#i know this is an old game and everyone has made gifs of and edited everything

[hollytanaka]

BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT | 2/? ↳ "You're good, Dark Knight. Even better than I remember. It's going to make it even more satisfying when I kill you."

#batman arkham knight #batman arkham series #arkhamverse #jason todd #jastontoddedit #batmanedit #dcedit #gamingedit #videogammeedit #videogamemen #i know this is an old game and everyone has made gifs of and edited everything #but i wanted to make some anyway #*arkhamknight #*dc #** #*gifs

[houseofbrat]

As someone who works in PR I am ASTONISHED at how bad Kensington Palace is at all of this. It’s the most interesting part of the whole thing for me. Well that, and how much it seemingly vindicates H&M and Harry in particular in what he’s said about the firm and the media’s role in protecting the Heir at all costs.

Yeah I work in PR for a public company and anytime we want to put something out we have to run it up the chain - we need legal and Investor relations and executive approvals.

Even if KP and BP had their individual PR teams, which makes sense, there should still be one main central PR office that everyone answers to that manages the entire royal families PR, makes sure schedules and press opportunities and STRATEGY AND MESSAGING all aligns, before running up the chain for final approvals. There’d be a social team and a crisis team and government relations team and a branding team and a general “talent rep” kind of team, all working in tandem to serve the overall strategy for the royal family.

The fact that there are so many cooks in so many different kitchens is why the royal family has had so many PR disasters honestly for decades now. They’re truly doing it all wrong. So many Worst Practices here, not Best Practices.

It really doesn't seem like there is an overall PR team. Just the separate entities

Yeah and that’s the problem IMO. They are a business that should be run like a business. They should have the individual departments I suggested, and even more, working in tandem.

The fact that there are so many separate entities with different agendas and priorities is a huge part of their problem IMO.

But Charles has been transparent for the most part!! And photographed repeatedly. It’s so bizarre when compared to KP, and feels passive aggressive to me to be honest lolol.

They’re really so so so bad at this 😭😭😭😭 but the British public and the media lets them get away with it 🙃🙃🙃

For heaven’s sake. If she’s recovering nicely, why resort to recycling old photos?

Other sources are making a pretty good case for the fact that it’s a November photo, taken after Catherine and the children visited the baby bank.

Does nobody, and I mean nobody, know how to do PR in that place anymore? Now it's pin all of this on just-recovering-from-abdominal-surgery Kate? Why not on William since they were so proud about how he was the one that took the photo? Somehow they keep making everything ten times worse.

I’m sorry, but I don’t believe for a second that Kate personally edited that photo together in such a way that it had to be killed as inauthentic. The pulling of the photo is likely more about the refusal to provide metadata or the raw image for proof rather than silly Photoshop choices. That isn’t an issue of “mummy going wild on the computer,” it’s a larger organizational issue about trust, transparency, and KP’s overall poor approach to news orgs and the press lately.

Why is Kate taking the fall? Why is William such a lout to let an ill Kate put this on her own shoulders rather than admit KP made an error or say KP is going to reevaluate their practices and make a change?

Are college interns running Palace p.r.? Because I cannot understand how they're botching this so badly. If Kate couldn't/wouldn't pose for a legit photo, then just don't release anything. The Royals are basically dumping tankers of gas on the inferno by playing all these games. 

Sorry, am I going insane? After saying they wouldn’t respond to these conspiracy theories, they

a) responded by putting out a doctored image,

b) responded to the backlash of doctored image by claiming the woman recovering from a medical issue was playing around in Photoshop, and

c) responded to the backlash of editing claims by putting out an image where the person in the photo is supposed to be Kate but could LITERALLY BE ANYBODY.

NONE OF YOU ARE FINDING THIS WEIRD? NONE?!

"Kate's Back"

Well, it is indeed a picture of Kate's back

Apparently the main symptom of her mysterious medical condition is that any photo with her in it immediately becomes grainy, blurry, or with people's wrists trying to escape into a fifth dimension.

Good Lord, I haven't followed a disaster story this closely since Oceangate Titan and this one may be even worse. The narrative is out of control and the rules have gone out the window.

They already lost control of the narrative at this point. No matter what they do now, they will be scrutinized more than they've ever been before. And they seem grossly unprepared for it.

She’s not even facing camera, how is this supposed to help? This just feeds the conspiracy theorists! headdesk

It's becoming a PR nightmare that only Olivia Pope can rescue.

Maybe the better question is that people are concerned about Kate's welfare, and most WERE okay with waiting under the timeline KP initially offered that is she will likely return by or after Easter.

However KP has mismanaged the messaging, and with that concern grows over how weird some of the updates are. The article explains why this medical time out is turning into an absolute PR crisis. It isn't so much about Kates right to medical privacy (she definitely deserves that )

It now is about institutional reliability, the heir William's arguably erratic or unusual behavior or his courtiers' comments, the mess with the all kill photoshopped/Frankensteined photo (which has never happened before with a palace released photo), the very different approaches from BP vs KP, etc etc. It's become bigger than Kate sad to say.

And ultimately now people are worried for her, in a way they wouldn't have been, because things have become so irregular and bungled. So the urgency to make sure she is safe and okay has become louder and more insistent.

“CNN is now reviewing all handout photos previously provided by Kensington Palace.”

“In editorial photography, photojournalists and editors commonly adjust a photograph’s exposure or color balance in order to more accurately reflect the scene. Most news organizations, including CNN, regard it as unacceptable to move, change or manipulate the pixels of an image. To do so would alter the reality of the situation the image is intended to document.”

“In the past, the family’s amateur photographs have been well received when posted on social media. But on this occasion, this photo was also released to media organizations as a handout and the palace wasn’t transparent about the fact it had been adjusted.

That will have damaged the trust between the palace and media organizations – many of which, like CNN, will likely be assessing all royal handouts. The editing storm has undermined the existing relationship and when public interest over any possible cover up escalates, as it has done recently, many news outlets will now have take that speculation more seriously.”

#my gif #reddit #PR fail #fail! #kensington palace #palace officials #William The Prince of OWN GOALS #William The Weak #William The Terrible #prince william #William The Prince of Wales #scandal! #ESCANDALO!!! #kate middleton #Catherine The Princess of Wales #british royal family #fleet street #media

[blackmoonlightexpress]

About the mixed response in China & why I think TTEOTM will prevail in the end 💪

Saw the "Badly Received in China?" post earlier and thought to share a longer take on the situation in China, why are there so many antis, and my own predictions on its future.

First, a clarification, TTEOTM has been an massive hit in China. The data speaks for itself in every way you can measure commercial success: viewership, platform membership, app downloads, social media heat index, advertisements, merchandise sales, unintended tourism GDP contribution. The drama has shattered records and outperformed all the recent xianxias, which you'd never dare to expect for a drama with no dingliu (顶流) that airs exclusively in the dead April slot on a platform that's 3rd (sometimes 4th) amongst online streamers. (Some day I'll create a master post just on the stats.)

The only area it falls short on is critical response. It's not just the low Douban rating (opened at 6.x and now dropped to 5.6). The three Bs - Douban, Weibo, and Bilibili (which you can think of as China's IMDB, Twitter, and Youtube) were full of attacks against the show. This included trending topics on how the actors looked (LYX too thin, BL looking old/big/overshadowed by CDL, CDL 照骗 not looking as good as in photo) as well as allegations of plagiarism and drama behind the scenes between cast & crew members. A lot of people watched video edits that twisted the facts and had a poor impression of the drama and even left 1/2-star reviews on Douban without ever watching an episode. (This type of brainwashing is more effective than you'd think. I've been reading a lot of negative posts about the Little Mermaid movie and almost caught myself writing something negative about it without ever watching.)

As all of this unfolded, I kept asking myself, why all the smearing? Who is behind it? And why TTEOTM in particular?

A lot of what appears to be normal user activity is driven by water armies, marketing accounts, and "black" hot search ranking, all paid. This is all backed up by photo evidence captured by netizens. It comes down to commercial interests of rival platforms, productions, actors. This actually happens to every drama that is threatening in some way (almost a proof of success), but TTEOTM attracted more anti $$$. Why? For one, it's seen as the secret weapon that could elevate Youku's status as a 3rd/4th player to a close 2nd to rival and even at times overshadow Tencent. It's no coincidence that, Bilibili, which is owned by Tencent and has way more daily active users than Youku, has promoted hate videos and limited the traffic of fan videos - at some point not even recognizing the drama's Chinese title in search results. (Bilibili used to be a haven for LYX fans and a platform LYX has partnered with extensively. This flipped 180 degrees since he no longer has any unaired dramas with Tencent.)

TTEOTM is also a target for rival productions. It's got big name stars with solid acting reputation, one of the hottest IPs, and high anticipation from all the promotional materials - they've been super loud in letting everyone know that they have better costumes, special effects etc Meanwhile, there's a massive pipeline of unaired xianxia dramas that stick to the old formula and will likely feel dated after people have watched TTEOTM. People even started questioning how some productions with bigger rumored budgets ended up with cheaper-looking promotional materials, costumes, CGI (read: embezzling). So if you've invested in xianxia 101, you'd really want to discredit TTEOTM and stop people from watching it.

But there's also rival fandom jealousy, which is almost worse. Someone asked which fandom is behind it, I would say everyone. There are only so many "resources" to go around in the "entertainment winter" and it's a zero sum game. LYX and BL are both already big stars but still not at the top yet. They are big enough to threaten the dinglius, but not big enough to be accepted as having "made it" by other rising stars. E.g. Yang Mi, Yang Zi, Xiao Zhan receive a lot of hate too, but it's less realistic as a prospect to bring them down. In contrast, the smearing of Bai Lu actually kind of worked. (And I'm really talking about the fans. The actors probably leave it to their agencies/companies.)

Other fandoms are especially bitter in this case because TTEOTM really upset the status quo and commonly accepted truths in a way that kind of discredits everyone else. A lot of the below have been used by fans of dinglius as excuses for when a drama doesn't perform:

Youku is a rubbish platform and Youku exclusive web dramas will never have high viewership

It’s impossible for an actor to break out twice within the same genre

An actor can only develop a big dedicated fan base with CP marketing

Breakout hits are always unanticipated dramas that come out of nowhere

Autumn/Spring is a dead slot. Hits can only come out of the summer and winter holidays.

IMHO A lot of the intense hatred comes from long held beliefs being proven wrong. LYX has always been thought of someone who’s borderline A list and B list, yet the opening viewership of TTEOTM is like double that of dramas led by bigger stars. It would have been less threatening if it started low and slowly gained traction because the drama proved to be good. But the initial hype speaks to the market power of a LYX xianxia, so a lot of people wanted to see it fail and looked for faults everywhere.

Moreover, because TTEOTM had an explosive opening, it did not have enough time for word of mouth to develop before people started bashing it. If you look at Douban ratings, shows that fewer people watched tend to have better reviews because only fans bother to rate it. Starry Love and Back from the Brink, both harshly dismissed as flops by the industry, both have >7.0 on Douban. Meanwhile, people love to hate on a show that is receiving a lot of hype - suddenly they are held to completely different standards even if the budget is similar. Why are people more accepting of the rise of Dylan Wang and Esther Yu in LBFAD? In the end because the expectations were pretty low. They were able to build up a fan base while no one was watching.

Finally, TTEOTM does have lots of production problems, some of their own doing and others not their fault. Either way this left the drama less defensible in the face of scrutiny or tucao (吐槽) culture. The production is very ambitious and took risks, but did not deliver everywhere. It's got parts that look like a blockbuster film and parts that look like a B grade TV show. I personally did not like some of the editing, lighting, cinematography, color grading, special effects, makeup. AND this is precisely the type of production details Chinese viewers LOVE to fixate on. Meanwhile, compared to western viewers, they are more forgiving about things like mediocre acting, dubbing, slow pacing, repetitive tropes or storylines, uninteresting characters. (I think this has something to do with cultural differences around rewarding perfect execution over innovation/risk-taking, sum of the parts over parts that carry the sum.)

And then, there are creative choices that are daring and controversial. These are not problems per se - for every viewer that hates it, someone loves it because it's different. But this perhaps explain why its score has dropped further, even in non-Chinese platforms like MDL, even amongst fans of the show. For example... (spoilers ahead)

Opting for a bad/open ending, knowing that it'll upset some fans, but sticking to it because they feel that it protects the overall integrity of the story (no deus ex machina). Of course, most viewers prefer a happy ending. It would have been easy to just give people what they want. The screenwriter doesn't even have to come up with a new ending for god's sake! However, almost every xianxia that has come before has resurrected the lead character after the big climax. Viewers have been making fun of the cop out: What's the significance of life and death if everyone just reincarnates?

Packing lots of details in a fast-paced, highly complicated, non-linear plot, trusting viewers to be engaged enough to use their brain, rewatch, and discuss outside the show (a bit like Christopher Nolan films). The downside of this is that it's hard to edit out a scene. There's also high risk of viewers getting confused and complaining that the plot makes no sense. Even though most things do if you go several layers down, some rightly point out that they just want to be entertained and the drama should stand on its own.

Making this a male lead centric (大男主) drama, which is rare in the xianxia genre that more recently has targeted young women exclusively. The story shifts from focusing on LSS's mission to TTJ overcoming his fate, perhaps at the expense of the romance (a criticism I see a lot from viewers looking for a pure love story). However, for context, viewers in China (including CCTV itself) have been complaining that the xianxia genre has lost the "xia” (heroism). It's gone from Chinese Paladin, which is about ordinary people overcoming odds to become heroes, to stories that are just about pretty people, who happen to be gods, falling in love since the success of Eternal Love and Journey of the Flower. TTEOTM brings the focus back to "zero to hero" character development, so this is also a change that many welcome.

Allocating a crazy portion of budget and screentime to superhero fight sequences. I agree with all the critics who say these scenes don't add much to the story, the B roll looks better without CGI, and they could have kept other scenes instead. BUT guess which scenes I find myself rewatching and showing off to friends the most? Episodes 14, 15, 32. Because it is thrilling and glorious. Plus after enduring so many Marvel films over the years, I'm pleased to see a version that's genuinely Chinese (not some pan-Asian BS), rooted in our philosophy and martial arts tradition, featuring Chinese faces that have real kungfu training.

