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dariaslookalike · 2 months

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Building Houses and Burning Bridges Pt 6: Chocolate Eyes and Decking Bosses

Summary:

It seems, oddly enough, that Gregory House lives to annoy you. He takes 'arseholish boss' to the next level. Wake up in the morning, ready to have breakfast, and drive to the hospital where you both work? Nope, you're getting a text that says you're late to his impromptu 4:30 AM meeting where he's had the 'breakthrough of the century' on the team's latest case. Get your hair cut and walk into work, for once feeling confident? Nope, he's saying that he would have done a better job blinded, hands tied and going through Vicodin withdrawals. Finally, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, prove him wrong and attempt to wipe the cockiness off his face? Nope, you're simply slow because you didn't get to your diagnosis quicker and weak-willed because you didn't fight him for it in the beginning. Everything House does infuriates you, and it seems everything you do infuriates him. No wonder you end up pinned to the wall of your apartment and groping him like your life depends on. And knowing House, it very may well.

Warnings: Adult language, mature themes, eventual smut, female protagonist, no reference of y/n

Rating: 18+ MDNI

Current Status: Ongoing

Masterlist: Building Houses and Burning Bridges

Next Chapter: Pt 7

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You realise very quickly that even your anger can’t warm you outside, where snow is falling in a thickening flurry.

Fuck. Why didn’t you bring a jacket? Now your boobs were going to get frostbite.

You make no move to cover yourself, however. You let the cold air whip around you, the wind practically piercing through your body. Your skirt is getting picked up in the flurry and your hair is crashing against your face. You’re fucking furious, and you simply stand there, trying to slow your brain down enough to think.

You should be asking yourself what you’re doing. Are you calling a cab? With what money? Are you calling Pop, begging him to come pick you up? With what phone? Ever so forgetful, your one was left conveniently at home. Instead, you’re staring out at the snow covered car park and not really seeing it. Your eyes are glazed over and all you can see is House in your head. Laughing at you. Blanching when he realised that you wanted tonight to be a date.

Was it that horrible? It’s not like you said you were in love with the man, for fuck’s sake. You had just finally let slip the tight grasp you had on your feelings, and suddenly you were back to 17, staring at people’s arms and hands, and wondering what it would be like to be held. Regrettably, yes, you were wondering about House, but it was still a crushing blow to find out he found you so repulsive, that the little flicker of a school-girl crush in you was worrisome enough to be stomped out immediately.

Your mind isn’t slowing down like it should be, it’s speeding up tenfold. You see Chase telling you that it was Cuddy who actually wanted you here. Cuddy speaking to House, thanking him for being kind. House replying that he wasn’t altruistic. Did they all know? Did everyone know what Cuddy’s plans were, is that why Cameron was telling Chase to shut up and Foreman telling him to stay quiet? Oh god, did they all pity you that much? Were you that readable? Surely you weren’t. Surely, they couldn’t see how much it had hurt to be belittled over and over again by House. Surely, they didn’t believe you just needed to see the good side of House to have some faith in him. Surely, they didn’t think you were that pathetic that you needed your fucking boss to take you out. Surely, they didn’t-

You flinch when something heavy wraps around your shoulders and you whip around.

Wilson raises his hands in defense, and you let go of the breath you were holding, a small icy cloud billowing out between the two of you. You glance down to yourself, and see his suit jacket slung around you.

Even though he breathes in shallowly in the cold, Wilson does his best to not shiver. You roll your eyes and reach up to your shoulders. “Thanks, but I-”

“Keep it.” He pins you with a stare. His chocolatey eyes are still warm. “If you try to give it back to me, I’ll scream.”

You huff. “Fine. Fine. Be all chivalrous then- it’s not making all of that,” you gesture with your head back to the hospital, “any better.”

Wilson bounces on the balls of his feet. “Yep.”

“Yep?”

“House is an arsehole. He’s probably the biggest dickhead I’ve ever met. I’m agreeing with you."

You tuck Wilson’s suit jacket tighter around yourself when the wind returns. You feel bad, but Wilson makes no attempts to retrieve his clothing. “I thought you two were best friends.”

“We are. That’s why I’m here.”

You roll your eyes, feeling that it will become a habit when talking about House. “He basically just said that he would never consider taking me out in a million years. Cuddy was conspiring with him to make sure I didn’t quit and had to pay him, just so that he could bear being my date for the night. If you’re trying to convince me that he’s not as bad as he seems, I’m sorry to say that you’ll have no luck Dr.Wilson.”

Wilson nods along, and laughs, his eyes crinkling. “God no. What Cuddy did was horrible; what House did was downright nasty. I thought I’d come out here to tell you that I was hoping to see you deck him.”

You flounder like a fish for a second, but then force your mouth to close. “What?”

Wilson blows warm air onto his cupped hands. “House deserves it. He’s been deserving it for a while, but no one wants to take a swing. Me too, I suppose. I like having my hands not-broken for surgery but it's becoming more tempting recently. Ever since you got here he's become worse, somehow. I think he's afraid of you; afraid that you could change him or make him better. Make him want to be better.” You're listening with a clenched jaw and his eyes sidle to you. “I’m sorry, by the way. I’m not going to say that I can’t understand why Cuddy orchestrated that whole thing but… You’re young. Beautiful.”

You feel yourself flush, but ever the gentleman, Wilson’s eyes are only on yours, not dipping down lower. He continues talking, “Of course you would want someone to think that, and take you out on a date. I’m just sorry that House’s chronic ability to screw things up got in the way.”

You nod. “Thank you…I guess. It’s not just that but-” You blink away the sudden tears springing up, and will your voice not to break. “He seemed horrified that I would want to be on a date with him. Scandalised.” You turn away from Wilson, and look up to the sky. This way, you can watch the snow fall and use gravity to make sure your tears don’t run down your cheeks. Your voice is quieter. “I didn’t realise he hated me that much- I think you're wrong about him being afraid of me. He's repulsed.”

Wilson huffs from somewhere behind you. “Now I really want to deck him. Look,” he calls out your last name, and you turn back to him with a weak smile. “He’s not repulsed by you. Far from it.”

You chuckle, and feel the anger rise up in your chest as you let out a sarcastic drawl. “Yeah. He’s just so madly in love with me that he can’t stand to be around me if he’s not berating me.”

You turn back, but Wilson says nothing and just stares intently at you, as if trying to make you convinced of your own words. You roll your eyes. “Shut up.”

As if catching yourself, your eyes widen. Wilson was still a coworker, and a respected one at that. This was only one of your few conversations; you had chatted with him in passing in the cafeteria a few times, and with the team in cases. “Sorry, I-”

Wilson waves you off. “It’s fine. That was definitely a ‘shut up’ moment. Just make sure you can say the same thing to House.” He grins, giddy for a second. “Or deck him.”

Even though it’s quiet, you still manage to laugh. “I’d get fired. But it’d be worth it, for all of three seconds, I think. Just to see his face.”

Wilson does a mock impression, with wide blown eyes and gaping mouth. When you laugh with more confidence, his eyes soften. “We’re going to get hypothermia. Do you want to come back inside?”

You breathe in sharply, as if the cold had finally hit you. “I don’t think I’ll stay for long; it's a bit hard to make small talk after yelling at House in front of 50 doctors.”

Wilson’s smile is kind. “I’d think it would make it easier. You just did something that everyone in the building has fantasised about.”

You nod, but he seemed aware that wweren't eased by his words, and leads you through a different entrance. The two of you observe the event from afar, and you silently thank him. No one has spotted you, and you’re able to warm your fingers up and gain feeling back in them.

Wilson shakes his head softly. “Brown from Oncology is literally doing laps trying to find me. I think I’ll have to love you and leave you.” His head whips to yours and you feel a flush crowding over your cheeks and nose. "I mean not love! Not that I don't want to love you! Ugh, I didn’t mean like that, just leave you-”

You snort. “It’s fine, I know what you meant. " You clench your jaw, willing your blush to fade away and not become a blaze of fury. Being lovesick with handsome doctors had done you enough damage for the night. "Before you go, could I please borrow your phone? I need to make a call.”

Wilson runs a hand down his suddenly flushed face. “Oh I’m sorry, my phone’s in my office. But look, there’s a really bad painting in the hallway. I mean, it’s against policy, but I keep a key behind there.” Even though he’s still blushing, he pins you with an attempt at an intimidating stare. The effort's lost in the rich ,dark tones of his eyes. "Don’t tell anyone that. Suddenly I’ll have House sleeping in my office 24/7.”

You nod. “I won’t. I’m not really planning on being a social butterfly now.” You shoot him a small smile. “Thank you. Really.”

Wilson opens his mouth as if he’s going to say more, but he closes it, eyes dipping down to yours. Instead, he simply nods, and strides away, once more becoming part of the bustling party in the foyer. You retreat the way Wilson brought you, finding a staircase and climbing it. Your heels make it somewhat difficult, and you’re trying you best to gather your hefty skirt and not eat shit.

You huff, but eventually exit on the right floor. Then, after a series of twisting turns, you spy it.

The really bad painting.

You stand in front of it, and tilt your head. It’s a portrait of…something. Honestly, it looks like a clown to you. But then you tilt your head the other way and see a weird blob of colours, vaguely resembling a dog. You try to take it all in, the days of your highschool art class coming back to you. Fleeting words like composition and practice float through your head. When they eventually trail out, you sigh.

You reach up, still having to go on the tip of your toes in your heels. Your fingers trace the gilded frame, and you lift the edge from the wall, and peer under. It’s an awkward position, trying to make sure the frame is still attached to the wall and not crashing down on your head. But then you spy a silver key and grab it earnestly. You ease the frame back against the wall and gaze down at the small key in your palm.

You’re interrupted by a cough from behind you.

“Fucking hell!” You shout, and spin, prepared to give the creep a piece of your mind. “You do NOT need to sneak up on people like that, I nearly-” Your words are lost however, when you see the creep himself. You let out a guttural groan and squeeze your eyes shut, as if you can block out the figure of House. “I can’t do this.”

He sounds closer when he sneers. “Can’t or won’t?”

You open your eyes and pin him a glare, feeling the same fury from rush through you. It’s not the red hot daggers but rather the icy flurry of snow you found yourself in earlier. “Both.”

You try to steel yourself, and smooth your hands down the front of your dress. House’s eyes track your movement. The tip of the silver key pokes out for a split second and your eyes snaps to House’s.

There’s a moment of baited breath. Did he see it? Did he see you scrambling at the painting? But then he raises an eyebrow and confirms your suspicions. “Do you really think I didn’t know Wilson kept a key there? I know where he keeps his spare underwear at work.”

