#it bugged me so much on first watch that Simone’s reaction was to just leave with Sammy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shrimpfurai · 4 years

Note

Ghost/Roach for the ship headcanon meme 👉👈😳

Holy shit- I didn't think someone would really ask me this 😂😂 But here we go, I guess:

Ship headcanon meme: Simon "Ghost" Riley/Gary "Roach" Sanderson Edition

1. Who makes the first move and how?

Tbh I think Roach would make the first move...but subtly. Like, he knows that Ghost is a bit detached from everyone else and only gives concise response when he's being asked about something. So Roach kinda tried to get to know Ghost first (his feelings are genuine, I swear, he really admires Ghost; kinda why he wants to know about the lieutenant more and apparently it grows into something completely different). Roach would occasionally greet Ghost when they cross each other's path, sometimes he'd sit with Ghost on the mess hall during lunch or dinner (with Ghost's permission ofc).

2. Who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better?

I'd say Ghost is the most insecure? He's not sure whether he's the right someone for Roach because he's afraid he'd be like his damned father–afraid that he'd do nasty things to Roach and all. All he needs is for Roach to be there, either holding his hand or embracing him as Roach tells him that Ghost is not like his father (which is wbk it's true btw). We know Ghost wouldn't talk about his feelings much so Roach would have to kinda pry on it a little. No force though.

3. Who is the most romantic?

Ghost ftw!!! I mean, look!!!! He's super compassionate when it comes to the people he loves! I'm sure as heck he'd try his best to spoil Roach on special occasion, or just giving small gestures like rubbing Roach's arm when the younger's anxious before an op, etc etc. There's too many in my head and I can't write it all here so just come to my DM if you'd like to discuss about this, Anon-san ❤️

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves?

I'D SAY BOTH, AHAHA. I MEAN, Ghost likes the feel of Roach's presence and when they're standing or sitting side by side, Ghost would probably give small touches to Roach like gently patting his thigh (no intended meaning, I swear 😂), patting his head, patting his back, and so on–just gentle innocent touch like that when on public; Roach would kinda do same thing dgshhdj bet he'd deliberately brush their fingers or smth and then giggles out of it–he'd also give light pat on Ghost's back as a gesture of "good luck today" every single morning just before they start the PT.

When in private 🌚, wbk their hands would freely roam each other's body. Ghost likes to learn about his partner more, and Roach really admire how Ghost's body is defined (in conclusion: muscles 👀 /SLAPPED).

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first?

Would be Roach, honestly. He's the one who's able to identify what he feels. Ghost is rather uncertain of what he was feeling until Roach say the L word first 😳.

6. Who would they ask if they ever had a threesome?

Ghost and Roach: Threesome? Never heard of that.

(Ofc they know, they just don't like to share 🌚).

7. What do they get up to on a night out?

Either they visit a cafe and talk all night long there until the cafe is about to close, or they visit a local park and just sit there, enjoying the breeze while catching up on things 😳

8. What do they like in bed?

Both like spooning tbh, with our Ghost here as the big spoon. Sometimes, they'd just lie on bed facing each other, staring at each other's face and tell themselves that this is real, that they're here together, that they're alive and loved, and that this is more than enough.

Also, hot make out session 🌚

9. What is the most embarrassing thing they have done in front of each other?

For Roach it would be him slipping on his feet when he's on his way to Ghost and fall face first on the mud after PT just outside the base 😂

For Ghost, it would be him having a slip of tongue when he talks with Roach because his mind is elsewhere. Like when they're in the middle of discussing their next mission in the rec room when Ghost was exhausted and Roach said "don't forget to bring the additional ammo/equipment", Ghost would accidentally say "yeah, I'll bring the pillow" , then fell silent, before the silence was broken by Roach's laughter 😂

10. What two songs, two books and two luxury items do they take to a desert island?

Roach:

Songs: Not Ready to Die - Avenged Sevenfold; M.I.A. - Avenged Sevenfold. These are pretty much his jam.

Books: Would be a book about survival and a book about plants/animal that can be eaten.

Luxury items: his cot and a pair of fresh clothes.

Ghost:

Songs: No Destination - Hoobastank; War - Poets of the Fall. Kinda represents himself and is his comfort songs (probably).

Books: The Life and Adventure of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and a book about survival.

Luxury items: his cot and a compass

As long as it's useful for them, those items are luxurious 👌🏻

11. What do they hide from one another?

I don't think Roach would hide anything; he's pretty much an open book, wouldn't be able to hide something from Ghost anyway. As for Ghost, maybe he'd hide his feelings when he's uncertain about what he feels (if this counted). Other than that, Ghost doesn't have anything to hide from Roach; he doesn't really like to lie to his s/o unless he really has to (for urgent matters).

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious?

It's about the relationship right? I think what changes first would be how both Ghost and Roach even more aware of their fear of losing each other. Military life is full of unexpected deaths, so...that's pretty much it.

13. When do they realise they should get together?

I think it's some time after Loose End event, during their recovery times. And yes, they're alive. No one can tell me otherwise.

14. When one has a cold, what does the other do?

Ghost would tell Roach to just rest on bed, preparing the meds and food, then left him to finish things at the house. If they're on base, Ghost would visit Roach's room to tale him to the med bay before escorting Roach back to his room, then he'd bring his meds and meals.