Going over the top on aesthetics - colorful costumes, hair accessories, and heavy makeup. A violent reaction against the simple pastel aesthetics that have dominated xianxias over the years. Of course, lots of people hated on the eyeliner and found the extravagant visuals distracting.

However, even with all its flaws, I'm glad it aired and did not wait for perfection. (A lot of May dramas did not go live last minute due to "technical problems" i.e. government censorship. These days, airing = success.) In addition, I predict that over time people will come to appreciate TTEOTM more. Here's why:

1) A lot of dramas now widely lauded as classics started out with poor ratings. Over time, the noise will die down and make way for what really matters - compelling acting and story. Empresses in the Palace (2011) opened with a Douban rating of 2.7 out of 10 (yes, this bad). Viewers didn't like the casting choice. They thought the actors looked bad. There were also issues with the costumes. Over time, its rating increased to 9.4. It's now a show rewatched so loyally that data analysts use its viewership to track market size. Similarly, a lot of the issues people have with TTEOTM are superficial. The things that matter most like acting are good, and even if you dislike the story and editing choices, it did manage to keep 70M people watching and engaged till the end, incl. people who don't watch a lot of TV or like this genre.

2) Moreover, when people look back or rewatch, they tend to focus on just the highlights, and TTEOTM is full of memorable scenes. There are also so many standout memes/gags (出圈梗) that will live in our cultural fabric forever. Fans on Douban were surveyed on who they would have chosen as the director instead and still overwhelming "rehired" Kuk Kok Leung. Biases aside, I think people realize that you could have a better executed drama overall - higher production value, greater consistency, more attention to detail, BUT you might also lose a lot of the things we loved. I don't know if another director would have allowed TTJ go full creepy/evil/weak in the first few episodes or filmed all the steamy love scenes without a modesty backlight. TTEOTM feels so different because it breaks ALL the rules (see above) that I'm not sure if dramas in the future will try to replicate. If they do, TTEOTM would have started a trend. If they don't, TTEOTM will remain the only option.

3) Only dramas that inspire passion will stand the test of time. There are plenty of dramas that score well but don't inspire passion - they will fade away over time. The TTEOTM fan community is intense - there's so much discussion and engagement everywhere. Its Douban group is the #3 most active ever (measured by # of comments). Its MDL page has 68K comments, highest of all aired CDrama. Its Douyin topic has close to 29B views, highest of all costume drama. (Interesting to note that TTEOTM has an excellent reputation on Douyin, the platform with the most active users and least amount of toxic fan activity.) Fans have spent >25M RMB on merchandise, an unprecedented amount - 3M RMB on a character that appears for <10 mins (OG Devil God). It's got to have done something right because this is way more buying power than the fans of LYX and BL combined. And in my N=1, I've not been this excited about a franchise since Game of Thrones and then Harry Potter.

Bottom line, you might have liked it, liked it with regrets, hated it... but if you're spending the time to read this post, all the way till the end, you've become a luna-tic (or 烬神病人)!

#till the end of the moon #black moonlight holds the be script #luo yunxi #bai lu #tantai jin #ye xiwu #chang yue jin ming #chinese drama #cdrama

[ronearoundblindly]

Old Dog, New Tricks

From a lovely 'Sweet Sunday' ask!

Prompt from @whiskeytangofoxtrot555: Our soft boi Steve is in a relationship with a fellow Avenger (but not Keeps—this is in another timeline) who is just as sexually inexperienced as he is, but when Steve comes back from a particularly long and dangerous mission he realizes life is too short to not “take it to the next level’ with his girl—and she feels the same way.

WC- 4306 (🤯 yeah, what the hell happened, you ask? i don't know. you get what you get 🤷🏻‍♀️) Also completely written in a couple of hours, so if there was editing, it was all a joke and everyone can laugh with me...

If you couldn't tell from the prompt, THERE'S SMUT. Minors DNI.

Steve didn’t notice anything until months and months of fighting with you—no, that sounds wrong—beside you. He fights beside you, and sometimes behind you where he gets to see the sides of you, all of you really, and the curves…he just…

He’s having trouble putting it all together basically. You’re highly efficient and dedicated to the Team; you have been since day one. It started with Steve admiring that dedication, and seeing a lot of his own workaholic tendencies in you—oh dear, no, that’s also. Uh boy.

Steve can’t seem to pull it together.

The real problem started with a very typical situation. The Team came home from a mission, and to blow off some steam, they played a game. Since they love to tease each other about how little they all get to have personal lives, “Never Have I Ever” is a favorite. Steve takes it on the chin, but he notices that you never play. Sure, being too tired or wanting to check in with your family and other friends is a good excuse for a while, but every single time over months is…suspicious. When Steve saw that familiar shy smile, the one he puts on right before the game starts, he knew, and suddenly, so many things made so much sense to him.

So he didn’t feel so alone. That was really nice for a while. Then he accidentally noticed you—that way—because he thought “why wouldn’t she?” He knows why he has no experience, but look at you! It doesn’t make sense to him. Well, it does. He gets it, but…

Steve can’t find the words to describe how angry he is at other men for not noticing and wanting to touch you…except, he really gets angry thinking about if other men did that now. He knows it’s not fair to be jealous or possessive of someone who he is not with and has no right to, but…Steve has hopes.

In classic Steve Roger’s fashion, though, he sits on those hopes. He thinks he’ll die with those hopes, and that’s fine until a bullet catches your shoulder during a fight. You were pushing Natasha out of the way while she took out targets from another direction, and Steve was too far away to chance running all the way over. He had to let someone else get you back to the jet. He had to pay attention and finish the mission, so they could all get out of here and get you to real medical help.

He may have punched a few guys much harder than was necessary to knock them out. It’s not like he killed anybody… He just let Natasha kill a few extra people. No big deal. One of them shot you, so…justice?

Steve tries to play it all off from the moment Sam says over comms that you’re stable and will be fine. Steve doesn’t feel any better about it, but he starts rationalizing immediately.

It’s a through and through.

They’ve got the best med team on the planet.

You’re a fighter and a trouper and a strong woman, and you’ll be fine. Fine. Fine.

The word echos in his head, rattling around while the meaning warps back and forth until he’s sitting in the cargo hold, swallowing thickly while you’re leaned against him, his hands on either side of your shoulder keeping pressure on the wound.

“Just one more hole, eh, Cap?”

How much morphine did Sam give you? You’re pupils are dilated, and you’re taking this pretty well. You have a bullet wound, and you’re giggling. Nat’s even smiling. Steve glares at her for taking this too lightly, and Natasha puts her hands up in defeat and walks away to check on Bruce.

Your tongue rolls slowly over your bottom lip. “I’m thirsty.”

Steve swallows what feels like a whole bottle of saliva at once, but he can’t move his hands from your shoulder—which is also incidentally very close to one of your breasts—but he’s not thinking about that, is he?

“I gotcha,” Bucky obliges, coming back with a canteen, holding your chin still while he slowly pours water into your mouth—and get it together, Steve. This isn’t the time.

Buck pours too fast for a second, and water drips down to your chest. It’s ignored for the most part.

“Better?” Bucky releases your chin as you nod, and he heads up front to Sam.

Your head tilts down, your free hand slowly, clumsily raising to swipe the droplets from your tact suit. “If I could learn to swallow,” you mumble.

Mother of mercy, Steve would give anything not to have super-hearing at this moment. That’s going to haunt him while he’s alone—alone at night, he reminds himself. He wants to disappear into the shadows just so he won’t have to control his face (or body) for five minutes while all these thoughts bounce around in that giant head of his. No. Stop, punk, do not.

Steve’s so fucking screwed and not in a good way.

He’s sweating worse when the jet lands than he was in the throws of battle. He lets the med team take over and get you on a gurney, but he stays seated because…he just needs a minute.

Of course, Bucky notices.

“She’ll be fine, pal. Don’t worry.”

“I know,” Steve says far too quickly. “It’s not that.” He can’t lie worth beans.

“Uh huh.” Buck clicks his tongue. “Right, well, I think we’ll all feel better after we get cleaned up.”

Steve comes down to the conference room after his shower, but he had to actively think of what he’d normally do instead of rush to the infirmary to check on you. Debriefs. Those were a thing after missions. You are usually at them, too, which makes his heart sink a little lower in his gut to realize.

They can’t start the meeting yet because Tony isn’t down. He takes the longest showers on the planet, so all the military personnel sit and twiddle their thumbs per usual while they wait.

Steve takes his usual seat by Bucky, not expecting an incredibly unusual conversation.

“Go ahead. Ask me anything.”

Steve looks rightfully confused while sipping on a cup of coffee.

“Look, if you don’t get off your ass, one of us is gonna lock you two in a room until you fuck.”

Scalding hot coffee spews across the table, and while Buck may have truly whispered all that, everyone is now staring at Steve.

He sets down the cup and says the first—and stupidest—thing that comes to mind. “It’s hazelnut.”

Bucky smirks. “Stevie hates hazelnut,” he deadpans, slapping Steve unreasonably hard on the back a few times.

The burning in Steve’s mouth is nothing compared to the glares he feels. He’d be lobotomized by now if looks could kill, but the group takes it in stride, ignoring the profuse and almost scary shade of red that creeps up his neck.

The flush hasn’t fully dissipated by the time you’re wheeled in. The chair is not from injury but because you’re shaky on pain meds and will need rest. He wants to fawn over you and ask to do a million little things for you, but all Steve manages is a crooked smile and intense fear of whatever Bucky’s about to do.

But it’s not Bucky.

Sam Wilson charms his way around the back of your wheelchair slowly, pushing you up to the table right beside Steve, and coos, “can I get you anything? A coffee perhaps?”

He doesn’t have to do it though because Natasha is already setting a mug down in front of you.

“Careful, dear. It’s hazelnut.” Natasha puts on her best if-you-could-hit-a-woman smirk and aims it right at Steve’s cardinal red face.

“Ooo,” you squeak quietly, “I love hazelnut.”

Steve determines he’ll make a move anyway, but in a very typically, shy, Steve Rogers way.

When the meeting’s over, he volunteers to roll you back to your room for some sleep. He’s overly polite and cautious helping you out of the chair and changing out of partial hospital clothes. They cut away the top of your uniform, but your gown keeps you covered while he yanks off the pant legs of your skintight suit. He’s proud of himself for keeping it professional and friendly until he chickens out and tries to leave.

You’ve started to cry and ask for, of all things, a hug.

Steve’s melting faster than a Coney Island ice cream cone in the dead of summer. Of course, he’ll hug you. He’s literally dying to hold you.

It is, however, awkward with your injured arm. After trying a few angles, he swings around to wrap his arms at your waist and set his chin on your good shoulder. Steve’s never hugged anyone for so long and yet it was not long enough.

He never officially asks you out. He just keeps coming around every day and helps you do everything. When you’re in rehab for your shoulder, he helps with your muscle stretches, but he also simply hangs out near you.

When you two are alone he holds your hand or puts his arm over you. Eventually, he just snuggles up to you, standing, seated, or prone. Steve adores touching you, but not like that, not yet.

In hushed conversations, fingers wrapped together, cheek pressed to his chest, you’ve explained that it’s just never happened for you. You weren’t comfortable or a guy was too pushy or the timing was all off. Steve’s terrified now because he wants nothing more than for you to be comfortable, to not push you to anything ever, and—GAH—he hopes he has good timing. He’s pretty sure he doesn’t, but he relishes what you two have.

He especially relishes the one night when you two fell asleep in each other’s arms only to wake up—and it’s only because of what happened that Steve will admit this—horny as all hell. Nobody even removed clothing, but he was rock hard and moaning as you tossed a leg above his hip and rubbed against him. If he’s not mistaken, his poorly muffled shout when he came pushed you over the edge. That or Steve’s tight grip on your ass to help you move at a feverish pace.

Steve Rogers is a terrifically patient man, however, so he follows your lead and enjoys lots of intimacy even without, ya know, penetration. He cares and he wants to, but he doesn’t really care and doesn’t need it. If that makes sense. He’s not sure whether that’s wholly true or whether he’s just justifying stalling. He’s afraid of hurting you or being awful at it—or both. Could be both.

Luckily, the Team has now assumed you two are, well, having sex, and misinterpret the pair of you excusing yourselves from “Never Have I Ever” as a way to hide what you’ve done, not what you haven’t done. Steve isn’t correcting anyone, but that means he can’t really ask for advice without admitting very personal things.

He eavesdrops on conversations, even jokingly, that other Avengers and agents have about their sexcapades. He’s fascinated and a little shocked to learn a lot has changed since the good ol’ days when his Ma explained the birds and the bees to him.

Steve will need to do what? Right where? Is that legal? Wait, multiple times? He’s a logistics guy, so the hand-waving of specifics is irritating. How come the clitoris and G-spot have to be so damn hidden? He’s got a cock and balls. Boom. They’re out there for the world to see, well, no, sorta, but it’s certainly easier to get the gist where to touch. Instead, he’s gonna have to dig around and try angles? He has to control his tongue how?

The more Steve tries to plan and prepare himself, the more nervous he gets because this isn’t some sort of practice round: it’s you.

It’s such a strange thing that breaks him. On a mission that ends up being more of a retrieval of some evil douchebag from his palace in another country, Steve sees a woman. She may be the guy’s wife or mistress, but she has that look, the exact same look you had when you told him about men who did not treat you right. He understands why it bothers him so much in that moment.

She thinks that’s what she deserves. She thinks that’s all there is.

Steve feels sick with that thought the entire way home, and he knows you don’t understand when he shows up pounding at your door in the compound. He knows you don’t understand what’s happened when he takes you in his arms, cradles the back of your head, and kisses you like you’ll both be gone tomorrow. He knows you sense something has shaken him when he hoists your legs around his waist and carries you to your bedroom, but then he knows it’s time to talk.

“I love you, and I need you to know it.” He’s stern even when pinning you to your sheets and holding your face to only see him.

“Ok,” you gasp breathlessly. “I love you, too, Steve.”

“No, but—“ he’s had hours in a quinjet to figure out how to say this and he’s still fumbling “—I need you to know you deserve love.”

He watches that hit you harder than his body in the doorway, watches the soft refocusing of your eyes, watches the tensing brow in disbelief, watches the barely-there quiver of your lip. All of this, he watches, and that’s how he knows you heard, even if you don’t understand yet.

