room at the same time.

But now, seeing Jason rain blow and blow upon my attacker, I see it.

Jason favors his right side. He’s amberidext-something but that’s from years of training. He says it feels more natural to him, easier for him to focus on other things.

Red likes using the right too. He’s just a fraction faster using his favored side and it’s clear even with his build that he is quick and there’s power in each punch.

Jason is light on his feet but has a solid stance. He loves to boast how it takes all his siblings to hold back him even if he’s not really trying to break free.

Nightwing can’t stop him neither can Red Robin. They’ve all had the same training from the same teacher but they’re not the same. They all have their strengths: Nightwing was blessed with an inhuman grace (and ass). RR is as smart as Batman and just as capable as a detective.

But Jason? Just a force of nature. Pure muscle and strength only equaled by his mentor and with a will to match.

They could barely slow the battle crazed Hood. It took all they had to pull him back but I could see by the sweat on their brows that it was only a matter of time before he broke free from their grasp. He was like a shark that smelled blood in the water and he wasn’t going to stop until he felt the price of injustice had been paid.

Another figure descended from the roof, smaller in stature and wearing an all too iconic yellow and black outfit: Robin. Well the newest Robin since everyone here minus me was Robin at some point.

You know when you’re drained of adrenaline you get reeeeeeally out of it.

Robin cautiously approached the trashing Red Hood, well aware of how dangerous his brother could be.

“Todd.” Robin spoke firmly “This is wrong. You know this is wrong.”

“Yeah Jay!” Nightwing pitched in quickly “And that’s coming from the kid. Imagine how you’re acting if he’s saying that.”

Robin openly glared “Watch your tongue Grayson.”

“Guys, could we deal with the rampaging Jason before we start snipping at each other?” Red Robin pleaded with immense strain.

Nightwing tightened his grip “Jay please. They’re watching.”

Jason’s shoulders slump as realization dawned on him. I could physically note when the exact moment the fight left him.

And me as I promptly passed out.

-----

I wish I could tell you after such a harrowing ordeal that I reflected with a deep and newly acquired profound understanding of my existence, the importance of living each day to the fullest and my place in the universe for really I am the instrument in which the universe….

Yeah no. I woke up on a cloud and instantly hated existing cuz pain is not fun.

I’m not exaggerating by the way. I found myself on the most comfortable bed I have ever been. It was like it was molded for me, shaping around my body in a way that didn’t aggravate my aches. I mean it didn’t stop them but I’ll take anything I could get.

“I see you are awake.”

I couldn’t even flail so I settled for screaming at the top of my lungs.

The most British older gentleman I have ever seen regarded me with a stony face of indifference though I swore I saw a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

“I must admit I have never illicit that particular response before.” He said dryly complete with stiff upper lip “But I can see why it is Master Bruce’s favorite.”

I could feel my cheeks burn “Ah yes. Sorry I….sorry. Umm good morning mister…?”

The man gave a bow “Pennyworth. Normally I would ask you to refer to me as such but seeing as young Master Jason has spoken about you at great length and detail it seems only fair we are on a more familiar basis. Alfred is my name.”

I chuckled nervously as realization dawns on me “Yes. Please forgive me…Alfred? Sir? I…Long night.”

“I should say so what with that bullet lodged in your shoulder.”

I could feel my shoulder ache dully at the reminder.

“Ugh I gotta get to a hospital huh? Don’t want to get lead poisoning. Umm Alfred, sir, do you know if Gotham Blue covers gunshot wounds? My brain is still a bit scrambled.” I speak honestly.

Even his laugh is dry “Do not worry. I have taken the liberty of removing the round as you were sleeping. It made the process simpler and more efficient. A refreshing change of pace I will admit. My usual patients like to insist very serious gunshot wounds fall under the category of merely a ‘scratch’.”

I opened my mouth to reply but someone else answered for me “We’re bats Alfred. Comes with the territory that we get shot at.”

Jason sauntered into the room lazily but I knew he’d been worried: His hair was extra messy and matted, his shoulders slumped as his posture hunched over. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, probably fiddling with whatever he had inside. His gaze was intensely focused on Alfred but I could see him struggling not to look at me.

Alfred’s gave a slight smile “Ah yes. Forgive me Master Todd but I do recall there is quite the difference between being shot at and being shot in general. One many of you seem to have difficulty grasping.”