Roach would pretty much do the same as Ghost. He'd bring Ghost his meals and meds, and leave to finish things around the house before getting back to accompany him.

15. When they watch a film what do they choose and why? Who gets the final vote?

Ghost would choose zombie apocalypse kind of movie (like World War Z) and Roach would choose military action (like Black Hawk Down, etc). They don't really watch romantic/drama/romcom movies unless it really catch their interests. Roach would get the final vote because he's surprisingly good at rock-scissors-paper HAHA

16. When the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together?

Just like how they always do during mission, I guess? They'd professionally cope to find a settlement first, watching each other's back, remain alert and all. Once they find a good settlement for the night, they'd take turn on an overwatch.

17. When they find a time machine, where do they go?

Honestly? They'd go back just before the Loose End mission starts to tell the Ghost and Roach from past to set up a secret plan B and to tell them not to go to the General's chopper.

18. When they fight, how do they make up?

By apologizing tbh. They're not children and mature enough to know where they did wrong and they'd have a talk about that matter like just like how adult supposed to do before apologizing to each other.

19. Where do they go on their first date?

Roach's favorite cake shop 😳😳 Ghost wants to witness how his bug eats his favorite cake...and he'd take picture of it and keep it on his phone dhsjsjdk.

20. Where do they go on holiday?

They'd go and hike a mountain and have a camp night out there, or to a unvisited lake/forest. They like to spend time in nature.

21. Where do they get nervous about going with one another?

This question is really confusing tbh 😭😂 But hopefully I don't answer it wrong:

Roach is quite nervous when he's engrossed in something he found interesting in front of Ghost since he'd go "Ohh!! That's cool!! How could that happen??"–it's like he behaves like a curious child and he's just afraid that Ghost would find that annoying (hint: Roach is just easy to amuse :9).

As for Ghost... I don't think he'd be nervous about himself in front of Roach. He's a confident bastard lmao. If being nervous about how he'd look vulnerable in front of Roach counts, then that's probably it.

22. Where does their first kiss happen?

In the armory, just after they finished cleaning their weapons on a nice evening. This takes time probably a few days after Roach confessed to Ghost and vice versa 😳

23. Where is their favourite place to be together?

Back on the base, their favorite time to be together would be just outside the barracks; it's quiet out there especially on the evening. They like to just be there, standing or sitting next to each other while talking about things.

Outside the base, it would be the local park. At house, their bedroom is just the ultimate favorite place for them to be together 😳

24. Where do they first have sex?

At the base's shower room honestly. Takes a few days after their first kiss, it was after training and they both just happened to be the only ones in the shower room since the others scrambled to their rooms right away aha-

25. Why do they fight?

Usually it's because out of concerns towards each other's safety and well-being, like when Roach did something risky during a mission and vice versa. They don't fight much, but then they do it's because of this kind of thing.

26. Why do they need to have a serious chat?

Because they need to get things straight such as after they're fighting, or to discuss something that would lead their life to a completely different level or to discuss matters regarding their relationship.

27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them?

Because they're such an ass when it comes to PDA AHAHA; sometimes they're purposely being all lovey dovey in front of their teammates just to see their reactions shsjskjd. Another thing that'd make their teammates annoyed is how oblivious they are towards each others' feelings, I think. 141 boys are so supportive towards each other ok.

28. Why do they get jealous?

They don't usually get jealous, but when they do, it's probably because there's this someone that flirts with their either Ghost or Roach and this someone has crossed the line by either touching their s/o or whatnot,,,, That's when they'd step in.

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love?

Honesty it's because how attentive and caring they are towards each other...like they just love the fact that their s/o really does care about them. Kinda "action speaks louder than words" thing here. Also, how could they not fall a little bit more in love when every little thing always remind them of their partners 😳

30. Why does it work (or not work) between them?

I believe it works between them because of how they are truly understanding towards each other....and because of how patience Roach is when he has to deal with Ghost's fears and insecurities. They both take it slow, enjoying the ride, not rushing things out. Believe it or not they're that kind of couple who have quite a good communication between them despite how bumpy their road is. (aight what am i talking abt???) They always manage to talk things out and sort things straight (gay) between them.

OK Y'ALL IM DONE. Hopefully this doesn't seem OOC :( Sorry if this turns out super long 😂 Thanks for the ask, dear Anon!

52 notes · View notes

khiphop-stories · 5 years

Text

Getting Off The Wrong Foot

[Christian Yu | Chapter VI]

Previous Chapters: Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V

The following week passed by quickly. You had meetings back to back and you were drowning in all the paper work that you tried to put off as long as possible. You didn’t have the time to catch up with any of your friends. The only people you interacted with were your team and potential clients. You didn’t meet Christian that week either, but you texted a lot and he had been nothing but sweet. His week was just as busy and hectic as your own, nonetheless he always found time to reply. It was nice, not being left on read for a change.

You headed into the interview and photo shoot, which took place on the same day, without much preparation. You didn’t even have time to go through the questions they had sent you, because every time you got home you were so worn out, you just went straight to bed. As you were standing there watching the staff members set up the props for the shoot, you felt incredibly nervous. It was the first time you would actually be standing in front of the camera as a model. Closing your eyelids, you tried to remember the tips Christian had given you the night before when he called you.