You roll you eyes, trying to rein yourself in. “Good for you, House. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” You make a move to step around him, but his hand shoots out like a snake and grips your arm. He still clutches his cane with his other hand.

“Not so fast,” he drawls out your last name and you clench your jaw.

“Let go of me.”

“So what? You can go run outside and hook up with Wilson again?”

Your eyes bulge out of your head. “What?! Is that really what you think happened?”

House rolls his eyes. “Well, if you were desperate enough to want to go on a date with me, then you’re desperate enough to have a go at anything that walks on two legs.”

You seethe. “You’re unbelievable. First you can’t stomach the thought of taking me tonight without being bribed and now you’re jealous that I might have hooked up with someone else?”

He scoffs. “I’m not jealous.”

You nod down at his tightening grip on your arm. He lets go as if it burns him suddenly.

“Like I said, House. I’m not doing this. I’m not going to stand here and be berated for being upset at you.”

“Right,” he shakes his head. “You’ll just go home and call up your mother and bitch about it for an hour. How much you hate me, how disgusting I am, how you can’t believe I would do something like that. But you can’t do that, can you?”

Anger is rolling through you in dull waves. “What are you talking about?”

House stares at you, his blue eyes electric under the hospitals lights. “You’re my employee. Do you really think I would employ someone that I didn’t know everything about? Hell, I know the preschool you went to, let alone your family.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, House.”

He stares at you and you have to resist the urge to fidget. His calculating eyes sweep up and down your form, and you steel yourself to steady your gaze on his worn face. Don’t show weakness. Don’t show fear. He was a rabid animal, and you knew he would sense the second that you slipped up. "Really? You think you’re so good at being secretive and blocking people out? That’s my forte, sweetheart.”

He doesn’t let you speak, launching into his own words instantly. “I know about your older brothers. About your mother. EEvery timewe have a sick mother in, you turn away when you think no one is watching and do; what was it? A breathing technique? Or to wipe at your tears?” He waves the notion away, and your eyes start to bulge out of your head at his incredulousness, “At one point in time, you were close to your siblings, to your mother. And yet, you moved across the country. Left ‘em behind. Or, maybe you left even before you moved here. Now, away from home, all alone in the big city, you’re alone. But your father?”

At this, he whistles low. “Whole nother basket of fruit, right there. I can see it on your face everyt ime I tell you’re wrong and even moreso when I tell you that you’re right. Was daddy not proud of you? Spent his time working away, maybe at a hospital somewhere, and you just had to prove that you were worthy of his love and attention by becoming a doctor?”

You bark out a laugh but its humourless and cold. “No, daddy wasn’t too busy working. He was too busy drinking and smoking and screaming at mummy. I don’t give a shit about that man’s attention or praise or whatever it is that you think you have pyscho-analysed out of me. I haven’t spoken to him since I was thirteen.”

But House doesn’t relent at your revelation. If anything it spurs him on, and he speaks in a frenzy. “Uh-uh. I said I can see it. So what if you haven’t spoken to him? It’s pretty fucking obvious to everyone here what you’re pushing onto any older guy. Myself included. That’s why you wanted me to take you tonight. Do you want me to tell you that I’m proud of you, to tuck you in at night and say you did a good job? Or to kiss you and give you all that love that you never got?”

You flush deep with shame and anger and you can’t even stop yourself when you say, “Fuck you, House.”

He mockingly places a hand to his heart. “You wound me. But we’re not done.”

You can feel tears welling in your eyes and they’re threatening to burn down your face as he keeps speaking. “Do you want to talk about how in the time I’ve known you, you haven’t even looked at Foreman, or Chase, or hell, even Cameron with so much as lust? Sure, you see the way that Chase looks at you- but you were never going to give into him, were you? What is it, huh? Got touched as a kid or do you just like being a stick in the mud, ‘holier than thou’ virgin everywhere you go?”

Your hand connects with his face in an instant and it’s with so much force that his head whips to the side. It wasn't quite the deck you promised Wilson, but now your fist clenches. You can feel your face is wet and blotchy with tears now, and you’re not sure when you started crying in his horrible rant, but the tears continue to flow.

He’s staring at you, and his own hand raises up to touch where you slapped him. It's odd, admist the pure, unbridled rage flowing through you, you're struck with the thought to take a picture of is dumbstruck face and save it for later.

“Fuck. You.” You spit.

“Did that make you feel better? If you want I’ll make a space for you in the office and when you’re angry you can go have a tantrum there.”

You huff out a laugh. “I don’t know. Let me try again and I’ll see how I feel.”

You swing your hand at him again but the bastard grabs at your wrist an inch from his face. “Let. Go. House.”

“So what, you can hit me again?”

You’re still crying and you feel your lip waver. “You’re horrible.”

He sneers, yanking you closer to his face. “And what do you think that makes you, looking up to someone as horrible as me? Wanting to go out on a date with me?”

You wrench your wrist out of his grasp and stumble backwards. Cockily, he leans against his cane, and tilts his head.

“Why, House? Why hunt me down, why start this, why mock me, why be such an arsehole? Do you actually care that much about my feelings? About what I think of you?”

His smirk drops into a frown and you keep speaking, the words tumbling out of you like a hot mess. “You think you have me all worked out, but I think Wilson was right about you. Just the possibility of me being interested in you has you scared shitless. Because, if I like you, it must mean I think you have some redeeming quality, some semblance of good in your twisted heart. Even with all that daddy issue bullshit you brought up, if it was just the fact that you’re older, I would’ve only wanted to fuck you, right? That’s what you think happens when I take one stepo outside and start trying to hook up with Wilson, right?" You laugh, and it chokes out into a sob. “But tonight, me wanting to be on an actual date with you? How terrifying.”

House’s jaw clenches, but his eyes remain stormy and still. “I’ve had lots of terrifying things happen to me. A short and annoying girl wanting to date me is not one of them.”

You throw your hands up in the air. “Stop lying! You can’t even say that with a straight face. Because it does scare you. If I want to date you, it means you’re not this horrible, ghastly monster you keep making yourself out to be. It means you’re not unloveable, and that means that all this effort you go to, to push people away, to make them hate you as much as you hate yourself, is wasted. You’re so fucking miserable that when everyone else has left you, you try to push me away too. And when that doesn’t work, you try to make me as miserable as you are, to show me that there is no redeeming you.”

You’re heaving out air and trying to remind your lungs to work properly. “Guess what? It’s finally worked.” He chews his cheek but you just shake your head. “I’m done. I’ll get you my two weeks notice tomorrow.”

For once, you see House surprised. Shocked, almost. But then you turn, and you leave him all alone in the hallway. Like he always wanted.

#gregory house x f!reader #greg house x f!reader #gregory house fic #gregory house x reader #gregory house #house md fanfiction #house md x reader #house md

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unsoundedcomic · 7 months

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If Unsounded were a video game, what levels do you think cast would be at by Sette Ex Machina?

Captain Toma is emotionally maxed out. There is nothing more for him to learn. He knows who he loves, he knows what's truly important to him, he knows his shortcomings, and he knows how he can win his game. There's not much more for him to do, most of his stuff happened in 17, but he and Elka are in a position to aid where needed.

Duane and Sette are midgame. Duane levelled up in 16 and Sette won a bunch of EXP in 17 with Jivi, but they still have a long way to go, particularly if they're ever going to perfect their team synergy. It's underlevelled so far. Maybe they can farm a little in the khert.

Jivi is so weak, he needs to stay away from any and all up-tempo music that could signal a boss fight. Even a miniboss fight! Let Quigley tank it all. Quigley is ready to tank!

Matty's ready to delete his save and uninstall.

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nichenarratives · 7 months

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Hurricane Heller 17

A Niche Narratives Fanficiton.

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[tw for: period typical anti-semitism; references to the 1918 influenza pandemic; graphic depictions of sickness]

17. Grippe's Grim Grip

It's 1918, America has been involved in the war for a year, but the home front is struggling; winter is clinging on even as March becomes April, forcing Mordecai to burn his last reserves of coal as the rains finally begin, heralding in spring after months of crippling cold. The damp is almost as horrid, feeding a creeping mold he struggles to keep at bay and soaking the tom on his daily commute to the casino, only compounding the resilient chill in his bones as the frost begins to abate.

With the continued economic retraction, food shortages and progressively aggressive inflation, the news of a new strain of influenza sweeping America goes mostly ignored as the tuxedo focuses on keeping his remaining businesses afloat. The customer base of his enterprises continually shrink until only the addicted or hopeless frequent the casinos, drinking establishments and dives in his care. Employees are laid off without warning or compensation, wages have to be cut and prices are raised to cover increasing expenditure, resulting in smaller net gain and general discontent across the board, Mordecai included.

His wage significantly reduced to the extent he's dipping into savings to keep his family fed and warm on a monthly basis, he can feel their new home getting further away each week, his progress draining in the wake of an impending economic collapse. As the boss, with no one to ask advice from and almost eighty employees relying on Mordecai to keep their jobs and livelihoods afloat while businesses sink all around them, work starts to monopolise his free time; every walk to his childhood home or quiet moment over tea is numbers and data, or scrambling for novel ideas to keep their customer base consistent.

Mordecai has even begun growing carrots in his window box, just to ensure there's something to eat should rationing worsen, yet he knows he won't keep them if it does; his family will be in far dire straits then he, and perhaps gifting produce would be a catalyst for reconnection, though he still hopes it does not come to such difficulties for all their sakes.

Preoccupied by these pressing matters, Mordecai pays the news of an encroaching novel influenza strain in Missouri no mind. He's had the flu before, almost everyone has. While exceptionally awful to endure, he considers it little more than an inconvenience. So despite the warning, and with renewed dedication to wearing gloves in public spaces, he ignores the hyperbole surrounding the misnomer-ed 'Spanish Flu'. There are more important things occupying his mind.

Numerous factors play into infection: he hasn't the mental reserves to prepare, nor money to purchase the suggested face coverings; his home is both inadequately heated and ventilated, permitting stale air to preserve viral particles with ease; seeking warmth at the casino due to his icy apartment greatly increase infection risk and finally; malnourishment from rationing that's compounded by kosher meat and dairy shortages, his immune system sits at substandard levels.

Mordecai feels exceptionally naive as The Grippe sweeps the city, and he is one of the first to fall ill.