He slowly inches down to kiss you again. It’s completely different from every other kiss before, slow and tender, but not at all soft. His hand slides to your hip and pulls you as close to him as possible, flush with him, fused with him.

“Do you think we could try…” he mutters into your mouth in between ragged breaths. He hears your heartbeat hammering like a frantic drumline beneath him, and you nod. He’s both so outrageously excited and petrified that he’ll lose his nerve. He just has to remember what he told himself in the jet: if he can try six different times to get enlisted into the army, he can find a gosh darn g-spot.

No one—no one—would categorize what he does as a graceful disrobing. If you weren’t clearly surprised and nervous, you probably would have laughed at him, and Steve has a mind to tear the crew responsible for his suit a new one over how many pieces there are to loosen and remove until he can finally crook his fingers through the band of your shorts and settle between your legs.

Your shirt is still on, and he hasn’t pressed himself against you because honestly, he’s admiring the view for a moment. He can’t get over how you’re chewing the ever-loving hell out of your bottom lip while looking so greedily at his naked body. Steve knows he doesn’t look the way he grew up seeing himself in the mirror. Never hurts to remind him, and it still makes him blush.

Your eyes dart between his. “It’ll hurt.”

“You tell me the instant it hurts, and we stop. I promise.” Steve lowers himself again and plants a feather-light kiss to your bitten lips. “We don’t have to, you kn—“

“No, I—“ your hands grip at his broad shoulders “—I mean, I’m…just scared, but I…”

“Sweets, I don’t think either of us is ever going to not be scared.” Steve smiles when he sees you grin up at him.

“Somewhere, there’s a grammar Nazi who’ll come find you for that one, Rogers.”

Steve has to laugh, but he doesn’t have to laugh without kissing you feverishly again. Of your own accord, your hands move down, and down, and down to his  ass (which only makes him chuckle a little more), and your hips roll up to meet his in a lazy rhythm.

A familiar heat building in his gut, Steve breaks away. “Can I touch you?”

He sees your mouth open for a witty retort, but nerves take over. You simply nod again.

Steve takes it back. It’s like jumping out of a plane into enemy terrain. With just his fingertips gliding along the soft skin of your folds, he has no idea what he’s doing. What if he tries to press into your ass by accident? Jesus, what if this is just the beginning of his confusion? He tries to press just a little, hoping it seems less exploratory that way.

You clench, and he feels it.

“I’m ready, Steve. I trust you.”

Well, that’s nice and all, but he’s pretty sure he’s made a huge mistake. If he’d been braver, if he’d thought this through, he’d’ve asked for advice. Who he would have asked, Steve doesn’t know.

He can feel it now, your entrance. One finger snags along its edge before he slowly pushes in. Your whine is quickly released into a sigh. It’s ok. You’re ok. No pain, or at least very little of it, so he presses on, smearing around some of the slick coating his finger before adding a second. That makes your fist ball up the sheets at your hips and hiss around a sob. Steve immediately pulls his fingers out.

“Alright? I can stop.”

“No. No,” you pant, “it’s just, uh, the stretch of it stings, but it’s not…I’m ok.”

Steve’s an idiot. He watches your chest rise and fall, realizing something he’s overheard a bunch of times in various ways: if you’re more aroused, you can take him easier. He forgot real foreplay.

Steve doesn’t have to know anatomy and logistics to know that he’d like to kiss you everywhere, so he nuzzles up the hem of your shirt and snakes his fingers (some wet and some dry) up your sides. He’s rewarded with breathy gasps and whimpers he could hear on repeat for a lifetime. He really loves the delicate kind of heft your breasts have in his hands and commits the balance of firm plushness to memory. The texture of your nipple across his lips and tongue is interesting, but he likes your sounds a lot more. He really likes when you arch up into him and grab his hair.

Tentatively, while you’re wholly distracted by his hot mouth dancing all over your chest, Steve returns his hand to your mound. He doesn’t need to press closer to feel the damp pooling heavily between your legs. He’s pleased with himself, to say the least, but it’s still about you even if he is oddly close to finishing untouched based on sound and smell alone. His fingers glide in almost easily now, so easily (and knowing his own size) that he adds a third which is still a stretch.

Oh lord, the guttural thing that rattles out of your throat, though, will haunt his dreams forever. He wants to make you do that again. That’s not a pained sound; it’s close but not quite, and while Steve can’t explain why, he feels pride brewing along with the heat within him.

He curls his fingers, remembering that’s one of those oft-mentioned moves, and he doesn’t expect how immediately your legs fall wider for him. He also suddenly understands the difference in feel between the ridging on your walls and this one spongy spot right there.

Steve looks up from your breast, smiling, only to see that your head is thrown back. That’s ok. He’ll just have a smug moment all to himself because he found it, and he didn’t even have to ask or look it up. Take that, unhelpful euphemisms. Steve Rogers is good at sex.

A very high-pitch whine escapes you before he realizes what he’s doing. Steve buried his fingers in your heat while in his own thoughts, resting the heel of his palm against you, and then started pumping shallowly. Oh. Oh. Alright, he’s starting to get the hang of this, he thinks.

He debates simply watching you continue to fall apart or moving on, but a flash of something deeply feral, carnal all the way down to his core, teases him with the prospect of him being buried inside you, mouths within reach, eyes aligned. It’s not a difficult sell at this point. Steve’s fully supportive of his body existing to be used in this—

“Shit,” Steve hisses. He forgot the freaking condom. He plays it off as you struggle to participate in a coherent conversation, but he’s glad you’re not too far gone when you toss out your arm.

“Implant,” you huff, another groan rolling past your trapped upper lip. “’s fine. Please.”

What kind of gentleman would he be if he quit now, huh?

His whole body is just hot, blood pumping but somehow not efficiently for any other function than to crawl atop you and bask in the look of stunned bliss behind your blown out pupils. Smug is maybe too light of a word. Steve’s ecstatic.

He’s so excited, in fact, and slightly tricked by how wet you are when he first nudges his length against you, that he plunges right in. Your yelp tells him that was wrong, and Steve kisses the few tears that escape your tightly closed eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, sweets. Let me—“

“Don’t. Just don’t move for a sec,” you whisper, though he’s not sure you mean to.

Your legs scramble up the back of his, adjusting you and your angle, shifting him deeper even though he isn’t meaning to move. It’s torturous, but he stays completely still.

The few deep breaths you take brush your breasts up against him, and Steve can’t stop himself from taking one in hand again, kneading gently.

“Yes,” you finally sigh, hips rocking a little against his. He has permission to move, and oddly, he realizes he has permission to feel your body so tight around him. It’s a consistent and sensual pressure that Steve admits might be so glorious it should be illegal, but hell, if he’s gonna deny himself this ever again.

You’re perfect. You’re so perfect. You feel so good. He’ll never feel anything as wonderful as you and—

Steve snaps his mouth shut just as the short thrusts he’s been revving up with bring him nearly all the way out of you. Every thought in his head was coming out of his mouth. Maybe he’s a little too excited. He feels a tight pool of pressure that’s not directly gripped by your body, and he’s got to focus on you again. Focus. He can do it.

But then he sinks back into your heat, and no, he cannot do it.

“You want to try…” he’s breathing pretty hard now, too, apparently “…on top?”

“Yeah,” you huff, sloppily propping up on your elbows, “how do I—“

He’s wasting no time. Steve pulls you up into him for a kiss and rolls. He flops so heavily on your mattress, you bounce on him without either of you trying and this is awesome.

It’s that instant that Steve sees the same playful, delirious enjoyment in your eyes as he feels right now. You’ve dipped a toe in, and the water is nice. Jump on in. Steve’s like to let himself drown at this point, so whatever you want…

You experiment with a few types of movement while he watches in total fascination. The style you settle on is pressing your hands flat to his pecs, leaning slightly forward (which pinches your breasts together and dangles them right before his eyes), and dragging your pelvis down over him.

He’s done for. Your tightness pulls on his cock just rough enough to drive him crazy, and that feral urge snaps to the forefront of his brain again. He tweaks your nipples between his fingers and lifts his hips each time you get closer, allowing him deeper. When your body gets tired, torn between fatigue and the heavy coil trying not to break inside, Steve’s hands latch onto your hips and help you keep pace just like they did when you dry humped each other on this very bed. Nothing dry about this though, except maybe his mouth that’s been hanging open for however long now.

He licks his lips just as your head falls and your eyes lock onto his. You whine his name in the downright dirtiest, sexiest, mind-numbing way that the feral piece of him takes completely over. He’s just frantically rutting, pumping your hips into his in whatever way feels so fucking amazing he’s—

Your choked scream startles him for a split second until a deep moan rumbles behind it. Fuck, you’re gorgeous. Fuck, he loves you. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he’s coming, and then everything dissolves in a toe-curling rush of tangible feelings and heart-stopping emotions.

And then he’s surprised again.

You both come back down to your bodies, he pulls out of you cautiously, and you lay down at his side. Steve pets a thumb over your cheek and softly kisses your lips each time your eyes open back up to him. He shifts around to cover you both in blankets and listens to you hum while you start to fall asleep. Finally, just when he thinks you’re dead to the world, you jump forward (but about as fast as a sloth ‘jumps’ forward) to snuggle against him.

Steve’s already so whipped for this. He’ll give you anything and everything just to be here with him now, all night, all day, months and months, forever. He’ll fight with you, beside you, behind you, on you, inside you. Anything.

He’s done waiting to try.

[Find more on my Masterlist]

If you enjoyed this, please consider liking, commenting, and/or reblogging. It keeps the encouragement flowing and is basically crack for writers. You get more if you give more!

The Sequel: Your Dog, His Tricks

#steve rogers #fanfic #steve rogers fic #steve x reader #steve rogers fanfiction #fluff and romance #fluff and feels #steve x you #steve rogers x reader smut #steve rogers smut #smut #captain america x reader #captain america fanfiction #captain america x you #the avengers #avenger!reader #ro answers #sweet sunday asks

[dearest-painter]

Yandere Johnny with a teen dad!Greaser!Reader

Summary:Johnny’s childhood friend and right hand man may or may not be his secret lover who he wants the whole school to know that’s HIS man(Headcanons and oneshot)

TW/CW:Yandere behavior,Gary being a hypocrite,unhealthy behavior, unhealthy relationship,abusive behavior,abusive relationship,mentions of fights,Reader’s baby mama is unknown but it’s mentioned that their in great terms,Reader’s daughter is named Tallulah and if your asking where I got it from it’s from QMSP bc I’ve seen edits and honestly love the name!,Johnny and Reader are dating in this but try and make it hidden to anyone outside of their group,VERY OCC CHARACTERS BC JOHNNY IN THE GAME CARES MOSTLY FOR LOLA BUT IN THIS HES VERY POSSESSIVE OF READER!,Its implied that Lola has hit on reader,if I need to add more please do tell me

A/N:Yes I’m using the same gif and I’m gonna do one more person then make it into a series!

-Loves you to dying bits! Literally is the most affectionate with you in private as Bullworth is very homophobic because everyone is a fucker

-Everyone in the greasers respect you as they know your their bosses man and that he’s overprotective and has made multiple examples out of people who bad mouthed you or Tallulah

-He’s literally held himself from attacking Lola when she’s tried to flirt with you. The way she’s touched you pissed him off but he couldn’t do shit because they had to fake date just to hide your twos relationship…for a while

-He literally made sure tallulah called him dada so he can be a father figure in her life.

-He truly does love you even if he can be a bit insane to the point the townies and other groups think twice about flirting or hitting on you because of the amount of people he’s beaten because of that

-You two have your own hideout so basically it’s like y’all’s home because you all basically live there! There’s you and Johnny’s shared room and Tallulah’s. Honestly anyone walking in at first glance think you two are married

-The rest of the greasers are yanderes as well,they love you (either romantic or platonic is up to you) as much as their boss does! They literally make sure no one ruins yours,Tallulah’s,or Johnny’s name

-They will fight Lola or get some other chick to fight her if she tries shit. Lola aint safe.

- “Dada!!” Johnny smiled at the running 5 year old girl wearing a cute little greaser dress theme. “Heya princess! Did you or daddy chose this theme?” “I did! I wanted to match with daddy and dada! He said it was hard to find a dress version but he did it!” Johnny never stopped smiling as he picked up Tallulah. She adores the greaser theme and often wanted to wear some but it was hard to make her actually stay looking like a child so it took some time. “Where’s daddy?” Tallulah pointed to Norton and you talking. “Daddy said he’s planning you a surprise!” “Oh really? Can you tell me more hun?” “Nu uh! It a surprise and secret!” Johnny chuckled.

-He hates how Jimmy and Gary try and get with you,he trusted Jimmy but he doesn’t now after he found out he’s after his man! Gary!? Oh don’t get him started on Gary! That fucker trying to own you like an object!? He is so close to killing them both and presenting you their hearts to show you that your his! That no one can steal you!

#yandere #please don’t do this #obession #unhealthy #romantic yandere #yandere bully #male reader #x male!reader #yandere x male reader #x male reader #teenage parent reader #teen parent reader #yandere romantic #yandere romance #yandere headcanons #yandere oneshot #💭yandere headcanons♥️ #💭yandere headcannons♥️

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 1, poll 2

Propaganda

Shauntal's Library, Pokémon: Black and White versions 2:

She's the ghost-type elite four member and she decided that the best theming is spooky library for her room! She's also a writer so that probably helped.

The Duke's Archives, Dark Souls:

None

Endless Athenaeum, Critical Role – Campaign 1: Vox Machina:

The endless library of Ioun, the amazing goddess of knowledge from Critical Role!

The New York Public Library, Fahrenheit 451 video game (1984):

OK SO YOU GUYS KNOW HIT NOVEL FAHRENHEIT 451 RIGHT??? They made a video game in 1984 which is a semi-canon sequel to it where Montag has to break into the library to get a bunch of cassette tapes with books in them. It's a bit fiddly but if you play the game right, Montag makes it into the library, meets his old friend Clarisse, and they manage to send the tapes to the literary underground before they're both killed.

The video game is iconic. I think about it regularly :) There's a walkthrough or two on YouTube if you're interested!