~*~

To your surprise, the shooting with Vogue finished earlier than you had expected. The interview also went by quickly. The journalist seemed to satisfied with most of your answers and you laughed a lot together. She did try to pry into your private life though, which really took you off guard. She must have heard about the rumors surrounding your ex boyfriend. And that was the moment when things went south.

You weren’t trained for situations like this, you didn’t have a publicist, so your reaction must have given it away and confirmed all the rumors that were taking their rounds. However, she promised you not to use any of that, since the story she wanted to write was about a self-made woman who found success in a male dominated industry, not about woman with a messy love life.

You were incredibly tired, but you decided to visit the set of DPR’s shooting nonetheless. Christian had been bugging you the last few days, trying to persuade you to drop by. Usually you wouldn’t miss a day of shooting, but your schedule was especially tight this week and you just wanted a little break.

“You didn’t have to doll yourself up for me,“ Christian remarked with a smirk as he saw your fully made face. You caught him eyeing you up and down like he did every time you met him, something you somehow you got so used to, his staring didn’t even bother you that much any more.

“I came straight from the shoot, didn’t have time to remove the make up,” you rolled your eyes at him a gentle smile played on your lips. “Wanted to see me that badly, yeah?“ He began teasing you again, his eyes lingering on you. He leaned back against the table, his hands supporting his weight on either side, resting in a comfortable position. “You have a talent for making everything about you.“

“You flatter me,” a sly smirk covered the bottom half of his handsome face. “How did it go?” “I’m more used to being behind the camera. But hey, I got over it,” you shrugged your shoulders. You couldn’t asses whether you did a good job or not. You felt awkward throughout the entire shoot, but the staff seemed to be satisfied with the outcome. You didn’t have the time to go through the pictures yourself, as you rushed to the filming site for the project with Nike.

“The shooting ended early so it must have been good.”

“Or I sucked so much they gave up on me,” you said playfully.

Christian shook his head at you as he chuckled lightly. “Ay, what’s up with that negativity? I bet you did just fine. You have a pretty face, it’s hard to make that look bad.” “Real smooth,” you rolled your eyes. He was a pure flirt and he really didn’t miss even one opportunity to let his coquette self shine. Whether it was genuine or not, receiving so many compliments did make you feel good.

“What about the interview?”

“Oh god, don’t even start with that,” you let out a deep sigh as he reminded you of the mess you were trying to forget. “They asked about Kiseok and I was frozen like a fool,” you let out a deep sigh.

“Kiseok?” Christian cocked up one of his brows.

“Yeah, Jung Kiseok,” you shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly, surprised by his own surprised reaction.

“You mean Simon D?”

“Yeah,” You blinked at him confused. You didn’t understand why he was so stunned upon hearing that name.

“Why would they ask about him?”

“Are you serious right now?” You looked at him dumbfounded, a chuckle leaving your lips in disbelief. “He’s my ex,” you stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well, it somehow was. It wasn’t that much of a secret. You didn’t go public with the relationship, but most of his fans and people working in the industry knew anyway. You had assumed he knew too, just like everyone else.

“Wait…you dated Simon D?” He eyes widened at you as he gave you a look full of disbelief. “You didn’t know?” His surprised expression was reflected on your own face. How could he not have heard the rumors? Was he living under a rock? “No! How would I know? You never mentioned his name.”

“I didn’t think I had to. Everybody knows.”

“Obviously not,” he corrected you with a light chuckle.

“Well, now you do,” you shrugged your shoulders. “Why are you so surprised though? “No particular reason. It’s just…I had a meeting with him a couple days ago and now it turns out you know him too, well, actually you dated him. The world really is small.”

“You had a meeting with Kiseok?” You inquired as a frown covered your face. You didn’t have a good feeling, your gut was telling you that something wasn’t right.

“Yeah, he wants to work on a music video together,” you could hear the excitement in his voice though he tried to hide it. But you couldn’t blame him, Simon D was a huge and he was well respected artist in the music industry. Almost every young rapper these days looked up to him.

You stared at him silently, not saying anything as you were trying to make sense of this situation. Christian immediately noticed your hesitation and wariness.

“You don’t want me to work with him because of your history with him?” He asked carefully, his voice was gentle.

“No, it’s not like that…it’s just…I don’t think it is a coincidence,” you stuttered as you didn’t find the right words to say. You didn’t know how to explain your suspicion without sounding like a petty ex girlfriend.

“That he wants to work with DPR? Not trying to be cocky, but I directed amazing music videos.” “No, that’s not what I mean, Christian. You’re talented, everybody knows that...but it’s Kiseok we’re talking about. Everything he does has an agenda.”

“What would he get out of this?” “I don’t know. But I know this is not a coincidence. And you’re not really his favourite person right now...” you pointed out the obvious. “Because I slept with you?” Christian chuckled, brushing off your worries as though they were unreasonable. “How would he know that? I didn’t tell anyone and I believe you didn’t either. I know he’s a dick, but you might be a little bit paranoid.”

“It’s a small industry, Christian, there’s always gonna be rumors. And we fucked in an elevator. You really think words didn’t spread?”