The Grippe is nothing like common flu; his body aches are consistent with assault, while nauseatingly potent migraines and a wet cough - so violent it makes his ribs feel splintered - wrack Mordecai's body. For three days, he fights to remain conscious. Constantly bathed in cold sweat and weathering a raging temperature, he spends most of his time in a lukewarm bath, both in an attempt to control his fever and to eradicate the awful damp feeling across his entire body, which feels tacky under his fingers.

Despite her elderly, vulnerable state, Mrs Kovitz insists she'll look after him, leaving a bowl of fresh soup on his doorstep each night. Though only vaguely aware of the necessity, Mordecai forces the broths down before dedicating the next three hours to diligently fighting nausea, to keep them down, then falls onto the mattress in an attempt to rest. He sleeps fitfully, especially at the peak of his fever, his mind barely holding on to reality under such duress.

Standing in pinstripe pajamas, the collar open and crooked, the lapel creased, Mordecai glances around the expanse of white he's habiting. There's nothing; no ground, wall or sky, no sound or smell or sensation. He's neither cold or hot, or anything at all. He simply exists in flannel, not a clue where he is or how he materialised there. It's baffling.

"Hello?" He calls, expecting an echo in the void. Instead, it's swallowed, barely heard by his own ears, the sound visible as black sparks amongst light before they fade to nought. Mordecai cups his bare hands around his mouth and tries again. "Is anyone there? Hello?" The black condenses into wisps of emptiness, floating away on incorporeal winds, and this solitaire sensory input blindly forward.

White continues forever, yet he blinks and cobblestones are beneath bare feet, his bare claws clicking on wet stone. The overpowering light is gone, yet darkness is blinding, sucking away his words as heavy liquid pummels his fur, soaking his pajamas, weighing him down. Mordecai shivers from the sudden cold, teeth chattering as his breath mists, searching for cover. Finding an awning he approaches, yet pauses in the downpour when he notices it's already occupied.

The child hugs his knees, head bowed and body shaking with violent sobs, a wound on the back of his head oozing thick, clotting blood. A leather satchel lies beside him, open but discarded, a prayer book tucked into the open flap. He's Jewish, Mordecai realises as he glances around, though the darkness thickens, frustratingly reducing his already meager visibility. He shouldn't be out here alone.

Mordecai turns back to the child and is startled to come eye to eye with constricted emerald eyes not red with tears, but blackened, a darkness so deep it devours reflective imagery and slowly consumes the green, turning eyes into black holes. A familiar split lip has ballooned to a bruise, his chin scratched by sharp claws, all suppressed memories being dredged to the surface as the adult tuxedo recoils from his younger self.

A bolt of lighting crashes into the synagogue behind the younger tom, sending it up in flames. The community center attached is engulfed almost immediately as well, illuminating his small, disheveled form as distinct scents of fresh blood invade the adult tom's nostrils. He gags as iron engulfs his senses; the taste, the smell, the thought of spilled blood his everything as he turns, looking for the source, until another flash of lightning illuminates the truth.

Blood falls freely from the heavens, dyeing his blue pajamas crimson and coagulating in his fur, even dripping in his eyes as he frantically - yet uselessly - tries to wipe the viscous liquid off of his person.

Teenage Mordecai shifts unnaturally, drawing the panicked adult's wide eyes as he jerks his chin sharply to the sky and, with eyes deviating to the far corner of their sockets as if possessed, expels bottomless darkness from his open maw. It coagulates into thick tendrils above him that curl into the night sky, somehow visible despite the pitch black of night, moving as if conscious and celebrating its freedom.

The adult tuxedo is fixated, taking unconscious steps back as it rises and squirms in the downpour above its former host. Breaths become rapid and his heart beats faster as somehow, Mordecai is made aware that the black essence has noticed him. He can sense its desire to inhabit his body, to destroy him from within, tainting all he retains that is good or just. It's his predator and he, hapless prey, a sitting duck ripe for the picking.

He turns and flees, bare claws clattering on the cobbles as thunder finally rolls across the sky, signaling the swarm of black essence in sudden pursuit, filling the air with tendrils as it advances. Mordecai can hear them whipping in the air over the pounding pulse in his ears but dare not look back, convinced that doing so would damn him to its will.

A bare foot slips on the bloody cobbles and he falls with a cry, hands coming to protect his face.

His childhood mattress is surprisingly springy, squeaking as he lands bodily upon it. Expecting the hard cobblestones, he lays there a moment and breathes, suddenly dry, allowing the familiar scents and sounds of home settle his pulse. It was a dream; rolling to his back as the quiet murmurings of a busy home drift through the cracks in the floorboards, tired eyes flutter closed in the safety of his bedroom.

Until wet, gasping coughs shatter Mordecai's inner peace. He sits upright immediately and anxiety thick in his throat, heads for the landing, entirely unaware of the black tendrils slowly suffocating his bedroom walls behind him.

Mordecai walks straight into the living room, unaware of the strangeness that should warrant as wide emeralds settle on his mother, bent double, loose hair obscuring her face and coughing the same, awful cough to take his youngest sister. Black tendrils seep through the ceiling and begin to spread across the popcorn plaster, though he remains unaware of encroaching evil as he approaches the struggling figure.

"Mother," he whispers, kneeling beside her, placing a hand on her leg. There's no hesitation in his comfort, concern in his twisted muzzle and furrowed brows as she continues her coughing into a lace handkerchief. He squeezes her leg, an attempt at reassurance. "I'm trying to get you all out of here, away from this death trap. I just need more time. Please, just hold on a little long-"

The figure sharply jerks to face him and Fiores' flabby face appears from beneath cascading hair. Clouded, sightless eyes lock with terrified emeralds, concave temple bloodied and oozing as the man smiles maniacally. Mordecai recoils, stumbles in his attempt to retreat and falls to his back just a moment before a heavy boot presses down on his chest, restricting airflow and taking him prisoner in one fell swoop.

He grabs at that ankle, clawing at the flesh beneath ragged suit pants desperately. Rancid flesh peels away unnoticed as the deceased underboss leers down, pressing his heel into the lad's sternum as he looms closer. The white returns around them, once again blinding and empty, benign when compared to the evil holding Mordecai at his mercy.

"Our littlest bookie, all grown up," Fiores sneers, then raises the handkerchief to show Mordecai the darkness now wriggling on its surface, the tendrils arcing off the fabric towards the tuxedo. "Your lies are getting out of hand, Katz, suffocating everyone and everything you hold dear."

"Little kike's playin' with th'big boys now," a familiar voice adds. Sharp claws dig into his scalp and yank his head back to look at Jimbo's clouded eyes, his empty gaze boring into emeralds. The bullet wound in his forehead openly bleeds down a pale face and pools at his chin, threatening to drip onto Mordecai's face as he struggles to break free. "Best t'take 'im out now, before Savage figures 'im out an' sends ol' Jack to settle his debts."

Fiores brings his hand down suddenly, pressing the tainted lace to Mordecai's mouth and nose. The tom thrashes under their hold, entire body shaking with revulsion and eyes rolling back in disgust as cold tendrils curl into his nostrils. The slimy darkness swiftly makes its way down his throat and invades his lungs, effortlessly blocking his bronchi and filling his chest with their pulsing, freezing existence, slowly suffocating him as he struggles uselessly against death.

Wide eyes slowly losing focus, chest burning and pounding heartbeat in his ears, his temples, his throat, ribs aching as he claws at Fiores' arm. The man only shifts his boot for better leverage, his fanged smile and lifeless eyes filling Mordecai's spotting vision until-

Mordecai wakes suddenly with a suffocating weight of thick mucus clogging his airways. Pain wracking his aching body with each hacking, uncontrollable cough, he blindly searches his bedside table for a handkerchief, presses it to his face and painfully expels the clumps of bloody phlegm onto formerly pristine cotton. Only then can he suck much needed air into raw lungs, each inhale burning through his intercostals and singeing his airways, entire body shaking in the throes of an almost deadly fever.

Head pounding, body and sheets coated in a freezing film of sweat, yet too exhausted to care for the unsanitary state of it all, Mordecai closes his fist on the tainted handkerchief and fades back into unconsciousness. It won't be until after his fever breaks and he's finally able to think more clearly, in a few days, that certain aspects of the nightmare will haunt his waking moments, feeding an ever present anxiety for his family's health in the wake of the pandemic, and guilt for not visiting on a Sabbath for almost eighteen months.

Wet, gasping coughs echo in his mind the weeks he spends recovering from his near death experience at the hands of the Grippe, until he's determined to return home as soon as the crisis is over. The need to check on his family - mostly his mother - is too strong to ignore.

#niche narratives #hurricane heller #mordecai heller #lackadaisy #lackadaisy cats #fanfiction #lackadaisy mordecai #tracy j butler #no beta we die like atlas may #fanfic #yep we hit the pandemic chapter #pandemic #the grippe #1918 flu epidemic #mordecai #mordecai is very sick #fever dream

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play-rough · 2 months

Note

So, I know you have a post on the ADA members' classifications, but have you ever thought about what the members of the PM's classifications are?

-🐈‍⬛ anon

A lot of them I hadn’t thought of so i reserve the right to change these later lol

Mori- neutral

Just a guy. I think there’s a level of ignorance there too because he’s a neutral. Littles being looked down upon (especially younger ones) is an older point of view, i imagine it was opinions the old boss had that have been instilled into Mori because I’m a sucker for generational trauma (i imagine the old boss would just casually be like “hm littles are disappointing aren’t they, not very useful” and he would think that was an appropriate dinner conversation)

Hirotsu- neutral

Neutral and also from that era where Littles tend to be looked down upon, however as an Old Man who still gets involved in physical fights i think he has learned to not judge anyone based off of anything other than skills

Akutagawa- Torn between alpha/little depending on what’s going on with atsushi, learning towards alpha especially if gin is little

Gin- little age 8-12

A bit of a late bloomer, she thought she was neutral for all her younger years, presented around 17? I don’t have the bsd timeline memorized but i think she would have presented after Dazai defected. Idk if that works out lmao skfkksksks i dont know her canon age off the top of my head so maybe she’s 45 idk idk. She usually regresses to a preteen age and enjoys mystery novels and ‘scary’ things like goosebumps. She has a stuffed tarantula named Legs

Tachihara- alpha

Loves helping out gin bc they’re best friends, she loves telling him what’s going on in her mystery novels and sometimes he reads them to her. The plot usually goes over his head but Gin is excited and that’s all he cares about. Horrified the first time he saw her spider.