Irminsul, Genshin Impact:

It's a giant tree that also acts like a computer, and don't the people love mixing the natural and mechanical? It records the world's memories but can also be edited. One guy tried to erase himself from history and everyone including him forgot that he existed best quest in the game tbh

The Astral Express Archive, Honkai: Star Rail:

The archive for the Astral Express, containing vast information on many things in the universe. Maintained and updated daily by Dan Heng, who also uses it as a bedroom (stop sleeping on the floor please you're going to get a backache)

#fictional libraries #tumblr tournament #archives #books & libraries #fictional archives #libraries #tumblr polls #poll #Pokémon #pokémon black and white #shauntal #critical role #vox machina #endless Athenaeum #IOUn the knowing mistress #ioun #fahrenheit 451

[chemicalbrew]

2023 game list, part 1: I love complaining!

Once again continuing what has become an honorable tradition thanks to @smash-64 💜

I tried to promise myself I'd be more organized this year, trying to take notes after I beat things, making lists and gifs and everything, as it has become a consistent yearly undertaking. In truth, what happened is that I felt more overwhelmed by this than I did the last three years. The best explanation I can give is a combination of two facts: this year, while not particularly worse than what came before, still saw my confidence in myself tank a bit (i.e. What does this matter when few people read it and I don't bring much things of value to the table?)...

And the fact that I played very few games that really stuck with me, that I enjoyed enough to see through to the end and feel like that had merit, for a lot of the year. When that wasn't the case, it was more than likely I'd been on my nth playthrough of Katana ZERO of the year (more on that in a later post, hopefully).

I probably need help, don't I?..

games I played, but don't have much to say about at the moment without being prompted, aside from 'I kinda liked them, I guess', ordered best to worst:

Purrfect Apawcalypse trilogy (2019-2021) - series of VNs that's genuinely just good fun as you find yourself attached to the characters before you know it. You'll know if this one is for you at a glance. Also, this is how I found out about Panel Royale! LOL

The Witch's House MV (2018) - good old RPG Maker horror with a few decent twists. The remake has good QOL changes.

Gunbrella (2023) - the plot might be forgettable, but you get a gun that's an umbrella! What's not to enjoy?

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) - I played this game, but only in the most technical sense. Literally cheated the fun out of it - either that, or this platformer style is not for me.

Coffee Talk: Episode 2 - Hibiscus & Butterfly (2023) - the most upsetting entry on the list. The writer behind the original game has passed away, and his absence is felt keenly even if you're not aware of the fact - because this sequel lacks charm.

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (2021) - yet another of those cheap and short indie 2D Zelda clones. The definition of the word meh.

Irisu Syndrome (2008) - a unique free puzzle timewaster. Tries to have a story and fails.

dishonorable mentions (the part with the most complaining)

2064: Read Only Memories (PC, 2014) [♪ Home (Not) Sweet Home]

Starts off decent enough, doing the bare minimum to string you along the mystery (which, for most people with standards, wouldn't even be good enough, but I was willing to stick with it for the sake of the neat audiovisual presentation).

As soon as the murder scene is revealed, however, the main plot starts to fall apart, and the longer you spend with the game's writing (which seems to go on and on forever) and characters (about as flat as a pancake fresh off the pan), the more bleak and yawn-inducing they seem (including Turing, who just took longer than everyone else to annoy me).

Do yourself a favor, play VA-11 Hall-A (which this game gratuitously references) instead. You'll get all the benefits of cute pixel art and upbeat soundtrack, but with an actually good story\character cast to match. I swear it says something about 2064 that one of its most exciting moments was seeing throwaway lines from a VA-11 character!

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (PC, 2015) [♪ Climbing the Ginso Tree]

This is a game that won awards back when it came out almost a decade ago. Unfortunately, it feels like it was made to win awards and little more. While the credits scrolling up the screen tried to convince otherwise - with the usual special thanks given to families and pets of the developers - I sat there, unsure of what I was supposed to take from this experience (once again, the less words you try to use to tell your story, the more it usually suffers!).

The heart of any platformer is its movement systems - and, while eventually Ori's tools open up just enough to make you feel at least a little free and alive in its world, they also never go beyond what is almost painfully typical. Double jump, wall climb, ground pound, glide, charged projectile? None of that is going to wow anyone. The way it comes together is not too pleasant, either - Ori's too floaty and the obstacles before him, while painted with a talented stroke, are too unclear in their presentation to make for truly fun traversal. The exception to this is the escape sequences - sure, a lot of the time they're not much less frustrating than the rest of the game, but they're definitely more memorable, to the point where the accompaniment to one was the only part of the soundtrack I could think to showcase.

I don't regret the time I spent on this, per se, but what I can tell you is that it probably didn't deserve the awards. Also, the way the wall jump worked was annoying! Pushing towards the wall to do it feels very counter-intuitive, and with this I found that I much prefer when games have you face away from the wall to register wall jumps, or do not require you to press a direction at all.

Celeste (PC, 2018) [♪ Checking In] + Celeste Classic (2015, played as part of full game) :)

I was in high school when this made waves. I pointedly feigned disinterest as it splashed all over the internet, while making sure to download the soundtrack quickly and listen to it - more than occasionally - over the next three or so years. Lena Raine's work carried me through my school years and empowered me, and all the while I hadn't a clue what playing the game is actually like.

Those were the better days.

Now, the things about this game that seem to appeal the most to a lot of people are how refreshingly simple Madeline's moveset is and how much the game respects your time with death transitions and reloading, and the story it tells through heartfelt cutscenes and gameplay working in sync. To which I boldly say... none of those things are good enough.

Having to climb and manage your stamina adds another layer to navigating the rooms, sure, but to my simple ass, that's one layer too many. To the game's credit, there's a setting to make climbing toggleable instead of requiring you to hold down the trigger, and using that was the only reason I managed to push past the hotel and Oshiro (call me a scrub, it was genuinely overwhelming otherwise), but it still did nothing to change how I feel about this mechanic fundamentally.

I get it, it adds precision and verticality to your movement, and, seeing as you're literally supposed to be scaling a mountain, it's more than a natural inclusion... but its existence did nothing but add pressure for me, somehow. I would frequently forget it's an option at all before realizing the room in question expects me to utilize it. Instead of feeling like climbing expands my options, I felt constricted and awkward.

My second issue is much simpler. I'm a spoiled brat, and Celeste's respawning process involving that annoying whoosh sound effect and a transition that, yes, takes only about a second, but is still not quite instant, was not good enough. I recognize that having it be truly instant would not be ideal, either, but I can't help but wish that was the case.

As for the story... It underwhelmed me even back when I was doing surface level research at the time of release, and it's not impressing me now. It's okay, and I recognize why it would resonate with people - the themes of self-acceptance and resolve are plain to see (and just as plain to mull over). But in my time with the game, Madeline never began feeling less like an avatar for my failures and more like an actual character, never changed into someone I would truly like.

By the time I reached the Mirror Temple, I was certain that this game, in most respects, is just not what I would ever want. I pushed towards the summit anyway, and left it feeling profoundly... nothing.

However... Celeste Classic did not have any of those things! That little prototype gem of a game wastes zero time trying to set the stage and make you feel things with ~a story~, doesn't give you any opportunity to climb whatsoever, and neither does it waste your time having the screen fade to black when you die! And these three things, I reckon, are key to why this smaller version, that's supposed to just be treated as an Easter egg now, a relic of the past, and to be forgotten in favor of the project it grew into... resonated with me so much more! I beat it twice! It's lovely! It's what I actually needed Celeste to be!

IT'S COMPLICATED

AI: The Somnium Files (PC, 2019) [♪ MonzAI] + AI:TSF - Nirvana Initiative (PC, 2022) [♪ Nefarious Institute 1]

You know how they say not to judge the book by its cover? This is a story of me learning (once again) to judge a game neither by its reception nor by the credentials behind it. When I plowed through this duology, I came to understand that sometimes, lightning might strike just the once.

Of course, most of my bitter feelings about it stem from just how miraculous of a fuck-up Nirvana Initiative ended up being as a sequel (it's impressive how much it had to twist everything its predecessor stood for to even have a chance at making a mediocre point!), but a lot of the disappointment came from the way the first game carries itself in general, and maybe even from the presence this game has among fans. 'Oh, if you want more of the magic and mystery that you so enjoyed in Zero Escape, you have to try this! It'll be just as good!'

I should have had my doubts from the start, given how little I had enjoyed the ZE series after 999. AI1 flounders in many things, like its obtuse, deeply unfun gameplay loop - most of which is pressing random buttons until you see the most ridiculous shit present itself. There's also the overt reliance on stale and perverse jokes, and a story that can barely do much except trudge to the finish line and attempt to convince you the journey was worth it with a trite dance number, of all things.

But the thing is… even with all that, the first entry was somewhat compelling during its runtime, though most of that comes from its bold novelty. The idea of taking advantage of the surreality of dreams to find deeply concealed truths is fun to occasionally ponder, and there's just enough fluff to the places you visit and things you do to string you along for the ride (though having to check the same spots for flavor text on each revisit to very little results is a deep annoyance I have with both entries). The characters actually got a chance to grow (if not by much… this series' urge to be immature at every turn is nothing short of ruinous, sometimes), and their designs strike a wonderful line between outstanding and cringeworthy that makes them just… stick out in your brain, you know?

So while I thought the song and dance (both the literal and the metaphorical) were ultimately not worth much, I was still convinced, fooled by the magic just enough to see things come to an end; and the resolution itself was satisfying and believable, if nothing else. And with how exhausted I felt reaching this point, I figured that'd be enough.

To me, AI1 is all about finding shards of diamonds in the rough, and it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that its fandom runs away with what little they have to try and improve on it (and often succeed). As such, you'd expect its sequel to take advantage of how much room there is to grow, capitalize on this chance to refine things, and use the few strong themes the original presented (value of bonds and family made both by blood and by choice, finding those you can rely on to carry what you have done forward, etc)... right?

Um, yeah, turns out it twists over itself even more than I'd already thought possible in order to make sense (not to mention seemingly forsaking most of that mess right at the true end in order to approach the established universe from a contrived meta angle). If AI1 can be described as having extremely unrefined gameplay coupled with a decently intriguing story, NI is just about the opposite of that.

While I'm glad they bothered to make exploring the dream worlds enjoyable this go around, there's no way in hell that makes it worthwhile to bear witness to the innumerable ways in which this mess of a sequel sullied the already weak foundations laid down by its predecessor. When I had finished that game, I wrote, on impulse, that 'I haven't been this confounded by a sequel's existence since Chrono Cross'. It just… did not need to happen, like, at all.

Nirvana Initiative posed to me one of the worst questions you can have while playing a game, which is…

'Why am I doing this, again?'

Let's be real, it was mostly for the soundtrack. Unlike AI1, this game had passable music! Though having to watch ANOTHER dance number (like half a dozen times, actually! and no, there's no skip button!) just about had me gagging.

That's not even the worst part about that sequence, no - that would have to be the way it almost actively ruins and undermines what's probably the only passable character arc in NI (and even then, you have to squint hard for it to pass your judgement, given how it starts... gotta hand it to this game for managing to have multiple relationships with genuinely questionable setups involving uncomfortable age gaps).

I wanted to feel touched by the new, somewhat expanded narratives, I wanted to see the world grow a little, despite all the grievances I was certain I would have... But not even halfway through the plot, I realized that my true wish was to just move on. I think that's what I'll do here, as well, as even reminiscing on this chaos is quite dreadful.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch, 2022) [♪ Agnus Colony]

Don't become prey and victim to your own expectations - or to bad advertising.

Xenoblade is a special series, full of wonder and power. Words fail me this year, as they did the year before, when it comes to describing how much of an impact these games - the second entry most of all, a game I think about now and then with a bittersweetness on my heart that I oddly never can get enough of - had had on my mental well-being last year. They might as well have saved me back then, and while getting to experience them was something I'd been planning to do for a while, the specific circumstances it all had happened under were just so special, so exceptional, so wild, that it's hard to think of those days as anything but a gift.

And yet, there are plenty of things in this particular journey I still have to reconcile with. I never settled on what my impression of 1 is, in the end (or, some might say, I never properly played it); I could use a fresher look at 2, and… I never, ever, will finish Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It's a game I once had hopes for, but nowadays don't ever want to think about.

I thought it a privilege, of sorts - the fact that I was there to witness (and acquire) a brand-new release in a series that became dearly important to me. I ended up hearing many things - the trailers, the rumors, the leaks. They all spoke of a definitive resolution to the series, of levels of refinement never seen before, of intrigue so big you can barely take it, of key character appearances we were all dying to see.

Turns out most of what we were so eagerly expecting came with an extra price tag.

The base game of Xenoblade 3 is a mirage, a mere shade of what came before it. The environments are open and vast, but they look more drab than ever - and with the new autowalk feature, it takes even less time to get sick of it. The music takes you on a journey, but you forget what it sounds like far sooner than you'd prefer. The battle system promises lots of options and a nice learning curve, but it only overextends, overwhelms and forces you to grind. The cutscenes look every bit the part of a Xenoblade story, but meander and stretch things out to the point of boredom, which means none of the characters get enough time to grow on the player, either… Though a lot of them would probably go nowhere even given all the time in the world.

And the setting as a whole? Well, it's a simulation, so who cares about it feeling unique or fun? That's the point, the game says, you're supposed to empathize with these characters breaking out of their bonds, out of this miserable existence! Well, I say that things can be made appealing even in decay. You don't have to actively worsen things to make a point.

Future Redeemed is an impressive demonstration of how things could have been. It fixes practically every point where the base game falters - and it is in this part of the game where all those promises that once seemed hollow finally come true. Sort of. The exploration process is smooth as butter in the way none of the games before were, characters are at last back to having defined roles in battle, and all that teasing becomes a thing of the past as 3 acknowledges its own roots and past in full, and you think to yourself… 'If only we'd got this in the base game all along!'

But we didn't. And the credits on Future Redeemed roll far too soon to truly be satisfied. Is this how you wanted the saga to end?

honorable mentions

Butterfly Soup 2 (PC, 2022) [♪ Night Tourist] *I hope you'll forgive me for not finding a GIF for a mostly static VN...