“Look,” his expression softened at you, “if you don’t want me to work with him because of your history together, I understand and I won’t. I care about you. But you need to be honest with me.”

“It’s really not like that, Christian,” you tried to explain it to him, but he just didn’t seem to get it. “I’m not saying this out of pettiness. Believe me, I couldn’t care any less who you’re working with. I just don’t want you to be used for whatever sick agenda he has in mind.”

“So, you wouldn’t mind if I worked with him?” “Christian…you don’t understand,” you let out a frustrated sigh

“Minhee, I don’t see the correlation. Maybe you think this is about you, or maybe you want this to be about you, because you’re still in love with him,” you could see how he was regretting what he said, the moment those words left his mouth. But what was said, was said and couldn’t be taken back.

“That’s ridiculous,” you shook your head violently.

“You told me you weren’t over him.” “I’m not denying that. We dated for a long time and getting over him is the hardest thing I ever had to do, but this is not about me. For fucks sake Christian, I just don’t want him to use someone who’s important to me,” you began to curse out of frustration. He had totally misunderstood you.

“I’m getting paid and I’m getting exposure, if anything I’m using him,” Christian shrugged his shoulders.

“Fine, do whatever you want,” you sighed in defeat, realising there was no use in talking with him. He was too stubborn.

“Are you mad at me now?” “No, I’m not. I just don’t want him to win and mess with you.”

“I can handle him. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Gosh, Christian, you’re really dense sometimes,” you rolled your eyes at him. He really didn’t want to understand.

“Promise, you’ll stay out of it and let me handle it?” “...fine, whatever.” You decided to drop this topic.

~*~

You entered AOMG’s office and it still felt weird having the receptionist greet you. They had moved into a new building for a couple months already, but you hadn’t spend a lot of time here. It was around the time Kiseok got really busy, at least that’s what he made you believe. Now you knew he was trying to avoid you because of his feelings of guilt. You missed the old office. You missed the time you spent there when everything was still rainbows and unicorns.

You asked the receptionist about Jay’s whereabouts and she led you into one of their meeting rooms and told you to wait. You took a seat as you let your eyes wander around the interior curiously. Things had really changed. Back then you used to burst into their studio unannounced whenever you wanted. It didn’t matter what they were doing, they always welcomed you with open arms.

“Hey,” Jay greeted excitedly, happy to see you again as he joined you in the meeting room. As soon as he saw you, a warm smile played on his lips. “You could have just come into the studio.” “Your receptionist brought me here.” “Ah! That’s Loco’s cousin. She’s new so she doesn’t know how things work around here. Actually we don’t really need a receptionist, but he asked me to employ her so she could pay off her tuition fees.”

As you listened to his story, your lips curved upwards in amazement. It was reassuring to know that while everything around you was changing, turning to the worse, Jay’s personality always remained the same. He was still the same humble guy you met a few years ago. They guy who tried his best to lift up the people around him.

For a while you even forgot why you came here in the first place, it was nice catching up with him. You forgot your anger and disappointment and for a brief moment everything seemed to be just fine. “How are you doing? I heard you’re really busy these days.”

“Ugh, I’m drowning in work. I still can’t understand how you’re able to manage two labels…but I’m not here to complain about work. I wanted to ask you something.” “Oh, here I thought you came to visit because you missed me,” Jay chuckled lightly, motioning you to go ahead.

“Did you by chance tell Kiseok about Christian and me?” You asked him straight forward. Jay was someone you could be honest to, you didn't have to beat around the bush with him.

“Christian and you?” He cocked up one of his brows, his mouth turning grim. “Since when are you guys a “we” and “us”?”

“We’re not. You know what I mean,” you sighed out loud. You knew this conversation wouldn’t be easy, but Jay made it even more uncomfortable than it had to be.

“It was not a one time thing then?” “Jay, I didn’t come here for an interrogation. I just want to know if you told Kiseok.” Jay lowered his gaze, almost as though he felt ashamed. “I might have mentioned it…briefly”

“God, why did you do that?” You looked at him in disbelief, feeling betrayed by your own best friend.

“I’m sorry, Min. It just slipped. It wasn’t my intention.”

“You said you wouldn’t pick a side, but to me it seems like you clearly did,” you pushed your chair behind and stood up, not wanting to prolong this conversation with him.

“I didn’t pick any side. The last thing I want, is to hurt you. You know Kiseok, he just got it out of me somehow.”

“Telling him is one thing, but hiring DPR for one of your projects? That’s just low. I mean I expected something like that from Kiseok, but I didn’t think you would facilitate that kind of childish behavior.” You shot him a disgusted glare. You just couldn’t believe that out of all people, Jay would betray you like that. It was so out of his character.

“Minhee, I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about right now,” Jay furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Kiseok hired DPR for his next music video. You’re the CEO, don’t tell me you didn’t know anything about that.”

Jay wasn’t the type of CEO that was up in the business of his employees. He would give them the creative freedom they needed and let his artists do whatever they wanted. He didn’t rush them to release music nor did he dictate what kind of music they had to make. However, if contracts were involved, Jay always had the last say.

“He did not. I’m sure of it. I just reviewed the contract we signed with JM Studios weeks ago.”