Jason shrugged, unsure what to say.

“Beg your pardon” Alfred turned to me “I must prepare breakfast. I shall be back shortly with some French toast and fresh bandages for your wound.”

With a polite bow Alfred briskly left the room and sent a scurrying of hurried feet racing from the door.

Silence, not awkward but still tense. The lingering sense of shame filled the air.

Jason wouldn’t look at me.

“Your siblings will be back soon.” I nudged him helpfully “If you want a private conversation I’d say we got like 5 minutes.”

“Twenty.” Jason mumbled uneasily “They really like to scatter to make sure no one is suspicious but Alfred and Bruce know us too well to fall for it. Alfred will suddenly find tiny and convenient issues around the house to prevent them from circling back and Bruce will track one or two down to have a quick chat.”

“Neat.” I said honestly.

Silence fell over us again but I knew it was because Jason was gathering his thoughts into words. When things really mattered he always took his time.

“I’m sorry.” He said, still refusing to meet my gaze.

I scoffed loudly “I wasn’t aware you shot me.”

“This isn’t the time for being a smartass!”

“It isn’t the time for being a dumbass either but here you are.”

“I know you saw me.”

I sighed deeply “Of course I saw you. What, do you think I never wanna see you again?”

Jason remained quiet.

“Look.” I tried to sit up “I’m not gonna pretend like I know what your life’s been like and what you did last night was…a lot.”

“Don’t move, you’ll make it worse.” He said but I ignored him.

“Make me Jay.”

Jason whirled around so quick I nearly didn’t see him gently push me onto back.

“Oww.” I wheezed but Jason held a firm yet careful hold on me “Cheater.”

“How? How did I cheat?” Jason gave a cutely offended look.

I snort “Alphabetically or chronologically?”

Jason glared “If you say Batman trained me one more time…”

“Am I lying?” I smirked “The most training I got was little league and I sucked at it.”

“You hit a homerun once” He offered helpfully.

I rolled my eyes playfully “I hit home, not a homerun. Big diff Jay.”

“True. Only you could hit the homebase and send it flying 5 feet.”

“Hey! It was 20 feet. Minimum.”

“Mhm sure. My bad.” Jason finally grinned “I suppose you also managed to get 5 points for doing that too.”

“Don’t forget the scholarship too! You always forget the scholarship.”

“Do not!”

“Do too!”

“No!”

“Duh!”

We stared at each other deeply for a moment before breaking out into laughter.

Well Jason did. I took one breath and suddenly I was violently coughing.

“Oww oww oww.”

“Idiot.” He mumbled as he tucked me into the sheets.

I gave a cheesy grin “Worth it.”

Jason raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“Okay no, not really” I admitted “That hurt way more than I was expecting.”

“Rest.” Jason threatened me with arms crossed.

I was too tired to care the words “Only if you’re here to keep an eye on me.” Tumbled out of my mouth before I thought better.

Jason shifted guiltily “Look I…”

In for a pound. I gently placed on my hand over his “We’ll talk about it later. For now it’s over and honestly I really don’t wanna think about it this second. I am just….really happy to see you Jay.”

He took my hand in his.

“You really need to stop taking shortcuts.” He scolded lightly.

“Hey!” I raised my free hand defensively “There were lights! What kind of idiot tries to rob someone in a well lit alley?!”

“The one that shot you yesterday.”

“No shit Jay.” I glared openly at him but all he did was smirk in response.

As beautiful as this moment was, I had to ruin it. A thought began to bother me and Jason noticed.

Jason motioned with his head “Don’t think too hard. Your body can’t handle the strain right now.”

“Oh shut it. You said Bruce was gonna intercept your siblings, right?”

“Umm yeah.” Jason was unsure where I was going with this “He pretends to be emotionally constipated but he’s very good at bed side manner and respectful with privacy.”

I nodded in agreement “Have you ever brought anyone to here?”

Jason’s face fell “Oh no.”

“Emotionally constipated? You’re being unusually kind today Jason.”

The doors flung open and in strode the one, the only, the myth, the legend and Jay’s father: Bruceman.

Shit I mean Batwayne. Brucebat.

Bruce motherfreaking Wayne gave me a million dollar smile “Hello I’m Bruce Wayne. It is so nice to meet you. Jason never brings any of his friends over.”