It's so funny. For me it has been two years; for the creator, it'd been five. But I guess time doesn't matter when it comes to maturity, as I feel like both myself and this game have done plenty of growth. And for that, I love it all the more, just as I am now thankful to be able to call Butterfly Soup a short series.

Compared to the first game, the art is more refined, the tone is more consistent, and treatment of serious topics is more grounded - in more ways than one, this sequel is like a fond, yet melancholic look at what you once had, what changed since then, and what you hope to make of things. But between all that, it stays sincere and silly in the best of ways - the ones that make you feel cozy on the darkest of nights, the ones that endear you for a good while yet. Truly, this game was a ray of light in a sea of mediocrity this year.

Road 96 (PC, 2021) [♪ Hit the Road]

Yeah, I know. The fact that I have played a goddamn walking simulator at the behest of a good pal (who might or might not be reading this, hi on the off chance that you are!) is nothing short of a miracle. Not to mention the fact that I ended up having a good time with it!

I'll put it plain: the vibes of this game are almost impeccable. It wastes little time setting things up - it's the turn of the century, and a massively corrupt government is practically folding in on itself as it closes its borders. It's up to you, as you're literally put into a blank-slate teenager's shoes, to go on a desperate journey and see whether or not you make your way out.

Over the course of Road 96, you do this six times, and the people you meet on the way and choices you make with them may or may not shape not just your own future, but that of the whole country. There's nothing for it, then, but hit the road and see what awaits you, as you sit in a car that's probably stolen, blaring music from your carefully curated tapes… or are dropped off on the wayside with nothing but a paltry backpack to speak of… or find yourself biding your time near a gas station… or… whatever it is the game throws at you, as you hope that the strangers you run into actually deign to help.

Yes, the biggest way this game attempts to stand out is with our good old friend, RNG. Even reading blurbs about it, you cannot escape the all-too-typical claims of 'your own personal journey', 'a thousand unique paths waiting for you' and all that… months later, I find myself unable to decide whether this helped the game or harmed it more, as it's definitely smaller than it makes itself out to be.

As a story hook, this setup is clever and delightful, as I tried to illustrate a moment earlier, but the moment you begin to overthink it, you realize that the randomness aspect clashes hard against the continuity the game tries to establish. You, as the player, indeed learn more about the world and colorful characters in it each time you venture forth, but the avatar you control is supposed to be clueless as ever, setting out on a path that is, in fact, not quite their own any more. It's a weird gripe to have, and I found it an easy one to ignore, but I wish something could be done about it anyway.

As for the rest of the plot, let's just say it's... surprisingly binary, and the supporting cast small and not always compelling in turn. The game sacrifices some of the personal intimacy and uniqueness it has built up to make a sweeping, painfully boring statement of 'freedom good, suppression bad' before credits roll, but as damaging as that is to the overall experience, I feel like one can't deny the fundamental appeal of just being asked to go on a journey with sweeping stakes and truly, truly banging music. Seriously, it was meant to be put on speakers and blasted as the world passes you by!

In a word, Road 96 is ambitious, and in a sentence, it is ambitious, yet falling short of itself. Nonetheless, I was impressed by how it managed to worm its way into my heart for a while.

A Space for the Unbound (PC, 2023) [♪ Don't Have Much Choice]

Wouldn't you know it? I had actually played two games involving entering people's subconsciousness to solve their problems this year!

Truth be told, I'd been looking forward to this game for about a year, given that it was published by the people behind Coffee Talk (which, if you recall, I had quite enjoyed). The warm and inviting screenshots on the back-then almost empty store page, showing off awesome art and promising a sweet little journey with slice-of-life tropes and a mystery waiting to be solved… well, to say all of that was alluring is to say nothing, really. I just about jumped when I received a notification for this game releasing at last at the beginning of the year, and wasted little time trying to dive in.

The sad thing is, what you see is not always what you get. The cozy, comfortable, sensible vibes of the early game - running around the city, doing chores at your school, naming every stray cat you come across, watching the protagonist's diary fill up as he crosses all the little goals he had set in life off his precious list… Yeah, those things won't last - definitely not long enough to get you attached to characters living in this world.

As the plot begins to unfold, it fumbles over itself trying to introduce various cliches and supernatural elements, to the point where you recognize the whole experience as a tedious drag as you see exactly where it's heading, and think to yourself that you have heard all this before. It's yet another heartfelt story about self-actualization, and as the game hammers it in harder than ever before, you sigh and wish you could go back to the times of bottle cap collecting and cat petting. Sometimes, simpler is better.

Unfortunately, that's not exactly true when it comes to actually playing A Space for the Unbound. The gameplay is as simple as can be - basically all you do is walk around (quite slowly) and interact with things. I can appreciate how linear the game is, for the most part, but I wish it let us accomplish our goals without wasting too much time! Not to mention, if you try to see everything there is, you have to be prepared to deal with quite a few mind-numbingly repetitive mini-games for far longer than you have to. Don't do that. It'll just sully your impression of the game.

If you're somehow still interested in this after reading this messy opinion of mine, don't be too discouraged - you'll see plenty of beautiful sights, hear some cute music, and, maybe, be affected by the story far more than I was. (Besides, for a cat lover, it's always nice to see others appreciate them!) Just... try not to waste too much time with the game's superficial sidequests.

Tales of the Abyss (3DS, 2011 port of a 2006 release) [♪ The Distribution Base]

There's something ironic in how playing (most of) this game has been one of the best things I have done with my lovely 2DS since I homebrewed it earlier this year... and yet I quite regret not checking how (ahem) easily available the PS2 version is, instead. They may be functionally identical, but the hardware is not - you have no idea how hard some of the goddamn Mieu Fire puzzles become when your character is taking up a mere four or so pixels of an already tiny screen. Man, that was trying my patience at its finest.

These horrors aside, though, what kind of game are we even dealing with here? Well, it’s a Tales game first and foremost. I can’t deny claims that Abyss has a few strengths of its own (most notably, of course, actually bothering to have coherent character development arcs), but it’s not quite enough to obscure the ever-prevalent issues this series has:

exploration and side-questing is still annoyingly obtuse, not to mention traversal is painfully slow in the first half of the game,

some characters (in this case, Anise more so than others, but I'd argue Mieu's whole existence is part of this too) are obligated to suffer because Tales has to meet its unhealthy anime tropes\wackiness quota per game,

the skit system has not, unfortunately, evolved one bit (the amount of times I would skip a skit on accident, because any input halts its playback entirely…),

while I’m inclined to say the battle system is, for the most part, an improvement (the Field of Fonons mechanic is quite a nice change given the foundations of Tales gameplay, I have to admit), any goodwill you might want to give it gets shattered when you realize Free Run breaks bosses in half. And aside from that, it’s just your usual button-mashy fare.

So why did I push on with this game as far as I did, pulling the classic move of quitting right at the final boss instead of, well, any earlier? A lot of that is because I was just in the mood to mash some buttons in bed until I realized I was slightly underleveled for the finale and caught myself groaning at the mere thought of trying to even cheese it. A shame, that, because the ending of this game is pretty wonderful for what it set out to do, and it was the only bit I did not see on my own. It's like my experience with Final Fantasy VI all over again…

That's not all there is to it, though. Abyss has some of what's probably the most involved and curious worldbuilding (once you get past all the awkward made up jargon it loves to throw at you) of any Tales game I know! Not that this says much, because that's a low bar, and I'm not too familiar with the series at large, but it was enough to keep me engaged for a long while. And, as mentioned earlier, it puts in greater efforts than I expected to endear you to the cast as they slowly band together and uncover their own talents, purposes and aims in life - Luke in particular.

I liked him almost immediately - because I'm not too hard to please when it comes to this series, and his design is, I feel, particularly sweet and striking (especially given how nicely the game used the Important Haircut trope with him, and of course, the contrast between him and Asch). But that alone doesn't a good protagonist make - it's the fact that the story allows Luke to make mistakes (from small ones to straight-up catastrophes), get his comeuppance and grow from them organically, at his own pace, that makes him stand out in my mind.

As Luke sheds his sheltered ways of thought and accepts his responsibilities, those that were traveling with him, either out of obligation or by chance, begin to support him more and stand by him in earnest. It all comes together gradually and at a satisfying pace, and is definitely a highlight of the experience to me.

Growth and connection are probably among the biggest themes of the game, so it's nice to see that it applies pretty much equally to both protagonists and antagonists. Sure, it's the job of a Tales' Big Bad faction to be goofy and up to nefarious activities, but beyond that, the group has solid enough chemistry both among themselves and with the party that I actually ended up looking forward to most encounters with them, even if ultimately it felt a little predictable. As an aside, for a game this old, the voice acting was really good and plentiful (though there is none for skits, which sucks), and further piqued my interest in the story along the way.

To conclude, I'd like to say that the biggest thing I learned while playing this game is that I'm a sucker for grounded tales of (ha) self-actualization even this many years later. And also that once you play one Tales game, you truly, to some extent, know them all.

SANABI (PC, 2023) [♪ Warm Hospitality]

Do you want to know why I ended up playing this one? Of course you do, that wasn't really a question. I only bring this up because the answer can be revealed with a single screenshot:

...yep, the inspiration is that blatantly on display. I was expecting it, of course - the Katana ZERO community is the only reason I know of SANABI in the first place, and even as you read people's thoughts on it, the extreme similarity is practically all they ever bring up, be it in a positive or negative light. It pleased me and warmed my heart, while also making me feel wary - it's one thing to be inspired by something, and another to actually carve an identity of your own.

That said, KZ is far from the worst thing to try to replicate, particularly when it comes to visuals - SANABI has some awesome scenery that makes me feel right at home. And while the story at times feels so much like an amateurish copy that it leaves me confused more than anything (I'm sure the awkward English translation sadly does not help matters, not to mention the fact that I'd played this game in an unfinished state - you might expect me to write about it again next year!), the gameplay is anything but.

I'm sure there are quite a few platformers out there that have you use what's essentially a grappling hook to swing through the stages, but SANABI is my first experience with something like this, and in this regard the game absolutely manages to shine on its own. Movement is lightning-fast and responsive, enemy targeting is extremely generous - almost to the point of being handholdy (and, of course, they all die in one satisfying hit - as do you, if you set the game to the highest difficulty. It's nice to be given an opportunity to learn the ropes before engaging with the game earnestly!), and there's something to be said about how the level design has that extreme kind of clarity to it that I always appreciate and favors speed over precision, with how spacious everything is.

My only big issues with how the game plays are how it doesn't seem to be designed with a controller in mind (it is an option, but I found myself moving much more precisely with KBM! Me! Someone who never plays games with that!), and, once again, the just-a-bit-too-long death animation\transition. Being able to skip it helps, but I just yearn for no time to be wasted...

#celeste #aitsf #xbc3 #tales #abyss #zero.txt #yearly game list #flashing gif #.gif

[k4tisblog]

08 MEDIA DIARY: Dan & Phil & Privacy

HELLO INTERNET!!!!!!!! If you didn't know me in 2012-2017, you might not know about my little fixation on these two British men on YouTube. Meet Dan Howell and Phil Lester. They started out as teenagers making silly videos in their bedrooms. Dan inspired by and a fan of Phil, made his own content and - come 2009, ended up meeting Phil.

(Moral of the story: Parasocial relationships work! Sometimes!)

Chaos ensues, they bond for life.

Now you can never really think of one without the other.

Without getting too much into it, yes. You know the internet. There was HEAVY speculation on their relationship and sexuality. I never got into it myself, but it was a huge part of the "phan"dom in the early days. Inescapable. Them openly denying that they were gay while their fanbase wrote insane erotic fanfiction (think: hamsters, peeling of skin), made "evidence" edits, and leaked footage from their private lives - It was a wild ride, and dare I say invasive at times. They did come out as queer at the end of June 2019! In Dan's 45-minute-long video titled "Basically I'm Gay", we get to know a lot of his personal battle with his sexuality, yet while still barely scratching the surface of it all.

"Obviously we were more than friends, but it was more than just romantic. This is someone that genuinely liked me. I trusted them. And for the first time since I was a tiny child, I actually felt safe. And the relationship we formed at that point was something that I needed in my life. We are real best friends, companions through life, like actual soulmates." is what Dan says about Phil, choosing not to elaborate further. He sets a boundary with his audience, stating that he wants to keep his personal life private (and so does Phil).

I respect that dearly, and I am glad that the fanbase has matured a bit more over the years to abide by that boundary (at least from what I've gathered. I hope... Looking up their names seems to say otherwise). Learning what to keep private and what to turn into content is a fascinating practice. Especially when you're a celebrity whose entire brand revolves around your person, stories, and hijinks. There will always be people who you can't control - those who view you as a commodity, a story to unpack and watch unfold. I feel like none of us are built to be seen by this many people at once. On a personal account, everytime I've encountered a brush of virality I go a bit cuckoo and I find myself withdrawing into a shell. It really does take a certain strength/dissociation to be perceived by so many.

Anyways, they uploaded a video on their shared gaming channel recently! "A Fan Perfectly Recreated Our House in Roblox". Self-explanatory, and also not clickbait! It was fun seeing their old apartment perfectly recreated as they occasionally showed clips of videos, reminiscing about their old content.

...Pretty jarring to see their real street views outside their windows, though! (O_o) ( 8:38 ) A bit funny, but also not funny at all. I giggled, had a bit of a haha hehe, but I also worried. There are definitely people out there who stalk creators by going to places they frequent, or even their own homes just from clues online.

Everyone is a content creator to some extent, so we need to be mindful! Digital footprint, guys! Moral of the story is shut your blinds and throw away your phones and delete yourself off the face of the internet and change your name and live off the grid and. I'm kidding... I also wrote this at 1.25am and am unsure how to end it. GOODNIGHT INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Goodnight Chris.

#youtube #dan and phil #word vomit #blog post #media diary #digital diary

[haitherecaringmonke]

Dorm Leaders meeting Lucille’s Pokemons

Edit: I just remembered that Lucille’s Gogoat have a nickname

Edit 2: I forgot that Florges also has a nickname.

Edit 3: I gave Manectric a nickname.

Riddle Rosehearts - Toothgnasher (Gogoat)

“Amazing, not only are you strong but you are also very gentle”

Moves: Vine Whip, Bulldoze, Synthesis, Aerial Ace.