“What about the meeting with DPR?” “What meeting? I know nothing about that. I can ask around, but we never scheduled a meeting with DPR. I haven’t talked to them since Loco’s collaboration with Live.”

You stared at him dumbfounded, at loss for words since none of this made any sense. But there was only one possible explanation for this mess.

“Where is that son of a bitch?!”

~*~

You stormed into his studio, kicking the door open.

“Just what the fuck is wrong with you?” You shut the door close behind you with a loud bang as your eyes flickered at him lividly.

Kiseok was sure surprised to see you, but he knew how to maintain his composure. He turned his chair around, blinking at you as innocently as ever. “What are you talking about?”

“Cut the bullshit, Kiseok! Why the hell would you have a meeting with DPR when you’ve already hired a different company for your fucking music video?”

“I had a meeting with them, because I’m interested in their work and wanted to keep my options open,” he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. That smug smirk of his rubbing you in all the wrong places. “Why do you care?” He was taunting you with his eyes. It was a challenge. He wanted you to admit that you knew Christian in one way or the other.

“Keeping your options open while you’ve already signed a deal? Stop bullshitting me. I’m sick of it! If you want to get back at me, that’s fine, but don’t drag in people that have nothing to do with this.” You raised your voice at him. You felt the anger boiling inside of you like a volcano that was about to erupt. Fires of fury were smoldering in your eyes as your gaze pierced through him with so much hatred.

“What people?” He still pretended as though he didn’t know what you were talking about and it only worsened your anger. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t act so innocent,” you hissed at him sharply, your patience reaching its limit. “Do you mean Christian Yu?” You didn’t answer. You owed him nothing. “So the rumours are true? You’re actually dating him?” “It doesn’t matter. I can’t believe you’re using your position to step on people. You used to take your job and your music seriously. But I guess now it’s just a medium for you to screw over people and get some kind of ego boost from it.” You wanted your words to hurt him like he did you. But not once did he lose his calm.

“You know he’s using you, right?“ “Maybe I’m letting him use me,” you retorted childishly. “You’re gonna get hurt.“

“In case you forgot, Kiseok, you were the one who hurt me.“

“Minhee, I made a mistake and I apologized over and over again. But you won’t even hear me out,” his voice softened so did the expression on his face. But it didn’t matter what he say, you wouldn’t believe him anyway.

“You wanna talk about it? Ok, let’s talk about it. Was it good? Did she satisfy your needs? Was she better than me?” You tried to provoke him.

“That’s not fair.” “Kiseok, you fucked her. You did it multiple times. All the while you were pretending to be the oh so perfect boyfriend.”

“I didn’t do it, because I stopped loving you. I was stupid. I felt lonely. You were never there. We barely saw each other. I was craving intimacy and she just happened to be there,” he attempted to explain his behavior.

“So, it’s my fault now? It’s my fault that you went out and cheated on me instead of talking about the problems I didn’t even know we were having like grown ups do? You really wanna turn it around and blame it on me?” You stared at him in disbelief. Out of all things he had said this felt like a slap across your face. All the sacrifices you had made for him, they were all for nothing. They meant nothing at all.

“No, it’s not your fault. I screwed up. I made a mistake and I’m owning up to it, but I never stopped loving you.You were always the one. I just…I felt incredibly lonely. And it just felt like I was putting more into this relationship than you were.”

“In what world? You know I would have done anything for you!“ You shouted at him. Your anger taking control of you. You had sacrificed so much for this relationship. You had put his needs over yours, again and again to the point you closest friends described you as a fool. Because there was not a single thing in the world that you wouldn’t have done for him. You had put so much effort and energy it in and it appeared to be all in vain. He didn’t even appreciate anything you had done for him.

“Your job seemed to be more important than me.” “What the hell are you on? I’ve turned so many job offers down for you because I wanted to stay in Seoul with you. I could be working with the biggest companies in the world right now, but I’m not, because our relationship was more important to me. Because you were more important to me. I never chose my career over you.”

“You were working nonstop, Minhee. You always had a new project going on and we didn’t even see each other anymore.”

“I was trying to build something for myself. Something that I could be proud of. Something that I could call my own. I wanted to be able to stand on my own and not always be introduced as Simon D’s girlfriend.“

“What are you talking about?” “Kiseok, you know exactly what everyone was saying about us ‘that I was using you, that I was a gold digger, and that I wasn’t worthy to be your girlfriend and that you could do so much better than that’.”

Of course no one would ever tell this to your face. But they did talk behind your back. You weren’t pretty enough. You weren’t smart enough. You weren’t successful enough.

“Minhee, I didn’t know it bothered you that much. You never told me,” he eyes softened at you and you saw the guilt written all over his face. “Because it wasn’t your fault. I didn’t want you to feel bad for what other people were saying and thinking.”

“If I knew, I—.“

“You wouldn’t have slept with her?” You cut him off sharply, because you didn’t want to listen to his excuses and apologies any longer. “But you did. You did on your own account, so stop blaming it on me or on her, or whatsoever. At least she had the decency to come clean.“ “She only did it to turn you against me. I ended things with her that’s why she went to you. Because she knew you were the most important thing in the world to me.“

“I don’t care what her motivation was. At least she was honest. You played me for a fool, lied and deceived.“

“What I did, I did because of my own insecurities, but I always loved you and I still love you.“

„Too bad your words don’t mean shit anymore.“

~*~

[Time leap]

“Hey, what are you doing here?” A smile appeared on your lips, albeit being confused by his sudden appearance. You just went through your schedule for the day with your assistant and you were pretty sure you didn’t have an appointment with him today. But it was nice to see a friendly face amid a stressful day at work.