Kajii- neutral, but there were rumors that he was little because he smelled so heavily of sweet citrus, turned out to be unrelated

Oda- alpha

There is an alternate universe where he’s Dazai’s caregiver instead of chuuya

Ango- neutral

Historically everyone in his family has been neutral

Higuchi- alpha (will sometimes babysit Gin with akutagawa, she’s a handful)

Verlaine- alpha

Not doing all the flags 😭

Q- unclassified, suspected neutral. Classifications usually present around puberty (anywhere from 11-17 depending on the person, sometimes you classify really early, sometimes late. Average is around 14)

Hopefully didn’t forget anyone lol

#💌#bsd au #🐈‍⬛ anon

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moisthalforcboy · 10 months

Text

Look, if the Mighty Nein reunion involves rescuing Caleb and Beau, and Essek isn’t there, it wouldn’t make sense. In game, it would be like Yasha deciding she didn’t need to go save Beau because she had non-specified “other things to do.”

Now, I do not necessarily think he needs to be the DM PC that followed them around the whole session unless Matt wants to give them a really hard boss or 2 to fight and it would help for balance (which feels unlikely at level 17+).

Just if he’s not there, I need them to address it with a very good reason right away. Like he needs to have been also kidnapped or something. Or they need to have already rescued themselves lol.

Sidenote: I really hope we get Caduceus out of retirement for Ruidis God Shenanigans Time.

#critical role #I love my hot boi #but also it would be weird to ignore him narratively #this could just be a me thing since I know there are Essek haters out there

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travoltacustom-translates · 11 months

Text

Christmas Showdown: Taiju's Advent | 聖夜決戦~柴大寿降臨~

Want to read along, but don’t have the game? Here’s a link to the event recorded!:

youtube

Event Period: 17 of February - 3 of March 2023

FEATURED CHARACTERS

Featured cards: Takashi Mitsuya / Taiju Shiba

Event box: Hakkai Shiba

Event pass: Yuzuha Shiba

CLICK READ MORE TO VIEW THE EVENT STORY

STORY TRANSLATION

BEFORE BATTLE (BEGINNER)

HAKKAI

今日で全てにカタを付ける

待ってろ大寿!!

Everything’s all set for today.

Just you wait, Taiju!!

YUZUHA

…

全部　無くなっちゃえばいいのに

I wish… it would all just end.

…

TAKEMICHI

いよいよ今日は決戦だ

この教会に大寿が現れるはず大寿を倒して、黒竜を潰す!

成功すれば今度こそ未来は良くなる!

八戒、大丈夫か？

Today is the final battle.

Taiju should appear in this church. And if we defeat Taiju, we can crush the Black Dragons!

If we succeed, the future will be better this time!

Hakkai, you good?

HAKKAI

・・・ああ

…Yeah.

TAIJU

天にまします。我らの父よ願わくは御名の尊まれん事を。

アメン。

Our father, who art in heaven. I pray in thy holy name.

Amen.

HAKKAI

大寿・・・！！

Taiju…!!

TAIJU

テメェら。ここで何してんだ！？

What the hell are you doing here!?

TAKEMICHI

黒竜を・・・オマエを潰しにきた！！！

We’re here… to crush the Black Dragons!!!

TAIJU

ほー・・・オマエもか？八戒

Hoh… You too? Hakkai.

HAKKAI

・・・今日で全部終わらす！！

… We’re finishing things right here!!

KOKONOI

若ぁ、反抗期かぁ？身の程、わかまえた方がいいんじゃねぇの？？

Young master, going through a rebellious phase, are you? Shouldn’t you know your place??

INUI

ボスにたてつく気ならオレが殺す

If you’re trying to pick a fight with the Boss, I’ll kill you.

TAIJU

いいだろう。やるなら、本気でこい！！！

Good. If you’re gonna come at me, give it all you’ve got!!!

_ _ _ _ _

POST BATTLE (BEGINNER)

TAKEMICHI

なんとかやりあってきたけど・・・

We managed to hold up ‘til now but…

TAIJU

クソ痛ぇだろ?　前は3割の力で殴ってやったけど今回は5割の力で殴ってるからな!?

Hurts like hell, doesn’t it? Before I only punched you with 30% of my power, so how’s it feel to get hit with 50%!?

TAKEMICHI

体が・・・動けない・・・今までいるんな人にぶん殴られてきたけど

大寿は別格！！！殺される！！！

I can’t… move… I’ve been beaten up by so many people before but…

Taiju’s on a whole ‘nother level!!! He’s gonna kill me!!!

TAIJU

どうした八戒？助けてやんねぇのかぁ！？

What’s the matter, Hakkai? Aren’t you going to save him!?

HAKKAI

ハァ、ハァ

Hah, hah…

TAIJU

助けねぇなら、殺っちまうぞ

If you don’t save him, I’ll kill him.

YUZUHA

やめろ！！八戒をを追い詰めんな!

Stop it!! Don’t corner Hakkai like that!

HAKKAI

柚葉・・・！？なんでここに

Yuzuha…!? Why are you here?

TAIJU

柚葉ぁ。テナェもオレに歯向かうのか？

Yuzuha. So you’ve turned against me too?

YUZUHA

二人は・・・八戒はアタシが守るこれ以上、手ぇだすならアタシがオマエを殺す

You guys… He’ll kill you if you interfere, so let me protect Hakkai.

TAKEMICHI

柚葉。ナイフを持っているのか!?

Yuzuha. She has a knife!?

TAIJU

柚葉ぁ〜〜〜〜！！！！

Yuzuhaaaaa!!!!

TAKEMICHI

やばい！柚葉が大寿と互角にやりあえるわけがない！！

This is bad! Yuzuha doesn’t stand a chance against Taiju!!

???

柚葉!!

YUZUHA!!

TAIJU

チッ、殴り損ねてか・・・

またオレら家族の問題に口出しする気か？

三ツ谷

Tch, I missed…

Are you going to meddle in our family affairs yet again?

Mitsuya.

YUZUHA

三ツ谷・・・なんでここに・・・？

Mitsuya… Why are you here…?

MITSUYA

柚葉・・・守時に使うモンじゃねぇよソレ

Yuzuha… That’s not something you use to protect with…

YUZUHA

…!

MITSUYA

大寿、ここならはオレが相手。クソヤロー

Taiju, from here on, I’ll be your opponent. You fuckin’ bastard!

TAIJU

あ？本気かテメェ？

Huh? Are you serious?

YUZUHA

ちょっと待ってよ。これは柴家の問題だ

オマエだけに任せて自分は何もしないなんてできるわけねぇだろ

Wait a second. This is a problem between the Shiba family.

There’s no way we can just do nothing and leave this to you.

MITSUYA

そうか・・・わかった。じゃあみんなでいくぞ。

That so?... Okay then. Let's do this together.

TAKEMICHI

三ツ谷君！

Mitsuya-kun!

HAKKAI

タカちゃん！

Taka-chan！

MITSUYA

八戒、タケミっチ

Hakkai. Takemicchi.

TAIJU

・・・

MITSUYA

本当の絆ってやつをこいつに見せてやろうぜ

Let’s show this guy what true bonds are.

HAKKAI

ああ。

Yeah

_ _ _ _ _

POST BATTLE (INTERMEDIATE)

MITSUYA

ハァ、ハァ

Hah, hah…

TAIJU

しぶてヤローだ！疲れちまったからよーそろそろおわらすわ

なあ。乾。

You stubborn asshole! I’m getting tired, so let’s finish this.

Right, Inui?

MITSUYA

HAKKAI

タカちゃん！！！うしろ！！！

TAKACHAN!!! BEHIND YOU!!!

INUI

撲殺

Take this.

[INUI hits MITSUYA]

MITSUYA

ガハッ

GAHAA–

HAKKAI

タカちゃあああん

TAKA-CHAAAAAN

KOKONOI

あらら。もう再起不能じゃねぇ？

Ahaha. There’s no getting up after that, huh?

INUI

当たり前だ思いっきりぶん殴った

Of course. I swung as hard as I could.

YUZUHA

三ツ谷！！！！

Mitsuya!!

TAIJU

ハハハハ。さすが乾！！！このまま全員ぶち殺してやれ

HAHAHAHA! That’s Inui for ya! Let’s beat the rest of ‘em to death

MITSUYA

・・・

TAKACHAN

タカちゃん・

あ”ぁあ”あぁ！！

東京卍會弐番隊副隊長、柴八戒！！

柚葉を！！仲間を!!　家族を守るためにテメェをぶっ飛ばす!!!

Taka-chan…

Aghaaaghaaa!!

The Tokyo Manji Gang’s Second Division Vice Captain - Hakkai Shiba!!

Yuzuha!! My friends!! I’ll beat you down so I can protect my family!!!

TAIJU

ハハハハハハ！かかって来い！！クソガキ共！！！

HAHAHAHAHAHA! COME AT ME!! YOU FUCKING BRATS!!!

_ _ _ _ _

POST BATTLE (ADVANCED)

INUI

どうしたボス！？

What’s wrong, boss!?

KOKONOI

噓だろう？大寿（ボス）がやられた・・・

You kiddin’ me? Taiju/Boss lost…

MITSUYA

やったな、八戒

We did it, Hakkai.

HAKKAI

勝った・・・

We won…

[ TAIJU breathes angrily ]

TAIJU

待ってやコラああ！！まだ終わってねえぞ東卍！！

オレに誰にも負けねぞコラああ！！

WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING? I’M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU TOMAN!!

I WON’T LOSE TO YOU FUCKERS！！

KOKONOI

・・・ボス、オレら黒竜の負けだ。今のアナタの体じゃこれ以上は戦えない

Boss, this is the Black Dragons' loss. You're in no shape to fight anymore.

TAIJU

・・・

HAKKAI

オレたちの勝ちなんだな・・・

Then it’s our win huh…

YUZUHA

信じられない・・・

I can’t believe it…

HAKKAI

ありがとう・・・みんな

Everyone… Thank you.

TAKEMICHI

一人の犠牲もなく・・・クリスマスを終えられた・・・

ミッションコンプリートだ！

We made it through Christmas… without anyone dying…

It’s mission complete!

[ EVENT END ]

You can view all my translations for Tokyo Revengers: Puzzle Revengers & Hypnosis Mic: Alternative Rap Battle in my discord: HERE.