I could feel myself pale as I stared dumbfounded at his outstretched hand.

Then I promptly passed out.

#My work #Red Hood X reader #DC #Batfam #Red Hood #Reader #X-mas gift

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butterflypistolking · 10 months

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my red flag is that i give fictional dads too much leeway like when i see king rhoam i dont see the pos everyone else is seeing like i'm seeing a dude who's stressed as fuck and not managing it well in how he treats his daughter. i see this mostly bc of his diary that talks about it and how the last entry literally before the calamity happens is him talking about how he plans on apologizing to zelda for everything tomorrow ( literally the day of the calamity) and trying to repair things, and also how he acts when he's disguised on the great plateau, and most importantly how he acts in aoc. i know aoc is a separate canon but whatever. i just can't get behind the fandom depiction of king rhoam as this absolute monster. like he was bad yeah, i don't think zelda would be able to forgive him instantly, but i don't agree with all those posts like "sonia and rauru are zelda's new parents because king rhoam sucks so much ass and they need to protect her from him" like something tells me yall didn't a read his diary or b play aoc. he 100% gave up his life in aoc, the Only thing that protected him from fucking dying just so zelda and link could escape was the shield he took from her.

tldr rhoam is a bad dad but i dont believe he's a monster

#smoke.txt #botw #totk #king rhoam #king rhoam bosphoramus hyrule #also thats a long ass fucking name my guy #can you imagine having bosphoramus as your middle name. insane

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prismaticflare · 1 year

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Descendants characters playing Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom because I feel like combining my hyperfixations rn.

(No spoilers (as far as I know))

Mal - The moment Mal found out about the bomb barrels and that you can connect them, Mal had figured out her life's goal. Enemy? Blow it up. Roadblock? Blow it up. Innocent bystander who asked her to do a quest she knows damn well he can do on his own? BLOW. IT. UP.

Jay - Jay manages to 100% the game within the first week of playing (which, mathematically, shouldn't even be possible. At least that's what Evie said, and Carlos said after doing the math to prove Evie's statement,) and from there blows everything up like Mal.

Evie - Plans on just trying to beat the story as normal but instead just explores and looks at all of the pretty sights. Also enjoys seeing all the different outfit combos and trying out the different dyes. Makes some of Link's outfits in real life for a very annoyed Mal and Jay and a slightly too excited Carlos.

Carlos - Carlos spends the first few weeks of the game being released teaching himself how to mod the game. He doesn't even know what it's like, as he avoided all spoilers, but he wants to fix any problems that might be there "just in case." After finally finishing that, he decides to beat the game using the most complicated Zonai contraptions. Never even damages the final boss, just makes a contraption to do it for him.

Uma - Uma isn't a huge fan of video games, but after hearing Mal brag about how fun it was going to be and how she was going to "wreak havoc on Hyrule like there is no tomorrow," Uma gets it entirely to spite her. Uma stays up all night for weeks on end, just to beat the game before Mal does. Finally, when Uma manages to beat it, she walks up to Mal, laughs at how slow she was, and spoils the whole plot. Mal's rightfully pissed, and Uma never picks up the game again. She wasn't a big fan, but was a big fan of ruining Mal's day.

Gil - Gil just wanders the world, doing whatever appears first. Even though everything is telling him to actually start the plot, Gil is just interested on how many varieties of bugs there are and what the best food in the game is. Ends up giving up on the game when he finally starts playing the plot and decides it is way too hard.

Harry - Harry brags about how easy the game is going to be. "It's a Zelda game, it's for fucking babies! I've literally fought in real life! It's gonna be so boring," and then dies within the first 10 minutes of playing the game, causing him to blow up his switch.

#descendants #disney descendants #carlos de vil #jay descendants #mal descendants #evie descendants #legend of zelda #totk

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kyndaris · 3 months

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Heal the World

Despite being nominated for several categories at the 2023 The Game Awards, Spider-Man 2 did not manage to win any of the prestigious trophies. A fact that has been both lambasted and poked fun of on the internet. But when you consider the sheer quantity, as well as the quality, of games that came out, the fact Spider-Man 2 was even nominated is proof of its greatness. Especially when it was going up against heavy-weights Baldur's Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, Final Fantasy XVI, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros: Wonder.