“Your assistant let me in,“ he answered shortly, his voice sounding rather rigid. “Do you want to sit down? Anything to drink?” You offered politely, a habit of yours every time someone came into your office. “No, this is gonna be quick, but I wanted to ask you this face to face.” “Ask me what?” You blinked at him confused.

“The project with Simon D fell through. Did you say anything to him?“ “Are you serious?” You let out a scoff in disbelief that such a ridiculous thought was even crossing his mind. You were the last person who would sabotage his career.

“I mean…you weren’t really fond of it. You were trying to talk me out of it,“ he stammered under his breath, his voice becoming a whisper as though he had lost confidence in what he was saying.

“Yes! Because Kiseok was using you to get back at me. I just wanted to keep you out of it.”

“Did you talk to him, or did you not?“ “Yes, I talked to him. But I didn’t tell him to kill the project. He never planned to go through with it in the first place,” you tried to justify your actions.

“You promised me you wouldn’t meddle in this.“

“I know and I’m sorry. But this wasn’t even about you. It was about Kiseok and me.”

“You guys are unbelievable,” he shook his head in disappointment. “You’re behaving like high schoolers. It might just be a game to you, but it’s not to me. I actually worked hard for this and sacrificed a whole lot.” “It’s not a game to me. I didn’t want any of this. I tried to warn you, Christian, but you wouldn’t listen.“

”Why do you think he did that?“ “I don’t know? Maybe he wanted to get back at me. Maybe he wanted to drive away the only person I could talk to right now? I don’t know, I don’t know what’s going on in his sick mind.“ “Are you really that blind, Minhee? He desperately trying to cling on to you. He obviously still has feelings for you which he tries to prove in some sick way. And you’re still in love with him, so instead of behaving like kids, just go and talk it out.” “I’m not in love with him anymore,” you denied firmly. “Really? So you jumping in bed with me was not an attempt to distract yourself?” “I thought you would be the last person to hold that against me,” you stared at him in disbelief. “You know what? I’m done with this. I don’t have the time and energy for this. You guys figure things out on your own. I don’t wanna stand in the middle of it,” he turned around and grabbed the door handle.

Surprise, surprise! The ex has been revealed...what do y’all think? Sorry for being so MIA. I’ll answer all the asks I have in my inbox later. Thank you soooo much for all the support! I really appreciate it! One of the reasons I came back. I hope you liked this chapter, let me know what you think!! :)

[Edit] Just out of curiosity, are you guys team Ian or team Simon D? hahahah

#christian yu #christian you scenarios #dpr #christian yu imagine #khiphop scenarios #khiphop imagines #getting off the wrong foot

214 notes · View notes

canyouhearthelight · 5 years

Text

The Miys, ch. 37

I was running late to work this morning, so I didn't have time to queue this chapter. Instead of uploading it super late in the day (7pm EDT), I made a judgement call to pull the copy that I emailed my lovely sister @parisconstantine to proof - which she approved - but that means there is no break.

08/10/2020 Edit: Added a break! and links.

Once Conor had sufficiently transformed me into a fuzzy purple burrito, I glanced around my quarters with a weak smile. Sure enough, Antoine and my sister put a fierce limit on my welcome-back ‘party’. I saw only them, Conor, Sam, and Derek. Knowing that Simon and Noah were likely watching and listening remotely, it was the perfect amount of people for me to handle at the moment.

Antoine returned my smile gently as he handed me a server of tea. “No caffeine and no alcohol until you finish your medications,” he explained somewhat apologetically. His shrug suddenly turned into a wince as he backed away, one hand flying to his temple with a hiss. After taking a step forward, he shook his head energetically and blinked a few times. “I need to calibrate this more,” he muttered.

Tyche tsked at him. “That’s what you get for deciding to be your own guinea pig,” she replied airily before tilting her head toward me. “He’s working on a project to help the autistic population on the ship. It’s… in the experimental stages. He should explain, though.”

“It’s going to be marv,” Conor gushed quietly.

I glanced at Antoine. “So, what’s the project? I’m all ears.”

He chuckled somewhat ruefully. “It actually will fall partially under your purview if I am able to work out the – bugs?” When I nodded, he continued. “During the sabotage attempt on the ship, Conor and I were needed to retrieve Derek and escort him to Level One. There was simply no other way for him to arrive without being overwhelmed by so many people in close proximity. Since then, it occurred to me: What if there was a way for Derek to travel around the ship, even during such times that the corridors are crowded, without need for an escort? It would give him much more autonomy than he has had in the past.”

“The idea came from your Council pendant, partially – when we headed to Level One, your pendant gave off a low tone, in theory a proximity alert to let everyone know to let you through. However, it did not work, and we now know that was due to not everyone being able to hear it in all the panic, yes? We do have a way to hear things over exterior noises, though.” He tapped his temple. “The translators. Even in the loudest room on the ship, for example, you would still be able to perfectly hear the translation of Derek’s sign language provided you were looking at him.” I nodded, but was honestly still confused.