#tokyo revengers #takashi mitsuya #taiju shiba #hakkai shiba #yuzuha shiba #travoltacustom-translates #puzzle revengers

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deepestbluesky · 1 year

Photo

[the not actual image description is that this is a very barebones powerpoint in which each slide has picture(s) of a kinnporsche character and bullet point text describing it. the full text is under the cut below the latter set of pictures.]

all text from @minnarr!!! now, onwards

[title slide] minna explains kinnporsche without knowing it

[kinn] kinn ● eyebrows ● was written lowkey as RPF of actor who plays him and i would like to never think about that but people remind me constantly ● smiling imp emoji ● also this man has a lot of buttons open but if that coat is red i approve

[porsche] this IS porsche right? his bangs are actually covering his forehead ● he's kinn's bodyguard? which is the opposite casting to what I thought would be true before I figured out which was which. He just looks very mild. Protect him. ● something deeply wrong with him but i haven't absorbed enough to know if it's personal or systemic ● lol sometimes if you change anything about the hairline i do not recognize a person ● (porsche i think of as having like 90s heartthrob hair for some reason) ● [upon seeing bodyguard hairstyle] i must inflate my hair to look intimidating. like a bird.

[porchay] oh... i don't know ● he looks like he's 17 but also I'm trash at judging ages. DOES look like he's waiting until he can go back to his video game ● [would you like to make any guesses or nah?] at names? god no ● i know like 3 names that i can't match to anyone and i know them wholly disconnected from anything about them as people ● pete? is this Pete? ● i have no idea how anyone besides kinn and porsche even fit in the story

[tankhun] i think this might be tankhun ● REALLY loving this matching coat and cape in colorful floral ● do his pants have fun organic cutouts ● no wait those are shiny leather boots ● or pants. ok ● wow this is a look. ok. well this man is NOT doing the fighting. he is either very scary or very fun. or both. ● IS he the third crime brother or is my brain just insisting literally everyone has this surname ● one thing this show does is let men wear fun things

[pete] is THIS Pete ● i saw a vegaspete gifset either today or yesterday and the only thing i retained about pete's face is that he looked nice ● good laugh 10/10 what is he doing here ● bought a 10pk of white hanes tshirts and got invited to whatever This is ● (i don't know if this last is even remotely accurate to his vibe or if I'm judging on 1 picture and faint memory) ● either vegas is the sex dungeon haver or I'm hilariously wrong about Pete's vibe

[kim] kim (crime bros surname)???? ● the guy who would be besties with nie huaisang ● he looks like he's here to have fun and take pictures on his phone to save to his terrifyingly extensive blackmail folder ● again he has little brother energy ● i do like his face. i wanna see him in scenes ● like the way you distantly blorbo people from gifs. he's my favorite kp guy.

[vegas] vegas ● [within 1 second of seeing picture] sex dungeon ● please save his hedgehog ● he's one of the 3 people i can name

[korn] ...d..dad? ● i frankly did not know this show had anyone other than pretty 20-30 year old men ● [we talked about this and you went 'there are OLD PEOPLE?'] i have simply never seen them!!! ● ok he's either crime dad or the guy who's the reason kp are sleeping in like military-ass transports and getting helicoptered to safety ● (rival crime boss?)

[kun] also i think the first old man is the villain and the second older man is crime dad ● Oh No I Like Him ● otoh he could be crime dad and the fashion is genetic ● otoh. delightful dissipated uncle when ● i still think he should be the uncle who is no help at all but is very excited to hear about what dumb thing his nephews are getting up to now with vibes of kind of wanting to be on the young people's level. upside can be counted on for resources at odd moments but only if it's for a stupid purpose ● i don't think that's what he is but i want it for the crime bros

[slide with no picture] pause to recap ● ok so [for the first five] we have kinnporsche tanhkun fabulous crime brother flannelboy (tentatively porchay) and Pete ● if that's all the young people btw I'm locking in porchay? on flannelboy ● fuck if i know maybe one of the young dudes is the villain. maybe it's vegas. maybe it's brother vs brother.

[yok] my best friend ● i love her ● fashion is a little glitzy maybe to be porsche's friend even though i wanted that for him....does kinn have friends he seems like he probably mostly hangs out with family and people he pays to be around him ● lighting is very clubby tho so like ● just club clothes ● i have no clue how she fits in but i bet she has a nice laugh and takes no shit

[slide with multiple pictures - the first one is ken] ● trust fund brat ● i know they're not british but he has such POWERFUL unbearable character on Sherlock energy ● either that or like baby's first (very nice) suit

[big] ● oh!!!! it's a uniform!!!! ● these two are like lower level bodyguards. or kinn's actual family-hired bodyguards and kinn like hired porsche after a weird meet-ugly involving gunfire and now the vibe is awkward ● this one is anxious

[middle text] .... bad analogy probably need a better wording but to use cql again. first bodyguard is the sizhui and second bodyguard is the Jingyi the Calm One and the one you need to tell Calm Down

[slide with two pictures - the first one is tay] ● also omg this was dyed hair boy ● i was picturing BOTH kim(?) and this man. amalgam gossip friend. ● also the flowy pants/all white/heeled boot/"are you talking to me?" look ● extremely good

[chan] ● kim's bodyguard for the thousandth time telling him no, you need to stay where it's safe ● this is probably incorrect and I'm now just judging anyone with a lapel pin a bodyguard ● this is a very bouncer vibe tho

[macau] ● this one actually is a teenager, right? that looks like a school uniform shirt although maybe not bc idk what school with embroidered patch uniform shirts is also like sure boys can wear hoops [we give away my extremely usamerican Christian school experience] ● better caption What Is a Child Doing Here

[extra text for macau] have i miscalculated did i either misassign a crime boy or are there 4 crime boys. i feel like one of these children should be here for family reasons wait unless one is porsche's brother not this one flannelboy [a picture of the i’ve connected the dots meme]

[slide with two pictures - the first is arthee] ● :( ● give him a cup of tea and a bandaid ● he just looks sad for some reason! ● who are you woebegone man

[time] ● i would not have chosen the turtleneck ● i know the other shirt is also turtleneck but this is "shirt i wore in the 90s" mockneck and i cannot define why it makes me want to laugh ● he is doing bad cosplay of bleach mullet ● that NECKLACE is NOT HELPING

[slide with three pictures - the first is tawan] ● surprisingly the first shirtless boy ● i like his hair, he looks a little smarmy, the vanity mirror + shirtless is giving me either he's in showbiz or he has too many people in private rooms ● do love the noir blinds thing happening. maybe he's a femme fatale. ● i looked at him and literally thought "hair goals" lmaooo

[jom and tem] ● they look nice and also the set dressing is SO suburban ● if i had to assign them a fic trope it's accidental child acquisition fake (or real) marriage ● they are on the pta ● (i truly have no idea)

[arm] oh no i love his vibe and his glasses ● 'i know organized crime needs shady bookkeepers/lawyers/IT professionals but did it have to be me, with these particular criminals' ● my first thought was "cast him as Indiana Jones" bc hair and glasses so that's just send me back to first impression

#this was just for fun #kinnporsche #i think minna knew more than she thought she did #also this was a delight to reread

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jessjustplay · 6 months

Text

I finished playing Final Fantasy X (again)

October 22, 2023

Game: Final Fantasy X HD Remaster First Time/Replaying: Replaying Game Time: 40 hours Console: Nintendo Switch Started: December 5, 2022 Finished: October 21, 2023

I finished this game last year in February, but some time in December I got an itch to play it again. At the time of my initial replay, I didn't have a TV so I played the entire thing on my tiny Switch screen. Now that I had somewhere to dock the Switch to, I wanted to re-experience the story again on a big TV!

So yes, I started Final Fantasy X back in December 2022 and it's taken me almost a year to finish it. In my defense, I have been playing a lot of other games! FFX was sort of just a back-burner, in-between-playthroughs type of game.

However, a few days ago I picked it up and could not put it down. Once you get past a particular area (that blasts an annoying announcement on-repeat the ENTIRE time), the game is very fun and picks up speed as the story unravels. I also decided I wasn't going to "do everything" which threw out a lot of that anxiety.

I have a PS4 now, so I thought, "If I'm going to 'do everything' I might as well go for a Platinum trophy!" I'm glad the Switch doesn't have a trophy system because it lets you enjoy the games without worrying about marking tasks off a list, but with how annoying FFX's side-quests are, if you're going to put yourself through that pain, you might as well get some sort of accolade!

I have no idea when I will start my Platinum attempt, but I really would like to try one day. I've played this game SO many times sinc eI was a kid - why not? People on Instagram telling me I should go for an easier Platinum trophy not only annoys me, but also makes me want to do it even more.

SPOILERS START HERE

Anyways, the endgame of this playthrough was really exciting! I told myself I wouldn't be getting an extra aeons or any of the ultimate weapons, so it was nice just walking around, leveling up, and going into boss fight after boss fight.

Normally, I would have Yuna's ultimate weapon and her Break Damage Limit would save the day! But this time I didn't have that and I relied HEAVILY on Bahamut to save our skins.

Seymour #2 took me two attempts, the Zanarkand Guardian was one attempt, the Zanarkand Trials Glyph Monster Dude took me 3 or 4 tries, Yunalesca was one attempt (!), Seymour #3 was one attempt (!!), and Braska's Final Aeon was ALSO one attempt (!!!).

I was surprised I was able to do do the final leg of the endgame in one attempt without dying. Not to mention, whie fighting Braska's Final Aeon, he petrified Wakka and that man disappeared! I was tempted to restart the game but then I thought, "It's not like I'm getting any EXP from this fight!" So I BEAT THE GAME WITH TWO CHARACTERS ONLY. At one point, Lulu and Yuna had less than 200 HP and I was freaking out!

What saving me was summoning Bahamut once, getting LUCKY AF that he didn't die, dismissing him, then using Yuna's overdrive to summon him again. I also used Auron to zombie Jecht and that helped for awhile, and I used Tidus's talk command once and that 100% saved Lulu and Yuna from dying. *THANK GOD*

Here are my final stats:

While I was more critical of the game this time around (more on that in another post), I still enjoyed this game and it will always be special to me! It's interesting though, I used to cry a lot watching the ending of this game, but this time I didn't. It's official - I'm old lol

When you're young, losing the person you "love" seems like the end of the world, but as you get older you learn people come and go. Yuna, you are 17. You will find someone new!!!

I did, however, cry during that one scene watching Yuna's sphere of messages (after beating the Zanarkand guardian boss). IT IS SO SAD!!! 😭 I felt my throat closing up watching that (specifically the Kimahri part). KIMAHRI, YOU'RE THE BEST! I need to write a Kimahri appreciation post.

#final fantasy x #final fantasy #finished

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ghostypetrainer · 1 year

Note

Thinking about the "captured!Ingo vs. Emmet plus literally all of his and Ingo's pokemon" fight in the Modern Zoroark Possession AU. And. Uh.