The first time Riddle meet Toothgnasher, he went over to Ramshackle looking for Ace and Deuce, the three along with Grim were treated to some PokePuffs made by Lucille. As soon as he takes the first bite, Riddle was amazed to find out how delicious it is.

He was shocked to find out that the PokePuffs contain milk from the Gogoat, and complimented her about it.

Riddle is… confused to know why Lucille named her Gogoat “Toothgnasher”

“Why Toothgnasher though ?”

“I was young and thought the name sounded cool ok ?”

Another time is when Riddle asked Lucille if she wanted to join the Equestrian club for a day and she said yes. He wasn’t really expecting her to show up riding Toothgnasher with an old saddle that has big satchels on the sides.

It turns out that Toothgnasher used to be part of her main team, until she received the Egg and the Gogoat had to stay back in the PC when Lucille traveled in Galar as the region doesn’t have many mountainous terrains.

Riddle was rather excited when Luce asked him if he wanted to ride on Toothgnasher. The Gogoat started to move the moment he grabbed her horns, and going the exact route that he wanted to go, and stopping when he wanted to stop nonetheless. Riddle was fascinated to learn how she can tell how he is feeling by subtle shifts in the grip on her horns.

At the end of the club session, everyone was treated to some PokePuffs made by Lucille using Toothgnasher’s milk. Sebek claims he doesn’t like the the PokePuffs as he has each PokePuffs on each hands.

In conclusion, Riddle took quite a liking to Lucille’s Gogoat and hopes to see her again.

Leona Kingscholar - Persian

“Oi Herbivore, tell your cat to stop bothering me”

Moves: Iron Tail, Pay Day, Fake Out, Slash

Leona hates Persian. Persian hates Leona. Both are very prideful large cats so they can’t stand each other. There can only be one alpha cat.

Whenever he wanted to take a nap in the Botanical Garden, the Classy Cat is already there and sleeping soundly.

He tried everything to chase him away, from threatening to kick him away, Persian wouldn’t budge. If he isn’t sleeping, Persian would hiss at him, and if Leona tries to approach him, he would get Slashed by Persian.

Occasionally, Leona would spot the Classy Cat Pokemon lazing around on a large tree branch and looking down on him. It pisses him off, and the lion beast man swears to get him one day.

There is even one time when Persian swiped Leona’s Deluxe Meat sandwich and Leona came back to his dorm with tattered clothes.

There are times when Leona is just to lazy to move Persian though, so the lion just plops down and sleep next to him. Ruggie once found him cuddling the Classy Cat and was threatened by Leona if this ever got out.

Azul Ashengrotto - Malamar

"Prefect please tell your squid to stop staring at me like that..."

Moves: Slash, Psycho Cut, Hypnosis, Foul Play

Lucille’s Malamar, like all other Malamars, is a mastermind and can mind control others.

Granted her Malamar only mind controlled Lucille so he could get some more food and snack but still.

During Chapter 3, Malamar is with Lucille and he has to be blind to not notice Azul staring at him greedily. But he doesn’t act just yet. Instead Malamar just wait for the perfect time to act.

When Lucille and Grim got kicked out of Ramshackle along with her other Pokemons, Malamar snuck back into Ramshackle after learning what he did, where Azul inspecting the building. Two can play at this game you Cephalo-punk

Azul was quite surprise to see a large squid just standing there, menacingly, but he doesn’t mind it. Rather, the Octo-mer was quite elated to see this exotic creature, and he tried to get on it’s good side (for future nefarious purposes).

However, that’s all that Azul remembers as he woke up somewhere near the Great Seven’s statues, several hours later than the last time he checked his watch.

Confused, he got up and returns to his dorm, noticing how students are avoiding eye contacts with him. Needless to say, Azul is not happy to learn what he did from Jade and Floyd as he became a lot more guarded around the Overturning Pokemon.

What the Overturning Pokemon did to Azul shall never be discussed whatsoever.

It didn’t help that Azul became Malamar’s favorite victim (alongside Ace, Deuce and Grim)

Kalim Al-Asim - Cufant (Shiny)

“You’re such a cute and lovely elephant !”

Moves: Rollout, Body Slam, Iron Defense, High Horsepower

Kalim loves Cufant, Cufant loves Kalim. The universe is healed thanks to these two.

Kalim first spotted Cufant after Chapter 4 and before Chapter 5 as he and Jamil are being given a tour by Lucille around the Pokemon habitats, as well as helping her around with the chores.

Lucille and Jamil turned around for a second and the boy is already by Cufant’s side, who is playing with some other Pokemons.

While the little elephant was quite shocked to see a stranger, but Cufant quickly regained her composure and greeted Kalim with much enthusiasm.

They played some more until Jamil reminded him of their original purpose of coming to Ramshackle.

Kalim was quite sad that he can’t play with Cufant anymore, but to his surprise the Copperderm offered him her help and the boy was amazed by her strength.

Lucille explained that one time while she was traveling in Galar she fell off a cliff and broke her leg, thankfully a herd of Cufants and Copperajahs came to her aid and this specific little one followed her. The story made Kalim hug Cufant and give her praises.

Sometimes, Cufant can be seen hanging out over at Scarabia where she is spoiled rotten by Kalim.

Vil Schoenheit - Lumineon

“Hm, I supposed you’re not bad”

Moves: Water Pulse, Aqua Ring, Aurora Beam, Ice Beam

Vil has heard of the magicless prefect who can command powerful beasts before, but he doesn’t really pay her any attention as her beasts looked rather rugged to his liking.

During VDC camp, the Pomefiore trio are given a tour around the Pokemon habitats by Lucille. Rook was marveling and praising every single Pokemon that they came across, while Epel is more focused on the strong looking ones.

None of the Pokemons Lucille has really captured Vil’s eyes, to be honest. Most of them are too rough for his liking.

Until they stop by the lake.

It was there that he saw something glimmer underwater and Vil became intrigued. He asked Lucille what was causing the glimmer and she dived down the lake for a few seconds before surfacing with a fish with large fins.

He was mesmerized by the fish’s beauty, who Lucille introduced as Lumineon. Lumineon is quite friendly too, as she loves the way Vil pet her.

During the entire period of training for VDC, whenever Vil gets stressed, he would go to the lake where Lumineon resides along with other aquatic Pokemons.

He took one selfie with her and smirk as his Magicam page practically exploded with likes and comments asking him about the mysterious fish.

Occasionally Vil would drop by Ramshackle asking if he could borrow Lumineon for a photoshoot.

Idia Shroud - Manny (Manectric)

“Eeeek! Don’t come any closer !”

Moves: Ice Fang, Electric Terrain, Discharge, Crunch

Idia is generally terrified of Manny.

I mean, look at how intimidating that yellow and blue electric dog looks.

It didn’t help that Manny had quite the temper too.

Like this one time when a foolish Ignihyde student tried to take one of Lucille’s Pokemons because according to the student, it looked like an SSR monster.

That “SSR monster” in question is Manny. And he chased the student all the way back to Ignihyde and caused a power outage. Idia went outside to get some snacks only to witness all of this.

Man’s terrified. He’s never going to step a foot outside.

It didn’t help that one time Ortho borrowed Manny to show Idia.

He’s terrified 2.0, but this time he’s scared for Ortho because he remembered the power outage and telling the robot to “get away from the scary lighting dog thingie this instant”.

Manny won’t attack Ortho, can’t say the same for Idia though. As Ortho pets the Discharge Pokemon, Manny gives Idia a stare that asserts dominance.

Yup, terrified.

Malleus Draconia - Titania (Florges)

“I am honored to meet such a lovely fairy like you”

Moves: Energy Ball, Moonblast, Grassy Terrain, Protect.

Malleus was on his usual nightly walk when he spotted what he assumed was a floating white bouquet. Upon closer inspection he realized that it is a living creature, tending the Berry Garden.

When he ask Lucille about, he discovered that said creature is called Titania, a Florges, and she is a fairy.

Malleus wasn’t really surprised by this as he already has an inkling that she is a fairy. He is quite pleased to know that she is one though.

Titania quite adores the dragon fae and treats him with respect. Malleus also respect Titania as well, she radiates an aura that reminds him of his own grandmother.

Now his night time strolls is occasionally joined by the Florges. While he doesn’t fully understand the Garden Pokemon, the two get on just fine.

The Dorm Leader of Diasomnia was quite surprised to know that Titania used to be Lucille’s mother’s Pokemon until she decided to go give Lucille to see the world.

He admires how Titania dedicates herself to protecting the Berry Garden along with Lucille too. The dragon fae was happy to know that the rose seeds he gave her has bloomed into very beautiful flowers

Malleus often sends letter to his grandmother, telling her of a flower fae that protects the garden she resides at, making the older fae became curious of this mysterious garden fae.

#twisted wonderland #twst x pokemon #twisted wonderland x pokemon #riddle rosehearts #leona kingscholar #azul ashengrotto #kalim al asim #vil schoenheit #idia shroud #malleus draconia

[novvaable]

Get to Know Me- Sims Edition

thank you @hurricanesims for the tag <33

sorry for taking so long to reply, for some reason it took me ages to actually answer these questions🤠

What's your favourite Sims death?

i hate when my sims die.. i can honestly say i’ve never forcefully killed any of my sims as I get so attached to them. in this case, id probably say death by old age.

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

alpha! back when I used to play ts4 i gravitated towards maxis match.

Do you cheat your sims weight?

seems pointless to me lol

Do you use move objects?

yes!🫡🫡 impossible to build /decorate without it

Favourite Mod?

nrass master controller - it so universal and makes life a lot easier 🥺

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

my first expansion was university life. it will forever have a special place in my heart, I love it so much

Do you pronounce live mode or aLIVE or LiVing?

never even thought about it honest, probably like alive??

whos your favourite sim that you've made?

my girlie marcie, she’s come so far with me so I just have a special kinda attachment to her lol

Have you made a simself?

no i think this would just make me miserable

Which is your favourite EA hair colour?

none. I always find the tones of ea hairs to just be a little off? i just use custom colours

Favourite EA hair?

well i dont use any EA hairs they look ugly I have default replacements hairs by maryjane

Favourite life stage?

young adult

are you a builder or are you in it for gameplay?

only recently have i been in it for the gameplay. but i use that phrase lightly. i wil forever be a builder at heart.

Are you a CC creator?

barely lol. sometimes i post occasional things for dl. my knowledge of cc making only scratches the surface. i can do the basics like make poses, and custom photos (alongside sims and builds - but who doesnt).

ive tried to get into cc making a couple of times but its so complicated? i have mad respect for cc makers in the community. ill leave that job to the professionals.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

back in my day... lol not so much anymore. after i took a fat hiatus a lot of the people i used to regularly talk with moved on.

@pixelevia is still my girlie. she doesnt post much, but we talk all the time off tumblr and regularly get each other excited about sims storylines that are yet to come to life lol.

Do you have any sims merch?

yes.. i am embarrassed to say that when ts4 was release i pre-ordered the deluxe version. it came with a mouse pad.. its long gone now. but i always remember it having a funky smell ??

also i dont wanna talk about the fact i paid an arm and a leg for ts4 (i dont even play it?!) and now its free. forever going to be salty over this fact.

How has your ''Sims Style'' changed throughout your years of playing?

i'd like to think it has! considering my blog is old, i feel like it has grown with me and that reflects in the style of my sims. recently ive been striving for a slightly more realistic looks to my sims

Whats your Origin ID?

i do have an origin id unfortunately. (is it stil even called that?)

i have a lot of opinions on this new ea app bs. but we wont go into that.

Who's your favourite CC creator?

everyone! honestly anyone who has the skills to be able to make beautiful and functional cc are brilliant.

but just to name a couple:

@rollo-rolls

@smallsimmer

@martassimsbook

@sourlemonsimblr

@satellite-sims

How long have you had simblr?

I had to check my email for this.. as of feb 2023, my blog turned 9 years old?! so I guess almost 10 years. (thats kind of mad)

How do you edit your pictures?

depends on the picture! usually for scenery pics I will just sharpen them and adjust the brightness / saturation / contrast.

for sim pics it really just depends on how bothered I can be.

I’ve recently made the change to gshade so that’s been doing all the heavy lifting for me.

I use hunnybee’s moon syrups preset <3

What expansion/ stuff pack is your favourite?

university life!! it was the it was the first expansion pack i got and so it holds a special place in my heart. its also a pretty awesome pack too.

tagged:

@satellite-sims / @smallsimmer / @pixelevia @kitty-pixelz

#ts3 #the sims 3 #sims 3 tags #asks

[tennis-kittens]

@Mdemoliner

It's impossible to express this feeling of gratitude I've felt over the last 24 hours, but I'll try to describe what I'm feeling with words.

I grew up watching Pan and dreaming of some day winning a medal... and be the pan american champion A bold dream for a guri from South Caxias.

I'm 34 years old and never had a chance to compete in Pan. Tennis is an amazing sport but there are those. You cant control the injuries Everything has its own time.

Since 2019, when I couldn't play Pan de Lima due to injury, I kept dreaming of competing in the next edition.

Not many people know, but I suffered another injury a month ago in China. CRACK. Mid game ugly twist. Off court in a wheelchair to the hospital. Couldn't even see my ankle - it was tennis ball size. I've been thinking about it and decided not to talk about it publicly, I was heartbroken.

I started treatment as quickly as possible, aware that Pan, now in 2023, was once again at risk. I sought different treatments, dedicated myself 100% and continued to believe that I could be on the court.

It was VERY special to be able to make that dream come true not only mine, but also my parents, my wife, family, my team, my sponsors and so many of you who are with me on this journey. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who made me believe and celebrate with me today.