2023, it should be noted, was a game of big releases.

Following on from several strategy role-playing games I was stuck playing, it was only in the latter half of the year I was able to play catch-up on many of the triple-A titles. Even now, though, I have yet to tackle Final Fantasy XVI, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2.

To be fair, I've bought all the titles. They are, unfortunately, just sitting around waiting for me to devote the necessary time to make the adventure worthwhile.

Once I do, of course, be sure to see posts pop up throughout the year. Even as I try to balance work, my writing hobbies, the books I read, shows I watch (at time of writing, I've gotten into Blue Eye Samurai), and whatever travel I also have planned. In fact, I should hopefully be publishing the sequel to Wild Child soon. After pounding out the chapters during a period where everything has gone back to normal, taking the time out to write a full-length novel is very time-consuming. Not to mention the editing I'm doing (which would probably be better if I had an actual editor and at least one beta reader) to polish up a few things.

In any case, the story of my journey with Spider-Man 2 began not when I popped the disc into my PlayStation 5. Nay, the story begins with the day I purchased the game at a store in the heart of Sydney CBD. I was catching up with a high school friend and had just seen a Facebook post about an exhibit in Barangaroo. After dinner, off we trotted - after much convincing on my part that a walk down to Barangaroo would be for the best - to take in the flipped truck suspended by spider webs and New York policemen milling about telling everyone within earshot that, "There was nothing to see here." The trip, capped off with a photo of the truck, was made memorable when I muttered under my breath how the hired actors were pretending to be NPCs. Only, of course, to be remonstrated by my friend for saying such a thing.

And honestly, it it is true that I shouldn't be calling the people I see only in passing as NPCs. After all, in their own mind, they're the main character and I'm the NPC lurking in the background of their story. Which only serves to drive home the disconnection we have with the people around us or who might share the daily commute with us.

Still, what a thing to say to dismiss another person.

I'm reminded of a scene in the book Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, which my workplace bookclub read, where Sam called his best friend, Max, an NPC right to his face. I know Max didn't take it to heart but what a cruel and heartless thing to say to someone who has supported you throughout your game developing journey and is then ruthlessly gunned down on the pretense he was you by angry gamers.

Anyways, back to Spider-Man 2. The game follows on from Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Ten months on from the last game, we see Peter Parker and Miles Morales working together to keep New York safe. And though the Avengers seem to exist in the world - what with Avenger Tower jutting up above the New York skyline - we never see these other superheroes once during the struggles Peter and Miles face. Nor do we see cameos from the likes of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist or Luke Cage.

Which is such a shame.

But it also highlights the problem of having so many comic-book superheroes call New York home.

Spider-Man 2 starts with Peter taking on a job as a physics teacher at Brooklyn Visions, the school Miles attends. As he's teaching them about surface tension, Sandman attacks. Torn between his responsibilities as civilian Peter and that of Spider-Man, Peter joins up with Miles to take down Flint Marko in an epic showdown that saves the city. Unfortunately, due to dereliction of duty as a teacher, Peter is fired. A side-effect of being a superhero who keeps his identity hidden (although given how often his friends have since said his name during the game, I'm surprised it's still a secret).

From there, the game introduces us to Kraven, a man who seeks his death in glorious combat with a mighty opponent. As such, he captures Mister Negative and Scorpion while the two were being transported from the Raft. He even administers a high dose of Lizard serum into Dr Curt Connors to face up against a worthwhile opponent.

It is only when Peter acquires the symbiote that excitement enters Kraven's eyes. In the latter chapters, he fights against Peter and demands that our erstwhile hero stop holding back even showing off a battered Miles. Before Peter can kill him, Miles intervenes and Peter is then freed from the symbiote's control.

Of course, Spider-Man 2 is not content to have Kraven as the big bad for this game. Oh no.

As many know, once you've introduced the symbiote, you've also introduced Venom. But instead of Eddie Brock taking on the mantle of our favourite anti-hero, it is instead Harry Osborn.