First of all if we include all of the pokemon Ingo and Emmet use in B&W and B2&W2 plus the four pokemon you've mentioned black fox!Ingo having. That's. That would be like 17 pokemon. Which is a lot more than six. (I can absolutely see Emmet being willing to break regulations on how many pokemon can be carried at a time here tho. Especially given the circumstances. Also. He will need all the help he can get, so I vote to let him use all 17.)

Secondly. Out of all 17 of those pokemon. None have a type advantage against Ingo. Only two would have supereffective moves against him (Durant and Chandelure). And of those two, Durant is the only one Ingo wouldn't have any supereffective moves against.

If the events of the Modern Zoroark Possession AU take place after Black and White (which would make sense), then I'd guess most of the pokemon Emmet are using could arguably be in the upper 60s in terms of level. However. Ingo is level 100. So uh. Depending on his effort levels and nature he could have over 400 in special attack. Idk how natures or effort levels would work with like... an actual person though.

Steel and Dark types would work best defensively against the moves you've listed Ingo as having, but he'd have at least one effective move for each of the pokemon Emmet could possibly send out. (5/17 of Ingo and Emmet's pokemon are steel types. None are dark type.) Granted, every single one of those seventeen pokemon would have at least one effective move against Ingo. So. That's Something, at least.

So! In conclusion, that battle was definitely absolutely insane even if you completely ignore all of the closely associated angst. Ingo can probably one shot a significant chunk of his and Emmet's pokemon. Also Durant probably played a significant role in Emmet winning. Either that or Emmet carries a lot of dark type tms around and had at least some time to prepare.

Well starting off, if we're going off of Chandelure and Durant's game movesets... they would not have any super-effective moves to use against Ingo. Hisuian Zoroark are normal/ghost, which means they're completely immune to ghost type moves! (As well as fighting and normal type moves.) In fact, the only moves that deal super-effective damage against one are dark type moves... which none of Ingo and Emmet's combined group of Pokemon have on their game movesets. Oops!

But yeah- suffice to say, it's one rough battle! On one hand, at least he's not getting the frenzy power boost that he would in the mainline zoroark possession AU... but on the other hand, that battle has three different trainers engaging with it (Emmet, Elesa, and Akari). Here there's just Emmet!

It's one hell of a battle. Emmet likes to joke afterwards that the real reason Ingo is no longer a Subway Boss after things have settled isn't because he was removed from his position by a court of law... but because Emmet banned his broken ass from the Subway. Legandaries and Ingos banned. Those are the rules, yup!

#asks #zoroark possession au #but make it modern #submas #emmet voice: But I won anyways. That means I am the stronger trainer #ingo: I don't think that's how it works #emmet: it verrry much is how it works.

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thedragonagelesbian · 6 months

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3, 17, & 27 for cyrus pleeeeease!

<333333

3: Race and subclass?

Race: Wood elf

Subclass: It's Complicated

I actually have a full level 20 D&D character sheet for Cyrus that I made back when he was still just a Dragon Age OC. So, when porting him over to Baldur's Gate 3, I decided to keep as much of that build as possible, making Cyrus a base paladin (because being a knight is his Whole Thing) with a barbarian multiclass (because he has a lot of repressed anger and ruthlessness that become more and more evident the more and more the world wears away at his sunshine kindness, and paladin-barbarian is just a very sexy build).

His original subclasses were Oath of Devotion (again, textbook fairytale knight, this is The quintessential stereotypical paladin oath) and Path of Ancestral Guardians (one of the more support-oriented barbarian subclasses and plays with the idea of Kirkwall itself as his guardian spirits).

On the paladin side of things, I just kept him as an Oath of Devotion pally in BG3, although he did end up breaking his oath during Act 2, switching him over to the oathbreaker subclass.

However, BG3 doesn't have the Ancestral Guardians subclass, and the flavor is very specific to the DA2 version, so I decided early on that when he took his third level of barbarian, he'd be Wild Heart instead-- angling for 'bear heart' specifically because it grants immunity to almost all damage while raging, and being unkillable is an important part of Cyrus' whole deal.

And also.

I wanted him to have fire resistance (however conditional) for smooching Karlach.

And as I also had Karlach specced as a Wild Heart barbarian, it occurred to me that Cyrus' multiclassing into her class could be like. a Thing for their relationship. I wrote a little bit about it in my fic for them-- Karlach being the one to train Cyrus in how to be a barbarian, helping him find his rage & be okay with experiencing negative emotions instead of repressing them, giving him his wild heart piercings after the Ketheric boss fight...

(also in this first playthrough, Cyrus ended up romancing Halsin too, which makes the bear's heart thing that much more significant)

But the thing is. I love Cyrus and I love shipping Cyrus, and I knew very early on that I would want to play through the game again to romance at least Astarion and Wyll with him. But. I love narrative-mechanics overlap too much to repeat his paladin-barbarian build for the other runs, because that's His And Karlach's Thing, and he needs a different thing for Astarion and Wyll.

SO.

I have two other BG3 timelines for Cyrus with two other builds.

The first starts off with the same base class of paladin with Oath of Devotion as the subclass. However, after Astarion kills him while feeding from him the first time, Cyrus Comes Back Wrong and spontaneously develops an innate connection to the Shadowfell for uh... reasons that are truly beyond the scope of this already ridiculously long answer. So, in that timeline, Cyrus is an Oath of Devotion Paladin (he will still break his oath at least once when freeing the other vampire spawn, but I imagine this version of Cyrus will want to retake his oath?) with a (modded) Shadow Sorcerer multiclass.

The second involves moving Cyrus' entire timeline around so he's older, more experienced, and more jaded by the time that he gets tadpoled. He swore an oath of devotion to a tyrant who abused him and then he swore an oath of vengeance against them and their reign, and neither made him happy or let him live his life on his own terms as more than just a Title and a set of obligations.

So, this version of Cyrus lost all of his levels of paladin during the couple of decades of self-imposed exile that precede the game. In addition to some stat shuffling around, his base class switched to Ranger for the 'was living all on his own as a hermit in the woods' vibes, and also to keep him as a martial/melee character because that feels the most correct for him.

I only just got this version of Cyrus to level 3-- I specced him into the Hunter subclass originally, but I think I'm going to switch to Gloomstalker instead. There's just something thematically interesting to me about Oathbreaker-Shadow Sorc-Gloomstalker, a lot of Cyrus' character is propelled by the literal, physical internalizations and manifestations of all the bad shit that happens to him, and struggling to make peace with that and even turn those changes to his advantage.

(Also gloomstalker in BG3 gets misty step as an autoprep and I can never turn down a short-range teleport)

17: Do they enjoy life as an adventurer?

Paladin/Barbarian Cyrus: unequivocal yes! Cyrus loves nothing more than to feel useful and of service, and adventuring is the best way he knows how to be helpful.

Paladin/Sorcerer Cyrus: he says yes, but he's been in a state of perpetual existential crisis for the entirety of the game made worse by the fact that he tells himself he needs to swallow all of it down so as not to get in the way of the adventure & helping others

Ranger Cyrus: no lol he really thought he had left this life behind, and he is Too Old For This (spiritually). I think he's really thrown for a loop the first time he sits down to trance, comes to having spontaneously manifested some goodberries in his lap, and realizes he can do magic again for the first time in a couple of decades. He'll do the adventure, and he won't even complain that much, and I think as the game progresses, he'll find more to like about it, but at the moment he's quietly being a real sourpuss about the whole thing.

27: What was their life like before the events of BG3?

Kind of alluded to this in the subclass answers, but in the main timeline (which covers both pally/barb and pally/sorc), Cyrus was having a splendid time as a dashing young adventurer.

Ranger Cyrus was living by himself in a small cottage in some corner of Sword Coast wilderness, cut off from the rest of the world by choice. He was able to fend for and provide for himself just fine but was also much lonelier than he would have admitted to himself. Being around people again is a huge change-- and try as he may to keep some distance between himself and his companions, he just can't resist Wyll's smile.

#SORRY IT'S SO FUCKING LONG THE ONLY THING I LOVE MORE THAN MY BOY IS NARRATIVE-MECHANICAL OVERLAP #cyrus bg3

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redtail-lol · 10 months

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Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth Chooses Death

Yeah so I wrote heavy angst. @snowkit-and-blackquill wanted to read it so here. You are tagged

CONTENT WARNING: Attemped suicide and mentions/mild descriptions of (non-physical) child abuse. You have been warned. Story below the cut

Miles Edgeworth sat in his office. It was late at night and the lights were off. He should have felt better, after Phoenix had acquited him, but he just continued to feel worse. He had to accept the fact that he had followed in the footsteps of Manfred von Karma, the man who killed his father. He betrayed everything Gregory Edgeworth was, to be a spitting image of the man who took his life. That fact was even further cemented earlier that week, when he learned he had convicted someone using forged evidence.

He really was Manfred von Karma.

He couldn't accept that. The man who killed his father, who put him and Franziska through years of emotional abuse, who cared little for truth and justice and only for his win record... He became him. He became him because he didn't really know who he was. He was just... A shell, molded into Manfred's image. And now he didn't know who he should be.

Miles had everything ready. He couldn't write out his feelings in a suicide note, because he didn't want anyone to know how weak he was. He had written a simple one: "Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death." He had the gun, loaded. He didn't even notice he was crying until he reached for it and felt the tears land on his hand. He grabbed it, and looked at it for a while. His mind kept flashing back. The day his dad died... The feelings he'd had for years, believing he killed Gregory... Manfred fueling that belief... Him and Fran, being screamed at, shamed, humiliated, and hurt through the things they loved... He still remembered Manfred burning Franziska's favorite stuffed toy and destroying his steel samurai collection when she had got in a fight with her father and Miles stood up for her, and Manfred shredding a picture he had of him and his father and snapping Franziska's phone in half when he found out both kids were gay. He remembered all the ways he'd turned into his mentor, putting his most loyal detective well beneath the poverty line, being ruthless and borderline cheating in court, and viewing a guilty verdict as a win for him, and a not guilty verdict a failure, rather than both being the truth being found and justice carried out. Miles put the barrel in his mouth, ready to finally die. He accepted that he really died back when he was 17, and after years of being a shell, he was ready to join his father. He went to cock the gun and heard a click.

The door!

"Hey, Mr. Edgeworth, are you still here sir- M-Mr. Edgeworth!"

Gumshoe.

The detective ran to his boss, who slowly pulled the gun out of his mouth. He couldn't look him in the eye. Gumshoe took the gun, unloaded it, and slightly kneeled down so he could be on Edgeworth's level.

"Mr. Edgeworth... Are you okay, sir?"