“The ultimate goal of the project is to combine the technology we already have, and give Derek – and all autistics on the ship – the ability to interact on their own terms,” Antoine explained, crouching down. “Using the datasets and our translators, the first aim is audio and visual dampening. No more too-loud noises, no more unpleasant lights or colors. They will be able to adjust both the audio input from the translators and hopefully visual input, right from their dataset. Secondly, proximity alerts – but mostly not for them. Instead, anyone who approaches too closely will receive an alert to their dataset first, and then a loud alarm transmitted directly to their translator.” He tapped his temple again. “I thought it was only fair that I be the test subject for the alarm, and I’m working on calibrating it. When I backed away from you after delivering your tea, I backed too closely to Sam, who agreed to be my co-tester.”

“That’s brilliant,” I breathed, wide-eyed. “But you said the proximity alerts are ‘mostly’ not for Sam. So he still receives some of it?”

Antoine looked over his shoulder at Sam, who was in the process of a beautiful and intricate piece of knotwork. “Sam? When do you receive an alert?”

“If I’m not paying attention and I’m about to walk into someone. It’s just a chime, though,” he answered nonchalantly, not looking up from what he was doing.

“So really, it’s only to keep you from accidentally touching someone if you don’t want to?” I asked.

“Yep. Works good. I didn’t walk into anyone today.”

“And the software can tell the difference?”

The question was directed at Antoine, but Derek was the one who answered. <Locational sensors in the corridors tell us who is the one moving and causing the proximity.>

“So, the people who need the software the most are not being punished?”

“I just wanted to make sure,” I chuckled, letting the silly nickname go unremarked. “Antoine, really. This is brilliant. And it’s going to help a lot of people, not just those on the spectrum. There are a lot of people on the ship who have PTSD-related touch issues. Or just flat out inherent aversions.”

He nodded. “Correct. Grey was able to corroborate in their data that the autistic-spectrum population on the ship has the most stringent requirements and need, however, so that is where the focus is. If I can calibrate it to work for them, everything else is just a matter of adjustment.”

“Okay, okay,” Tyche shifted next to me and gathered our attention. “As proud as I am of this project, especially how far it has come in such a short time, there are a few other things we need to talk about if you’re good with it, Soph?”

“Depends on what it is,” I hesitated.

“Timeline for getting you back to work,” she clarified. “It’s going to be a slow hand-off, and don’t even think of trying to take on more than you’re ready for or I will sedate you myself.” She arched an eyebrow at me and I just held my hands up in defeat. “Your primary focus is going to selecting a new assistant. I’ve been helping Simon, but there is only so much I can do to help and still be able to manage staffing. Right now, each of the department heads is handling as much of that as they can, but they still need me for day-to-day questions like who is currently available.”

I groaned. “Can’t you just find one for me?”

“No, I can’t. I don’t have time, like I said. Simon refuses to, because he is the one who originally hired Arantxa.”

“If I have to select them myself, I want a list vetted by Xiomara and Derek.” I glanced over. “Derek, is that okay with you? Dig up all the dirt you can on every single person Xiomara okays?”

“I want to know if they don’t bathe regularly, do they kick pets, did they not thank a vendor, everything.”

<I can do that> he confirmed with a pretty vicious amount of glee.

“Good,” I nodded, turning back to my sister. “I’m not leaving anything to chance. I know none of us want to admit it, but Arantxa had one thing dead to rights – I am entirely too trusting. Derek and Xiomara? Not so much. I’ll make the final call, but I’m going into this with eyes wide open. No more surprises. Hell, I don’t care if I even like the person. If they can do the job and I can trust them, I can make it work.”

“Sophie, come on – “

“No, Conor. I almost died, and the entire Ark almost paid the price for mine and Simon’s poor judgement. This may be an extreme reaction, looking at it from the outside, but the people on this ship need to know that I’m not making the same mistakes again.”

“But they just watched you stand in the Council Chamber and talk about the best of humanity. Now, you’re going to move forward with suspicion?” This time, it was my sister.

“I also, quite clearly, said that one of our best traits is that we learn from our mistakes. I can believe in the best of people without being stupid about it, and they need to see that. It doesn’t just mean trusting blindly – it can also mean seeing something in a person no one likes, or who everyone underestimates, or who no one thought could do the job. We also persevere, which is exactly what I’m going to do,” I finished quietly.

As Conor squeezed my shoulder, Tyche nodded in reluctant acceptance. “Okay, in that case, we need to make a list of what you are looking for in a new assistant. And you can’t put 'not a Baconist' on that list, because it pretty much guarantees everyone who applies will secretly be one, no matter what Miys says.” She shot me a look. “So, seriously. You need to have criteria to weed out who we even pass on to Xio and Derek.”

I hummed in thought, leaning my head back against Conor’s arm. “Well, there’s the obvious stuff – organized, at least somewhat familiar with who handles what on the Ark, moderate computer skills. They can’t be shy, either. In fact, I would prefer someone stubborn: I have a hard-enough time saying ‘no’ to people, so I need someone who can put their foot down both on my behalf and to me. Willingness to learn is also non-negotiable.”