Hug from Demo 🥇🇧🇷

#yeah so i might obsess over this for a while feel free to unfollow me #my boy realized his life dream omg i'm so happy for him 😭♥️ #he deserves it so much #'Hug from Demo' ... #I'm not crying you are [violent sobbing]

[aprillikesthings]

I had originally promised msyelf I wouldn't live-tweet or live-blog my rewatch of she-ra (mostly bc it will make it take FOREVER to watch the whole thing) but...fuck it

THIS IS A REWATCH. I've forgotten plenty of it, but I still remember plenty too, and that's all going to bias how I react to things, and obviously there will be spoilers, and also I don't plan to react to EVERYTHING bc it would just take too long okay? okay

Edit: ....yeah this took me nearly two hours for one episode oops

First of all let me point out how hilarious it is to me that when scrolling back through my tags I found myself posting MULTIPLE TIMES that I wanted to write the kind of fic I'm working on but knew I'd need to rewatch the whole series to do it right and now FOUR YEARS LATER I'm finally giving up and doing it.

why am i like this lol

ANYWAY

NETFLIX IT HAS BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS and I know he's legally changed his name WHY is Nate/ND's old name still on here

THat's....that's Angella. That's a terrible propaganda poster of Angella. I'm cracking up how did I not notice that before

Okay the very first time Adora says Catra's name I lol'ed bc I've watched this fanvid (which came out after s2) a truly bananapants number of times and it's just what I immediately thought of

I started reading a fic recently that I couldn't get into and gave up on, but it pointed out something that seems OBVIOUS NOW: the reason the Horde is all children/teenagers is like, the whole "destroying the villages of Etheria" thing. Just slaughtering the parents and stealing the kids.

Then again maybe they said that in canon and I forgot. Dumb shit like that is of course why I'm rewatching.

Someone pointed out that both Adora and Catra obviously have ADHD and I cannot unsee it

I mean yeah that's...that's her entire motivation

(I mean not quite in the way Adora means it here but)

I will never, ever be over how fast this show started baiting them as a pairing. I remember the first time I watched the first episodes saying "the people who made this came from fandom and they know exactly how to get us."

Catra nails Shadow Weaver's motivation--"She's just mad she doesn't have any real power that doesn't come from Hordak and everyone knows it." And then calls Adora a "people-pleaser." She's not wrong.

Like, Catra understands the motivations etc of everyone but herself

(...something something abused children something C-PTSD something hypervigilance)

Catra's tail swishing just like a real cat's does when angry is A+

Re: stealing the skiff: Catra's supposed to be the one with bad impulse control but Adora is just as bad!! (it's the ADHD)

...pulling a random pretty sword out of the ground that's lit up like a quest in a video game is also poor impulse control lollll

I still crack up at this one and am still surprised I haven't read a fic that makes a big deal out of hair-pulling

Bow folding up random laundry on the floor and asking where it goes while talking to Glimmer is some nice early character-building. "This boy is not a sexist douchebag."

I mean the outfit helps too lol

Okay so on the one hand I know character age wank is fucking stupid, but also I get why people were like "...are these all minors or what" considering Glimmer's being grounded and then arguing with her mom like a high-schooler. My own parents (who were more controlling than most) stopped actually "grounding" me once I was 18--they just forbid me from using the car for anything but work or school because they owned it. Which is why they owned the car. Anyway.

(True story: that was their punishment for me getting bad grades at community college, and my response to this was to quit school, buy my own car, and move in with my then-boyfriend's family)

I wonder if Adora running off to do things on her own in order to attempt to protect people she cares about without asking them if that's even something they want her to do will be a continuing theme for her 🤔

omg the way they did her eyes/face makes Glimmer look so fucking creepy here

SO MUCH HAIR-PULLING poor Adora

I FORGET WHAT THIS SAYS I know it's an actual "alphabet" and people get tattoos and shit

(so, SO many tattoos of the failsafe...)

(okay but let's be honest a tattoo of the failsafe from the last episode is a really great way of finding other nerdy sapphics, they'd be the only ones to recognize it)

This is kinda heavy-handed ("don't just believe everything authority figures tell you, kids!") but also this show was aimed at like 12-year-olds so

Yeah this absolutely reminds me of conversations I've had over multiple decades about LGBT people and how people who know us as friends, coworkers, neighbors; realize we're Just People and are less likely to be dicks to us--not always, but often. Adora has never met a princess, so it was easy for the Horde to convince her they're all evil.

OH MAN this scene reminds me SO MUCH of the one in Arcane where Ekko is talking to Caitlyn about how Piltover/the Enforcers are fucking over the people of Zaun/the Undercity

Yeah good lord I could do a line-by-line dialogue comparison.

"Woman who has always been on the side of what she thought was The Law finds out everything she's ever known is a fucking lie and actually, she's been part of a force oppressing and destroying other people and immediately wants to fix things"

*squints at Caitlyn and Adora*

We never do find out who Grayskull is, but that's because Netflix doesn't have the rights to the He-Man stuff, and I admit this was probably the best way to keep She-Ra's signature line without getting into that

OKAY FIRST EP OVER omg

#april rewatches spop #there I have a tag #Youtube

[gemwing2010]

The Cuphead Show: Dreamstones Edition Sneak Preview 5

A/N: Here, we have yet another take of everyone’s favourite sneak preview of Season 1 concerning Old Scratch and his “Number One” during a phone call. Keep in mind, akluthor1998, Nataliepthatsme and I are playing around with certain scenes, elements and how Roll the Dice will pan out, so this preview is just a working progress and it might be different in the fanfic proper. All the same, please enjoy.

The Devil, King Dice, Cuphead and Henchman all belong to Studio MDHR while Lexie, Natty and myself own ourselves.

In the Underworld, the Devil is relaxing in a bathtub which is full of lots of bubbles and has cucumber slices over his eyes. He was smiling blissfully while enjoying his bubble bath when Henchman lumbers in, holding up a telephone.

“Duh, hey, Boss, phone call.” Henchman piped up, making the Devil frown in reply.

“Ugh. This better be important.” The Devil muttered, a bit annoyed as he took the phone and answered.

On the other line, King Dice confidently claimed, “It’s your number one calling!”

“Who?” The Devil questioned, not very interested.

From Dice’s side of the line, Lexie, whose hands are tied behind her back as she was forced to sit/lay on the couch in the break room, couldn’t help but snicker behind her gag when she overheard the response while Dice’s pride deflated a bit as he looked a little dejected.

“King Dice, your number one.” Dice reminded in a small voice. “You know, the host of the game show you let me make?”

“Oh, Dice!” The Devil exclaimed, before he went back to being annoyed. “You know I’m very busy. What do you want?”

Dice regained his confidence as he gloatingly replied, “I just captured some people you might interested in: a beautiful brunette human from another world with a sweet looking blonde and a certain… cup?”

On Dice’s side of the line, Lexie angrily muffled shouts behind her gag. Apparently, she was miffed about Dice’s gloating about her capture as well as his indirect flirting. Of course, she was mostly demanding him to leave Katie and Cuphead alone.

The Devil sat up in the tub in shock as the cucumber slices comically fell off his eyes to fully reveal his surprised face.

“You actually have them?!” The Devil exclaimed.

“Yessir. In fact, I have the cute blonde here with me.” Dice replied before he removed Lexie’s gag and tipped the phone over to her. “Come on, doll, say hi to the boss.”

“Oh, you two are so DEAD!” Lexie snarled before Dice slapped the gag back on her and pulled the phone back.

“Heh heh, she’s here.” Dice chortled sheepishly.

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, the Devil grumbled, “It’s painfully obvious. Now… what of my bride and that cup?”

Just then, Henchman pipes up from outside the bathroom “Head!”

This caught the Devil by surprise before he rolled his eyes again and dryly replied, “Thank you, Henchman.”

“Oh, your bride is here. She’s a little shy to go on stage. The little lady obviously has a case of real bad stage fright. You know how it is, but I have a way to get her on there. Some other girl with raven hair and wearing a pink shirt and a starry headband is in her place but I can work with that.” Dice explained. “So, sit back and relax and I’ll deliver that cup’s soul and your blushing bride directly to ya.”

This made the Devil smile wide before he answered in a sing-song tone, “This is why you’re my number one.”

Meanwhile, Lexie was struggling against her bounds, making Dice look over at her curiously before he got an idea.

“Although word on street is that cute blonde owes you her pretty little soul as well.” Dice stated.

“Yes, she played Soul Ball and lost.” The Devil answered.

“I DID NOT LOSE THE GAME!!” Lexie angrily muffled in protest.

“Oof, such a shame.” Dice cringed. “Look, I’ll stop beating around the bush and get to the point; when I deliver your bride and the cup’s soul, how about I take sweet Lexie off your hands?”

This shocks and horrifies Lexie big time, realising what he could mean.

“So, I get my bride and the cup’s soul, and you want keep the annoying blonde?” The Devil inquired while looking on in thought. “I suppose that’s reasonable.”

“I mean, if it makes you feel better, you could say that while she doesn’t owe you her soul because she lost.” Dice stated. “She can be with me and, yeah, I know she’s got some boyfriend or whatever but he’s obviously no match for me.”

That claim greatly angered Lexie as she muffled out shouts at Dice.

“Hmm… alright, fine.” The Devil spoke. “But provided that my bride and that cup’s soul are to be delivered to me in one piece. ESPECIALLY my sweet Katie. She is to be brought to me alive with ZERO harm. Is that clear?”

“Crystal clear, Mr. S.” Dice spoke in reassurance. “No harm will come to your bride whatsoever.”

“Good. Oh, and number one?”

“Yes?” Dice asked in casually pleased tone.

Suddenly, the Devil scowls as he spoke in a threatening voice, “I HATE disappointment.”

This shocks Dice, making him extremely nervous before the Devil hangs up. With a smile, the Devil puts the phone away and leans back into the bathtub to relax as he gave out a huge sigh while putting his hands behind his head like a pillow.

“Katie, my sweet, you’ll be all mine soon…”

#The Cuphead Show #Cuphead TheDevil #Cuphead Devil #King Dice #Friend’s OC #self insert #my persona #Cuphead Fanfiction #sneak preview

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1059 - Initial Thoughts

And we're back from our break

One Piece's final saga still has yet to find a destination, since we still have a tsunami of pieces outside of Wano that have yet to fall into place, the aftermath of the Reverie is still widely unknown to us so we have to further look into what happened while the Straw Hats, Law and Kid were upsetting the system.

Spoilers for the Chapter, support the Official Release also

So Caesar's gas was hallucinogenic, causing Oven and Katakuri to fight one another. I'd still back Katakuri to win that one though

Seems Marco caught up with Shanks who gave him a lift back to his island

Shanks still wanting Marco on his crew too, wonder if they gushed about Luffy or chatted about Ace during the voyage

Marco doesn't want to babysit Shanks and though Shanks refutes that Papa Beck can't back him up XD

And like, Marco you're just over half the age Whitebeard was stop using the 'I'm old' card

Wano arc may be over but we keep flashing back to Wano still

Get a bit more validation for Yamato staying, seems that Yamato is indeed staying to protect Wano from threats rather than 'touring Wano' like he told Momo, saying that to maintain his pride

In a way Yamato is still a reserve Straw Hat, but Luffy is kinda leaving Yamato in charge of Wano, which gives them both peace of mind that it'll be safe, much like Vivi and Alabasta

Sanji I'm begging you to treat Yamato like a dude

Marco announces his departure so Luffy makes sure to thank him for Marineford, Jinbe and Marco also do a bit of reminiscing before Marco tells Luffy that Ace'd be proud

Oh shit we're covering Amazon Lily now

Boa's alive, but she like Mihawk has to assess leaving their island to protect it, but instead of Croc on the call she is considering just marrying Luffy again

I keep forgetting that it's been weeks since the fallout

The new Pacifistas are called Seraphims?

Margaret and Sweetpea cameo, where's Aphelandra??

Oh. Ohhhh nooo. They got Lunarian Pacifistas, and they've made them kids to be extra shrewd

Oh Shit and now Blackbeard is here??

He's after Boas fruit! Shit! Fuck! But they're all so ugly!

Can we just stab Vasco in his gross face, seriously ew man

Marines being bitches and waiting for an order to fight an emperor that's swatting you like flies

Poor Coby's trying his best, trying to negotiate Boa's surrender to cease the fighting, but Boa refuses to be anyone's captor again

Seems Blackbeard knows about Lunarians too

Oh that looks like a baby King! With Mihawk eyes!

And maybe Mihawk swordplay given that it cleaved half of Amazon Lily entirely

I guess Blackbeard used Black Hole to suck the Pacifista into his void

Boa meanwhile has Slave Arrow'd everyone, but the other Pacifista has no care for collateral

Coby tries to order it off but Blackbeard then gets his grips on Boa

Ooh, Boa's bounty is in the 1bn club, and Blackbeard did indeed get a bounty increase to 3.996 billion

Devon talked big game but even she got turned to stone with Vasco and Helmeppo

Boa's got an ace up her sleeve too, killing her will permanently turn Blackbeard's commanders to stone

More mystery surrounding Rocky Port, but it seems to have had the accidental consequence of Blackbeard ousting out 'Ochoku' and taking over Beehive. Could Ochoku be the man with flames on his face? Edit: Oh shit Ochoku was a Rocks pirate member! Coby, Law and a Rocks pirate all in one place!?

Blackbeard asks Coby his opinion on letting Boa go if she releases their men, which Boa claims she'd agree to do if they leave

But Teach doesn't buy it, he expects Boa to turn on them so he opts to kill her despite Coby's protests

AND NOW RAYLEIGH IS HERE!

Rayleigh plays the negotiator to ensure that both side's terms are met, so Blackbeard still has some fear in him for the legends

Hang up, Shakky FORMER EMPRESS OF AMAZON LILY AND FORMER CAPTAIN OF THE KUJA PIRATES???

Guess that explains how she'd know Boa would fall for Luffy, she had some first-hand experience with Rayleigh

Throws out the theory she was from Rocks, maybe? They make a point of it being two generations ago, so there's still a generation between Shakky and Boa

Telling though that Rayleigh thinks he can't beat Blackbeard though, he did ride off his own legend there

Whoa, one of the Lunarian Pacifistas looked like a kid Boa, but with star eyes

And Coby got kidnapped by Blackbeard!!!

Well shit Oda how much more can you escalate this?

Blueballing us with Sabo we instead get stuff on Boa, but I'm also curious if Marco spotted something on his way back to Sphinx, Weevil is still out there after all...

People will probably feel better about Yamato not joining with this explanation, think Oda probably added it in because of the negative impact. Still no word on Carrot though so I'm still trying to manifest that (I mean, how can Chopper be deemed by the WG both a 'pet' and a commander? It don't add up).

But then of course, information tsunami.