"Of course not, you imbecile..!"

"Sorry! Stupid question, I know... But what's going on, Mr. Edgeworth, sir? Why... Why would you have that gun in your mouth? Why would you want to die...?" There was sincerity in the detective's voice. He felt cared for, and he wanted to sob and tell the detective everything he was feeling... But he couldn't. He couldn't let anyone know the pain that weighed so heavily in his heart. He could hardly stand that anyone had caught him so weak...

"I don't know who I am," the words fell out. "I'm just a carbon copy of Manfred von Karma. I hate him and yet... I cannot deny that I am him."

"Nonsense, Mr. Edgeworth! You're nothing like von Karma!"

"That's complete and utter bullshit. In every way, I became him. And now, my whole view of the world has been turned upside down by Wright, and I..." his voice faltered, and he could do nothing but sob. He felt so ashamed, crying his problems onto poor detective Gumshoe. "...Now I don't know what to do. I'm lost. I... It's too late to go back and honor my Father. But I don't want to continue being Manfred..."

Gumshoe gave him a sympathetic look and helped him stand. Miles nearly collapsed in the detective's arms, feeling so weak and vulnerable already.

"I'll dispose of this here, and then we can take a month off. Just you and me, on a nice vacation... And while I will have to come back, you can have as much time as you need to help discover yourself, okay?"

"Discover... Myself?"

"Yeah! I mean, just because you can't be Gregory Edgeworth don't mean you gotta be Manfred von Karma. You can be Miles Edgeworth! He's still somewhere, deep inside your heart... You just gotta find him again!"

"...There's a lot more than just my identity crisis that I have to sort through, detective..."

"Well, I'll be there for ya if you need me. Come on, let's go. Let's get you home."

Edgeworth left with Gumshoe, looking back on the dark office where he almost ended his life. He felt... Strange. Hopeful. And incredibly grateful.

"Detective."

"Hm?"

"...Thank you."

"...Oh, uh, of course Mr. Edgeworth! I- I couldn't just leave you there, y'know."

He smiled at Gumshoe, despite the fact tears were still streaming down his face. He wasn't ready to tell him everything yet, but perhaps he would tell him during their vacation. He was scared of the unknown future ahead of him, but he was glad he had one at all. Everything is gonna be okay for once...

Phoenix hadn't heard from Edgeworth in a week. He figured he'd drop by his office, to see if he was swamped with work or needed help with anything.

"Edgeworth?"

The office was vacant and silent. He started snooping around, as Phoenix Wright would do, and found a note left on his desk. Dread filled his mind and he read the words:

Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death.

#ace attorney #fanfic #fanfiction #ace attorney fanfiction #ace attorney fic #ace attorney fanfic #miles edgeworth #aa fanfic #aa edgeworth #edgeworth angst #miles edgeworth needs a hug #prosecutor edgeworth #prosecutor miles edgeworth chooses death #tw attempted suicide #cw attempted suicide #tw sui attempt #cw sui attempt #tw child abuse #cw child abuse

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jellazticious · 11 months

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I am fucking conceptualizing the fucking platformer game I've been thinking about for years because of Pizza Tower and I can't be mad about it fsjkgrns

that game's inspiring

anyhow, Shallow Stares: Portals and Parties thoughts under the cut

At the very start, you get to choose to play as Twelve the Pine Thing, Lantern the Clover Thing, and Serve the Shrub Thing. But you will not be stuck with who you pick the whole game, you get to change it anytime you want.

The whole thing plays out like a metrovania? but also Cuphead and Blasphemous were inspirations too. So like these kids venture off into this dnd world that's actually Earth after an apocalypse. The game starts out all cutesy with the kids running errands and fighting some safe level enemies. Then things go batshit cuz yknow, kids will run into anything. They'll meet crazy prophets, musicians in the woods, nomads with insane "chores", alchemists trying to raise the dead etc. In one point you meet an "adult Twelve". He's actually a completely different person who was summoned the same way Twelve was. Remember that the saplings are born of magic, sometimes a spell can be done exactly the same so what comes out can be the same thing too.

Other than the platform and fighting mechanics, there's dialogues in em too but they're more for understanding what the fuck is happening. The ending changes are slight. they most they can do is tell you how to unlock stuff.

You can get other playable characters, just gotta do sm stuff to get em.

anyway yeah, cute adventures, easing in to crazier things. Then in one point you find a contraption and you gotta use Lantern to magic it. That opens up portals everywhere and the other oc sets are activated.

Think of the portals as a DLC without buying anything bsrbgkrs

So yeah, the sapling you play as can access a between worlds room with all the portals in it and each one of them goes to levels that corresponds the oc set it came from. Example, the She-Clops portals have levels set in Iya's hometown and shit. The Light Plague portals lets you play in 131, the mutation infested upper division, and even the Bounty Hunter brawl ball.

Hell, you get to fight some other ocs as bosses and get them as playable characters. Tho not all of them can be achieved by just beating them, you gotta beat them specifically or complete other achievements.

For now, I can see Morter, Cobalt, Kiwi, Iya, Kipper, Crossbow, GR-17, Nodiel and Cameron as playable characters

You can play Cobalt when you beat his boss. Then like when you talk to him and get into a specific conversation, he'll hint how to get Morter as a playable character vaguely.

"Doc's a pacifist, I don't know if he'd join you little buggers with all this fighting" or smthn and you do get Morter if you clear a TLP level without damaging any enemy.

For PK, you get him when you like I dunno, S rank the Bounty Hunter Brawl level or defeat him first in it. Bounty Hunter Brawl is like a mini boss rush with no arrangement. Enemies are just scattered and you get to pick off which ones you wanna go for, they're occupied with each other after all. Tho it's on sight for anyone in that level. If someone sees you first, you're immediately targeted by that guy.

Iya can be unlocked if you beat her under a time limit, she'll respect your strength. But also unlocking Iya means automatically unlocking Kipper. Iya is more power based because she's really playful and Kipper is speed based because he's very anxious.

The player can make the characters strike a pose by pressing spacebar, make them dance by holding it longer and if it's multiplayer, press it twice for a partner dance if the character allows it.

the ones that can partner are the saplings with each other, Morter with Cobalt, Iya with Kipper, and Grit with Nodiel. Partnering these up in a game can also yield the best results as they were made to be compatible with one another.

ALSO I wanna talk about the differences of the playstyles. Primarily, the default three should explain this on your first try. Twelve is strength, Lantern is skill, and Serve is speed.

Twelve can kill enemies with two hits but he cannot climb walls with momentum. you gotta stab the wall and jump to do that

Lantern can cast spells the best since she has the highest magic level out of the three. She can run up walls a bit, she can make turns faster than Twelve since he's heavier and slips off. You can make her fly for a bit if you want, girl can doublejump too

Serve is the fastest one because they're tiny and thin. They have trouble fighting enemies because of their lighter body. Although, if you don't like to fight and wanna swift through levels + explore for treasure, secrets etc without getting hurt, Serve serves you well. Their inertia is infinite, you can run up anything with this little bab.

The difference between strength and skill is that strength is when a character can fight enemies up close and skill is when it's a ranged attack.

Iya and Kipper are next.

Iya has like a lot of health because she has a lot of momentum. She is fast and strong but very careless. if she tries to slow down, she will have to take a moment gradually losing her speed before she stops completely. She just slips in a lot of places and just straight up slides to the enemy. She one hits most of them but she kills them slow and it locks her in place, makes her vulnerable. She relies on her extra health because this girl is made of bricks. When she runs into stuff that can be destroyed, they get shattered easier but if she runs full speed at a wall that does not get destroyed, she gets stunned for three seconds. Iya has extra protection on her noggin since she has horns and mini antlers, she also does not climb walls but she can jump high and run on all fours for a second on the wall.

Kipper on the other hand is a fucking coward but that means he's good at escaping. Unlike Iya who easily gets locked into place, Kipper is always quick to get up. All this poor boy wants is to get out of the situation. He instantly runs on the second speed and if he runs into enemies, they will not get damaged, they will get just stunned because some kid just pushed them. Instead of punching he shrieks, disarming the enemy. Like Serve, he has infinite momentum. his other form of attack is throwing his head but you need to get the head back.

If it's multiplayer and two people play Iya and Kip, they can run into each other to make the Kirby All Star friend wheel. Invincible until jumping/hitting a wall. When the wheel is cancelled, someone will be flung forwards.

Kipper also has a buff in dark rooms because his head glows.

Cobalt is another speed based character. For other characters, you need to hop a little when going towards obstacles and enemies to disarm/destroy them. It's like a little kick for most but you don't need that, he automatically runs over them. He also automatically deals damage if you near him to an enemy. Everyone else needs to be pressed the attack button for them to hit, Cobalt just instinctively attacks. holding down attack button however makes him charge the tazerblade's electric end. He loses momentum after some time so you gotta jump if he's slowing down. He plays out like someone doing parkour. Do not bother with using ranged weapons, he has a 99.8% chance of missing but a .2% of landing a shot with critical damage. Melee is the way with Cobalt.

Morter on the other hand is skill based character. He's really slow and he relies on the Radicus (the cane gun grappling hook thing) because he is old as shit. He can't run, jump high, or climb but he can swing and plunge spiderman style. Aim the grappling hook by pressing attack fast, anchor it somewhere and pull back so Mort can slide or get lifted in the air. hold attack to charge a blast and let go. the hook can also damage enemies, either bring them to you for a melee smacking or throw them away. Remember! He'd rather be a pacifist so his playstyle is more of skimming the levels and exploratory since the Radicus does not have a limit to the length of the hook.

Tastriphe, my lad PK, Kiwiman, Hellspawn Angel or whatever. While he can be one of the fastest people to play as, he's actually strength based. At the start of the level, his speed is average. But when you start attacking, he gains speed depending on how big the kill count combo is. His attacks come in small hits but it's plentiful and quick as fuck. Yes he's like the fastest at full combo but you have to maintain it/ come back from room to room. dealing damage does nothing, you have to make sure the enemy is not moving anymore to add to the count. Kiwi can turn invisible at a certain speed and has an extra life when the health bar depletes. He also has a higher chance of dealing critical hits with any weapon and melee. Tastriphe is OP which is why he has to be achieved the hardest way.

Crossbow is similarly played like Kiwi since they're both assassins but the difference is that Crossbow emphasizes more on skill than speed. She also has a killcount combo that makes her stronger than faster. Crossbow is quick to dodge and jump to avoid getting hurt and she comes with ... a crossbow. Unlike others, she has auto aim and can reshoot enemy projectiles. Everyone else can parry it, maybe even rethrow it to a random direction but Crossbow reuses the projectile and it will try to return to sender like a heat seeker. Keep her moving because she will start to gloat about herself if kept idle, the more idle time she has, the jankier her controls will be because she's overhyping herself.