Though Harry was only mentioned briefly in the first game, in Spider-Man 2, Harry returns from a long sabbatical in Europe and supposedly cured from his terminal illness. Harry is introduced early, hiring Peter to work at his environmental technology startup called the Emily-May foundation where the pair can pursue their childhood dream of "healing the world." Unfortunately, during the events of Spider-Man 2, with Peter taking on the symbiote, Harry's health - both physical and mental - deteriorates. Desperate to return to a semblance of normality, Harry reclaims the symbiote and is then transformed into the Venom we all know and love.

He is later stopped by the combined efforts of Miles, Peter and MJ. The final battle leaves Harry comatose and our heroes shattered once again by the sacrifices they had to make in order to save the city they call home.

What I liked most about Spider-Man 2, however, as a criminology major in university, was its focus on rehabilitation. Many of the supervillains that Spider-Man fans have come to know and love have been reformed in some way or another. Be that Tombstone to Mysterio. Many of these villains have chosen to turn over a new leaf and assimilate back into society. The most tragic and most human is the story of Sandman. Threatened by Kraven's hunters, fearing for his daughter and not being heard by those in power, he resorts to the only thing he knows in order to garner attention: attacking the city.

It is a tale as old as time.

And helps support the tenets of strain theory in crime sociology.

Of course, there are a myriad reasons why people turn to crime.

But these glimpses are so important to understand the complexities of why someone might resort to doing something illegal. And it's a far better exploration of redemption than what Spider-Man: No Way Home attempted. As I've stated before, change takes time. While No Way Home plucked our villains during their final showdown with the various Spider-Man across the multiverse, Spider-Man 2 shows the results of Mysterio and Sandman having served their time and seeking to mend their ways.

This all culminates in the interactions with Mister Negative and Miles Morales. And while Miles cannot bring himself to forgive what Mister Negative did, he is able to move past the anger.

The other message in Spider-Man 2, of course, is that some burdens cannot be taken on alone. The tagline for the game is: 'Be Greater. Together.' Something I wish more people would take to heart. When a community comes together, there is so much more that can be done. Unfortunately, the Western world prefers to champion individualistic effort over those of a collective.

Capitalism seems to forget that if you don't have your workers or people who can afford to purchase your goods, then what's the whole point? And if you're curious where this odd segue came from, I'm currently playing through Octopath Traveler 2 and Partitio's story is very much of a big-hearted merchant who looks out for his town. His dream, funnily enough, is to destroy the devil known as poverty. Something our modern world still has not been able to solve (but could. If there was any profit to it. But who are we kidding? There isn't.)

From a combat perspective, Spider-Man 2 changes things up a little by introducing a parry mechanism as well as a few other new abilities for the Spider-Men to enjoy. While this kept the game lively, it annoyed me that I needed a full Focus bar in order to heal. This was especially difficult in the latter boss battles against Scream and Venom. I'm not sure if the reason why I struggled through them was because I hadn't topped up my Focus bars prior to the mission or if it was simply me not gelling with Peter's abilities.

What I do know was that I hated how the attack you couldn't dodge, but had to parry, was highlighted in red and that the unblockable attack was blue. Especially when the game had trained you early on with managing a perfect dodge when the spider sense was red. It also didn't help that in the battles with Scream and Venom, these indicators didn't last for very long and I couldn't cancel an animation if I was already mid-dodge to parry an attack.

At least the checkpointing was generous!

As for other gameplay moments, I had to say the swinging was smooth as butter and the web wings added some great diversity to travel. Especially with the wind tunnels all around the city to help one get from Point A to Point B.

And because of these quality-of-life improvements, I didn't feel like the new map, which now included Queens and Brooklyn, was that much larger than the original Spider-Man game or as time-consuming to get through like a map in the open-world Assassin's Creed titles.

So, while Spider-Man 2 didn't win at The Game Awards, it certainly won my heart as the second last game I played in the year 2023. And I'm certainly excited to see what Insomniac cooks up next, despite the hack. The studio is great at nailing story, gameplay and world while serving up side-dishes of heart. Best of all, it didn't have me chasing after pigeons!

In a year teeming with big titles, Spider-Man 2 was everything I wanted in an open-world game without overstaying its welcome.

Thank you Insomniac and here's hoping Spider-Man 3 brings on the Green Goblin in all his glory! Oh, and Silk. I'm curious to how they'll insert that comic storyline into the game.

#video games #spider-man 2 #peter parker #miles morales #mary jane watson #harry osborne #venom #kraven #rehabilitation vs deterrence

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