The new Pacifista are a problem, one which does indeed put the Navy has a powerful force in what I'd assume to be an all out war between Luffy and his enemies; from Blackbeard, Cross Guild and now the Navy there are a lot of threats at hand. The 'Seraphim' are dangerous given how Vegapunk has been able to replicate Lunarian DNA - thanks to all the King experimentations - and other warlords. One must wonder when they got the Warlord's DNA, and who they still have left? If they're able to duplicate DF powers we might even see clones of Law, Crocodile, Doflamingo and Blackbeard too, or even marines like Garp, Sengoku and the admirals! I'm not sure if they're actual children either, so they could potentially grow up or just be children to make enemies hesitate. The Hawk Eye does imply that Mihawk has some power in his eyes that improves his swordplay, but then again Blackbeard could block it with his Haki, the star eyes of the Boa Seraphim is interesting, maybe those are Doffy's eyes?

Calling them 'Seraphim' makes me worry that there are levels to the SSG too, maybe the Seraphim are just the Lunarian pacifistas, and there are other variants. Right now they don't seem to have an offensive weakness either, unless Vegapunk has hidden something in them like he did with Kuma's mission to protect the Sunny.

The times are getting tense when Rayleigh's not confident either, and this does mean that Boa may have to leave to avoid a second assault. Shakky as another empress may have intel to find a safe place for her though.

And then Coby, interesting that Blackbeard took him hostage, never seemed like that kinda guy. But maybe Teach wants to draw someone out; the marines, Garp, Shanks, Luffy? How Coby reacts is key since this is just like with Alvida all that time ago. It'll be interesting if he comes across Aokiji as well while in captivity.

We also have to remember that the WG themselves may also have tricks up their sleeve, Im is still a mystery - and Oda won't let Sabo tell us what went down with Vivi and Cobra yet - and we still don't know enough about Vegapunk or Rocks or Bonney or the other remaining ex-warlords (Weevil and Moria) or the Revolutionary Army to see what they can bring to the table to match. We don't even know if Big Mom and Kaido survived yet!

Long story short, this is getting crazy, and I don't think Oda's done

#one piece #one piece spoilers #op spoilers #straw hat pirates #blackbeard pirates #kuja pirates #red haired pirates #shanks one piece #marco one piece #ben beckman #monkey d. luffy #yamato one piece #boa hancock #marshall d. teach #one piece blackbeard #coby one piece #pacifista #silvers rayleigh #shakky #shakuyaku #helmeppo #vasco shot #catarina devon #amazon lily #dark king rayleigh #pirate empress #marco the phoenix #marco the pineapple #one piece jinbe #dr vegapunk

[eddieslittleslutmuffin]

✿Hi! I hope you enjoy this fic! Please remember to reblog, like, and leave a nice comment. Follow me, and maybe you’ll see more nice stuff, idk I can’t tell you what to do. But I’d appreciate it! More stuff pinned to my page! Kay bye!

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Black!oc

Warnings: not beta read, or edited.

fic type: wip

wc: 961

Besides Eddie, and his little shadows, I was the only other “weirdo” at Hawkins High. At least twice a week he tries to get me to join his circus, but I prefer to be a freak solo. I do find his peacocking quite entertaining, though he’s not fooling me. Eddie Munson has a gooey center, like most of us outcast, all the haughtiness is just a protective shield.

“Afternoon Divena, lovely day.” Eddie falls into step besides me as I weave my way through the sea of students. I wish I could roll my eyes harder, but apparently it’s not anatomically possible.

“It really isn’t a lovely day, what do you want loser.” He followed me to my locker, the cheerleaders that stood in my way chatting quickly cleared the way at the site of us.

“I’m in dire need of another player D, and it’s looking like it might be you, eh?” This is driving me insane, and I’ll admit he’s wearing me thin. However, I do not admit defeat yet.

“When?” I asked feigning interest, Eddie perks up like a puppy. A smile I didn’t know he had spreads across his lips, and brightens up his big brown eyes.

“Well tonight–

“No.” I said cutting him off, my expression blank, and my tone flat. I crossed my arms over my chest lifting an eyebrow, I would have laughed at his deflation had I not been so annoyed.

“What? No? Why no?” He whined, the hallway was starting to clear out as it’s getting close to the bell ringing. We both had a free period, so I knew there was no getting away from him.

“Because, I don’t want to join your band of wackos, it was no last week, and the last 5,000 times you asked. I’ve been trying to be nice, which is something I don’t do often. Please stop pushing me.” I growled out the last part, he didn’t look very shocked, or scared.

“Why are you so mean to me?” Eddie smirked, was he enjoying this? Has this been a game this whole time? Just to see how far he could go?

“I’m not mean, I’m impatient.” I tried to go around him, but he just sidestepped me, blocking my getaway path.

“Whoa whoa Princess, I’m not done with you, all I’m asking for is for you to run one game with us.” This time he wasn’t begging, but a genuine expression, his chocolate eyes softened.

“Give me a good, legitimate reason you keep trying to get me to join your lollipop guild.” We made our way out of the back doors of the school, out into the parking lot. We cross over into the forest where Eddie liked to do his drug deals, and skip gym class. Don’t ask me how I know all of this.

“Because I see you, Divena Jones, you’re a freak just like me, and the rest of my circus as you so called it. And I don’t know about you, but I protect my own.” I took a seat at the lone picnic table, a nice breeze blowing by lightly whipping my coils around.

Eddie tossed me a thick fudge brownie, with chocolate pockets oozing out the sides. I looked at him, then back at the fudge square he threw on the table.

“Relax, it's a virgin brownie.” Eddie rolled his eyes, I sniffed it, and shrugged my shoulders. He’s never been a malicious person so I trust it enough to eat.

“What makes you think I need protecting? I do just fine on my own.” I’ve been independent since I was 7 years old, I’m an only child, and I do everything alone. It’s never made any difference to me.

“Everyone needs someone Divena, you think no one pays attention to you, but I do. I have been a while since you transferred here in sophomore year. Maybe I should have made more effort to be upfront about my feelings. I see how the kids here don’t appreciate you for the kick ass person you are. I think you’re so fucking cool; you like going to book stores, you like listening to Metallica, and you’re so damn good in art class. I know the cheer, and the basketball team targets you sometimes. You handle it pretty well on your own so I don’t step in, but I’m alway watching just in case. Aren’t you tired of that? Fighting by yourself? Being a loner? Listen, I'm not saying you have to join Hellfire, and play DnD. Just at least let me take care of you.” Eddie begged, he made a convincing argument, and he gets points for speaking from the heart.

“God you’re such a control freak.” I rolled my eyes, stuffing the rest of the brownie in my mouth, Eddie dramatically jumped back, and nearly fell off the picnic table bench.

“Am not.” Eddie gasped sharply, a small giggle pushed past my lips. A smug look crosses his face, this asshole knows exactly what he’s doing doesn’t he?

“I’ll join your cult on one condition…I get to hijack your show tonight.” His band Corroded Coffin is supposed to be playing at some hole in the wall bar tonight. I heard some big name producers are gonna be there, what a perfect opportunity.

“I mean sure? You can get the set after us, no biggie.” Eddie shrugged his shoulders, a goofy grin on his lips.

“No, I mean I want your set. I need a band…and I happen to know the frontman of one. I’m looking at him.” The corner of my lips pulled upward as I lean forward, my folded arms resting on the swollen wood.

“Uh, absolutely not.”

“Then you can forget about me joining Hell Fire.”

a/n: i really didnt know what to do with this, I accidentally ended up mixing ideas, and i ended up derailing my own idea. so here’s an unfinished work, you may actually enjoy it, i hope you do.

#eddie munson #writing wip #stranger things #black!oc #eddie munson x black!oc

[morganas-pendragons]

My Thoughts On Halo Infinite

So before I write the mother of opinions on this game, just a couple of things to note. I've been playing Halo since 2005-2006. I've always been someone who gets rather invested into stories, and this one was absolutely no exception considering the fact that: It mentions my favorite Halo game multiple times, and incorporates a character we technically have never seen in canon who is extremely crucial to John's character development as a young Spartan to this legend who has outlived virtually everyone he has ever loved.

Without further ado... my thoughts on Halo Infinite! spoilers for the campaign below. 

EDIT: I’m finishing this in the midst of my second playthrough, so I’ve added more! 

First off, let me tell you I was really skeptical about this at first. My brother and father didn't bother playing Halo 5 because I told them almost immediately how terrible the gameplay was and the story as well, and I played it twice before never going back to play it again. It was awful and the fans knew it was awful but after those Believe tv spots for Infinite were released I was like... okay. Okay, you've got my attention. Maybe I can give this a try and pray it's better then the previous.

If you're a veteran, this game was either one of your favorites or one of your least favorites. It's in my top 3. Halo 3, Infinite, and then Reach. And to be candid... the sole reason for it is because this is the only Halo game that takes the time to write an intricate and heartbreaking story about John's character and how Cortana and he are wound around each other.

There has not been one Halo game solely focusing on John. That's my biggest praise of Infinite in particular, the amount of effort and time they spent into doing something they'd never done before for a widely beloved character who grew leaps and bounds in this game.

Before I get into the thick of it, let me give my immediate likes and dislikes. The graphics are gorgeous. The NPC dialogue is so funny that I found myself in tears over it multiple times. The open world was a wonderful idea and prolongs the game for more enjoyment. The campaign story was extremely well written and bitter sweet by the end, but beautiful all the same. The music is new in its own right but incorporates music from the previous soundtracks.

Cons: No coop, no Arbiter OR The Swords of Sanghelios, you get no indication where Blue Team is unless you find the Audio Logs (which is stupid and the whole reason why they shouldn't have introduced them if they were just going to go away again) and that's literally it because I loved every aspect of this game LOL

Now, to the story.

We all know that John was indoctrinated from the age of six years old by Catherine Halsey who had chosen him and 70 some other children to, putting it candidly, be the saviors of humanity. He and a few others were the sole survivors of the Spartan 2’s. This also includes Blue Team. He, however, was deemed as one from the start who would outshine the others and serve a far greater purpose past being just a Spartan.

People are constantly talking about him. He has the highest rank in the miltary and exceeds the expectations placed upon him. But sometimes those expectations get to be too much, you know? 

That’s made obvious when we see his first real defeat - where the bad guy wins - when Atriox beats the absolute crap out of John and everything goes to hell in a matter of months. 

John goes MIA for six months and is pronounced dead. His world drastically shifts under his feet when he wakes up to the elated Pilot who believes the return of the Master Chief is the ticket he needs to be able to go home. The UNSC doesn’t exist anymore, and Cortana is dead. 

The relationship between John and Fernando is stellar for so, so many reasons. It’s one of the only relationships I can think of in game besides maybe Miranda and Johnson and Lasky where John is treated less like a soldier and more like a person. 

I’ve said this multiple times about the Halo show, and it applies here too. The whole purpose of Cortana for the Master Chief was initially to be advising with logistical and tactical advice on the battlefield. What she ended up teaching him in addition to that was how to be human. 

Something he would’ve never learned to do - and attempted to exercise in Infinite - had they not met. 

Removing the armor in the show is meant to show you, the viewer, that John is getting to the point where he’s trying desperately to grasp onto the little humanity he’s been permitted to experience. 

In the game, this is shown mostly through his interactions with The Weapon and the scene in the UNSC graveyard with The Pilot. 

Case in point... 

“I don’t know how you keep doing this.”

“I don’t have a choice. Maybe it’s my programming.” - John to The Weapon, Halo Infinite

“Let me know when you figure out which one of us is the machine.” Cortana to John, Halo 4

He’s being forced to face something he’s never been allowed to face before: Grief. He’s grieving Cortana, as he says many times through the countless mentions of If I had been able to do this, this could’ve been prevented and confessing to the Weapon that so much could’ve been prevented if he had just done more to protect Cortana. 

Because that’s what his mission was from the start when she chose him. They were meant to take care of each other, and they did. 

He was essentially betrayed by the person who became the one constant in his life, and there is this tiny human part of him that is desperate for relationships enough to the point where he wants to trust The Weapon. He can’t yet. 

The whole purpose of John keeping The Weapon at arms length is to protect himself from being hurt again. 

And doesn’t that sound familiar? 

I love what you as the player have to work through with John in this game. Arguably the best part is at the end where he has the flashbacks of Keyes, meeting Cortana, and their final goodbye in Halo 4. The whole point of that sequence is for you to understand John’s motivations over the last 7 years of canon and the depths of the loss he has experienced. 

Samuel. Cortana. Lasky. Halsey (probably, hopefully) both Jacob and Miranda Keyes, Avery Johnson... could LITERALLY keep going. 

No one should have to go through that much tragedy in less then 10 years. Literally everyone - outside of Blue Team, because it’s never confirmed if they’re actually dead or not, but i highly doubt it - is gone or deceased. That crap hurts. 

There are multiple sequences I could talk about here but the biggest thing I want to mention for people who have never read the novels is that you need to know about Samuel. The first loss, the worst loss, and one John carries with him for decades after the fact. 

In the scene where John nearly deletes The Weapon, he's asked to give three confirming phrases to the interface in his armor for confirmation.

What You Need To Know About Red Flag

034 - Samuel's Spartan Number.

Samuel - The final member of Blue Team who sacrificed himself to save them when John was barely sixteen years old, just in the first months of humanity's struggle with the covenant.

I didn't have a clue that Fall of Reach existed until I came across it on Youtube last year. Turns out most of Cortana's lines from Halo 3 before you find her on High Charity are things that John has heard over the course of his life! And let me tell you... the way I screamed when I heard all of these again after 14 years.... they just hold so much weight.

To put it shortly if you don't want to watch the movie: Samuel was John's first loss and one part of many reasons of why he does what he does. The movie itself is a fantastic service to John's character and I highly recommend watching it.

This game is fantastic. Say what you want, love whichever Halo you desire, but the depth of the emotional journey that goes into the main storyline for this game is the best out of all of them besides maybe Reach. Reach is the only other Halo game where you just.. lose. And there’s not anything you can do about it. 

John lost. He can’t do anything about it. He can try to rebuild the little that is left of the UNSC.. and he can hope it’s enough. 

At least he has people now. Because that will make it enough. 

#Halo Infinite #Halo meta #Halo #halo: infinite