Crossbow can be achieved by completing the Crank Those Gears portals.

Nodiel and Grit tho. Nodiel has the least health out of anyone in Portals and Parties. His species are just soft like that but his mech and tech makes up for it. Nodiel is a skill based character. He has a mechanical backpack with three arms coming out off it, "nuggets" (small magnetic devices that electrical surges any machine to make it short circuit. can be used on organisms), and a custom made wrench gun. Gun is for regular use, wrench is when you know you fucked up because you are not supposed to let enemies near him. The robot arms do their work of throwing away enemies, auto parrying projectiles, and cushioning falls. Nodiel can run but he never gains any momentum, the arms can climb anything at any speed tho. Nuggets are thrown around by the arms and stunned enemies are one hit by the arms if hit by a nugget.

Then there's Grit. another tank. slightly higher health than Nodiel's because of how raggedy his parts are. His arm is a cannon, two shots most enemies and can be utilized with boosts, jumps, etc. Grit deals damage bumping into stuff.

Him and Nodiel are perfect for co op. It's a matter of save and be saved for them. Grit protects Nodiel and Nodiel can keep repairing Grit. Nodiel can throw Grit up because Grit can't climb on his own. In solo tho, Grit relies on blasting the ground to get up.

Speaking of partners, there's a solo player level mode with the tag team style. So the character you play as will be randomly swapped to someone else mid level. If your character is anyone with a specific partner, instead of swapping out, they join forces. This changes both character's playstyles since they'll be combined to one control. Right now I can only think of Iya and Kipper kicking each other to knock out enemies

I guess that's it lol

anyway, that's Shallow Stares: Portals and Parties so far

#long post #soooooooo many sentences don't bother mate #Shallow Stares #jell tells shit #edit: I fucking forgot Cameron but uhhhhhhh #he's a speed based. slinky slippy guy #just like Kipper he has a stun function with a camera flash #Unlocking Cameron unlocks a scrapbook that contains misc art/concepts/backgrounds etc #he's a cameraman afterall. unlock him by uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #talk to his npc IG

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regarding-stories · 1 month

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Winter Was Not An Exciting Season

When I started writing this, about 3-4 episodes had dropped for most shows that started in winter 2024 season on Crunchyroll, and I came to the conclusion there was no reason to get excited... And I think that's pretty much how it worked out. I stopped watching most of these shows at some point. Eventually I dug into the archives on Crunchyroll instead... which was much more rewarding.

I by the way never bothered with "Solo Leveling" or "Shangri-La Frontier" because I don't get what's the point with these kind of shows. OP skill this, video game that, and usually no actual stakes at all. Why bother?

Delusional Monthly Magazine

Hot trash.

Weird scientist tries to place his research in a paper that's more of an "I saw an UFO manned by Elvis" style tabloid. Lots of unconvincing hijinks happen.

Stopping point: I switched off in episode 1 when somebody suddenly developed a superpower because this is all over the place. And stupid.

Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord

Girl gets reborn as the hidden boss of a game she used to play. She decides to avoid becoming a problem and also levels up to 99, which is a level reached by no one in this world (and the limit).

It does not help that she has dark magic as attribute and the heroine of that game is a light magic user.

What's hard to bear is that she gets constantly ostracized way into episode 4. Everything she does is taken negatively and the potential love interests of the heroine (it's a dating sim) constantly stir trouble for her because everyone assumes the worst.

On the surface this is yet another show about being reborn into a dating sim, like "The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs" or "I'm in Love with the Villainess". Though I can't help but think that the setup is also a tongue-in-cheek about how being exceptional can get you bullied in Japan. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down" is idiomatic there for a reason.

In general a decent show, but what kind of person is the protagonist that she doesn't understand social cues at all? I don't think that's established very well.

Stopping point: I'm not sure why I stopped watching around episode 6, there seems to be no strong reason beyond losing interest. Might revisit.

Sasaki and Peeps

Middle-aged salary man gets himself a pet bird which turns out to be a reborn wizard from another world.

What follows is a wild (and also illogical) mix of genres. He gets transported to an Isekai world and learns magic, but mainly he wants to open a business there by transporting Japanese goods there and selling them. (Yet he never figures out that he could transport gold back to pay for them - or just be rich.)

His magic then gets him recruited into a squad of psychics fighting other psychics. He's totally OP because psychics have only one ability and his magic works differently for every spell. Anyway, the show doesn't benefit from cutting across plots. It first tries to hit the "living the quiet life in another world" vibe, then goes into "everyday man thrust into the world of superpowers", and now seems to also tap into "adventuring in another world..."

Sasaki is likable enough, an innocent man, mostly, really drab and unassuming. What disturbs me is that so far all the females appearing are minors. There's a high school girl waiting for him every day next door - why? I don't want to know. His wild colleague at the agency who is a snappy dresser? Supposedly 17. (Yes, high school age.) The person he's supposed to protect next - a child beauty. (She seems important as she was given a completely "doll style" credits variation of her own.) I seriously don't want to know where this is going...

None of the GIFs here on tumblr feature the protagonist. Funny.

Stopping point: After Episode 3. After the third under-age girl appearing I was wondering how many other genres they are going to cram into this one.

Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!

Tokyo boy moves to rural Hokkaido and meets his future girlfriend, a total gyaru (gal).

Actually, he meets several, but I can't imagine this show playing out any other way. Has surprisingly little to say about Hokkaido itself except that it snows a lot and you need to keep warm.

The show has a mellow, slice of life flair but lacks originality. I actually ended watching the full season, it's an easy show to watch. The three heroines are all pleasant people that overlap with part of his life, making the harem-ish setup of all three crushing on him a bit annoying since two of them never stood a chance.

Stopping point: I actually finished this one but I must say the drama built for the last episode was a complete no-show and completely unconvincing, even by the typical "Japanese is a language of unsaid things" standard.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Frankly, initially this was the absolute highlight of the season. I waited for every episode.

Two talented teenagers are summoned to be the heroes saving another world. And a third, average guy, who happened to be nearby. He ends up stealing their thunder because he has the rare healing magic talent.

Surprisingly, the other two people are really decent (looking at you, "Shield Hero") and in general he's treated well. The only dramatic concern is that healing magic has found its master in his teacher, an over-the-top drill sergeant style woman.

It quickly becomes apparent that healing magic, if used wrongly, is the strongest of them all - giving you infinite stamina, instantly restoring your strength, making you the perfect tank. You just have to train like a maniac. Which our drill sergeant ensures will happen.

Stopping point: After episode 7. The show is funny and has heart up to a certain point, but somehow I lost interest, also because it's destroying its previous vibe by hinting at impending doom. Interestingly I read a review today that points to mid season being a complete drag and messing up the pacing, and the finale not saving it. I guess I'm not surprised?

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!

A woman gets reborn into another world as a noble, only for her defining moment to repeat over and over. She turned down by her prince fiancé and basically ejected from her social status.

But this filly has spirit, and so she cuts out a life of her own successfully. Only to die in a war years later and to find herself at the same scene! Since she retains her memory she starts to pick different routes, leading various lives, picking up skills and knowledge, only to die eventually in the same continent-spanning war.

Her last time around, something odd happens. Just as she's escaping her betrothal she runs into the instigator of that war, the dark prince of the empire. And he is so taken with her, he proposes to her.

An unusual setup for sure. At some point we will likely learn what is behind the whole war business, but just watching her navigate all situations in stride is actually interesting by itself. As the title suggests, big drama is mostly absent so far ever since her "final life" started.

Stopping point: Middle of Episode 6. The mini-villain little brother turns out to be the complete opposite of a schemer and actually only wants the attention of his oniiii-chaaaan!! The whole flip was so unconvincing, I couldn't anymore. It's absolutely unclear why the guy she married does anything, including telling her to avoid his brother.

Tales of Wedding Rings

It would be hard to take this show serious at any level as it mostly exists as a vehicle to get this guy together with big-buxomed vixens for plot reasons - but there isn't much plot either.

He follows his childhood love to another world and accidentally marries her, getting the first ring of power. Then he learns he must fight off some evil led by the Abyss King. For that he has to marry more princesses.

There's no logic to the action, though. In the first kingdom he can fend off abyss monsters but gets his ass handed to him by an abyss knight. So they run off, abandoning their own kingdom?!? Then, as soon as he gets the ring from the elven princess he easily hands the abyss knight their ass without even trying. Instant wipe. So that knight keeps showing up and somehow evil rings appear and there's no rhyme or reason to the drama.

Otherwise it's pretty clear that he wants things to work out with his childhood love, but the other girls want attention, too. So another unrequited harem, badly done, too. And yes, the kingdoms they encounter are sexy elves, sexier cat people, and lolicon demon people. Expect plenty of fan service.

Stopping point: Episode 9. No special reason. The show is easy to watch, undemanding, but also doesn't deliver much. You can pick it up at any point and leave it and you won't miss much. Ironically I got mostly GIFs for "Rings of Power" when searching, and frankly, even this anime is better than that.

A Sign Of Affection

I almost forgot this one.

The heroine of the story is for all practical purposes deaf but she soon gets to know an absolute boy-hunk and wonders what these feelings are. Which she then proceeds to find out since he also likes her.

As for a story that focuses on a character with a disability, it does very little with it except her having a lot of trouble reading situations around her and the impediments of communication. And people constantly getting in her space. (Which is a necessity but unusual in Japan.)

It's certainly a high profile production for a romance, with great art.

Stopping point: After Episode 2.

In spite of being a fan of romance stories, it somehow rubbed me wrong that not only does an absolute model boy (the art is good enough that nobody needs to tell us) become immediately interested in her, he also is portrayed as this interesting character who travels abroad in a moment's notice for his studies. Mr Perfect on day 1. There didn't seem to be anything interesting to be going on at all. So I lost interest.

When looking around on the internet, in most places this show is described with one short paragraph for a synopsis. A critic compared it to "A Silent Voice", but that show needs almost a full page to have its synopsis laid out on Wikipedia - because it's a complex take on multiple topics - disability, bullying, social dynamics, and the ability to change. Somehow that strikes me as a contrived comparison.

#delusional monthly magazine #villainess level 99 #sasaki and peeps #hokkaido gals are super adorable!#the wrong way to use healing magic #7th time loop #tales of wedding rings #a sign of affection

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