My sister nodded, transcribing all this to her datapad and flicking a copy over to Antoine and Derek. “Okay, and what are the absolute deal-breakers?”

“Mindless conformity, in any direction,” I responded immediately. “I’ve known too many people who were so counter-culture that they though they were open-minded, but they were just narrow-minded in the opposite direction. At the same time, discrimination is absolutely not to be tolerated – there are only so many of us left, and we need to get the fuck along. Don’t get me wrong, if they disagree with me, that’s fine, but they have to be able to listen and consider other viewpoints. What I’m talking about is people who make judgement calls based on things that people can’t help or change, and refuse to listen to any opinion counter to their own.”

“Like Xiomara,” Tyche ventured hesitantly.

I shook my head vigorously. “Xio has her faults, but even when she realizes she doesn’t understand, she relents and goes with the flow. She at least leaves herself open to the possibility of understanding later. Something like that wouldn’t be a complete no-go. But the situation with Maverick and eating? If the person is the type who would flat out ignore my request, they can’t be my administrator. I have to fight enough uphill battles with the Council, I cannot waste time fighting with my administrator.” I took a deep breath. “Beyond that, hero-worshipers, victim-blamers, and victim-worshipers are right out.”

“Victim-worshipers?” Conor asked in confusion. “What are those?”

Before Tyche or I could answer, Antoine let out a loud groan. “Sometimes they are the worst types of people, my friend. You know what victim-blaming is, correct?” Conor nodded, leaning forward out of curiosity. Antoine continued, “Victim-worshipers are the complete opposite. They create this idealized, innocent, unrealistic ideal of a person who has been a victim of actions taken against them. Using Sophia as an example, these people would construct their entire idea of Sophia around her being a victim first, even before being human, or female, much less her being competent at her job. Instead, she is A Victim, and everything else about her supports her ‘victimness’. She isn’t a person to them anymore.”

Tyche nodded in agreement and continued where her partner had left off. “Depending on the person they are attaching themselves to, yeah – victim worshipers can sometimes be worse than victim blamers. At least the people who blame a victim grant the person a sense of agency, acknowledging that they are a person who can make decisions. They’re still scum, don’t get me wrong, but they wouldn’t take away the fact that Sophia is a person, who is capable of decisions. Victim blamers try to eliminate their own ability to decide and put that burden on the person who was attacked – victim worshippers don’t even let us decide what we wear each day.”

Conor started snapping his fingers, looking around as he grasped at something. “The whore-thing… about women… what is it? I’ve heard about this. Dammit, what is it….”

Derek clapped to get our attention before explaining. <Madonna-Whore complex> he supplied helpfully.

“YES!” Conor shouted, pointing at him. “Thank you, Derek. That! So ‘blamers’ are on the ‘whore’ end, and ‘worshipers’ are on the ‘Madonna’ end, and the focus of their judgement can’t win, right?”

Tyche, Antoine, and I gaped at Conor in astonishment. Slowly, Antoine began to nod. “Yes. That’s what we were trying to explain…”

“Dumb lug my ass,” Tyche muttered, glancing at me.

Conor just squeezed my shoulder again, showing he wasn’t offended. “In that case, I completely agree. Sophie isn’t a hero, or a victim, she’s just… Sophie. She shouldn’t have to work with someone who can’t understand or appreciate that there are much more important things about her than what happened on Level One.”

“Like what?” I asked, teasing.

“Like the fact that, if you recover properly, you can cook like a fiend again, which I am looking forward to.” His stomach grumbled to punctuate the comment, instantly breaking any tension in the room.

This is exactly the housewarming I needed, I mused as I giggled at Conor’s never-ending hunger.

<< Prev Masterlist Next >>

#the miys #science fiction #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #aliens #apocalypse #fiction #my writing #scifi #original fiction

124 notes · View notes

darklingichor · 4 years

Text

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Ramble Fest Part 5. *Spoilers*

Day 5: finished it. Okay, lots of things. Rowell's writing is absolutely addictive, I would have finished it faster if it weren't for my job and bills and stuff. Stupid responsiblites keeping me from reading.

I think I'll take each plot thread and follow it to the end.

With Levi, I sort of expected him to be Reagan’s brother, possibly twin (just by the way she reacted to the identical twin thing). Anyway, what college class allows you to read and test on The Outsiders? Can I borrow anyone’s time machine and go take it? I literally (and I actually mean literally) read that book twenty times in a row when I was fifteen. I wrung every bit of context, subtext, and not-even-in-the-text out of it. I felt like I knew Johnny and Ponyboy better than I knew some of my own family members. My best friend and I also took turns reading it out loud to each other (we did this with a lot of books, actually). I could have taken that test in about five minutes and would have been the easiest A I ever got!

Anyway, can I just say that I love the fact that Cath sees audio books as reading? Some people don’t and it annoys me to no end.

So I do like the Cath/Levi pairing, but what is it about romance in fiction? One half of the pairing doesn’t answer texts so the other half makes out with someone else? Does this happen in real life? I’m aro ace, this is completely foreign to me. I mean, I understand the concept of demiromantic and demisexual. Someone you feel connected with makes you want to do the romance or physical thing with them. But then you wouldn’t just kiss someone else because you didn’t hear from the special someone for a couple of hours, right? How does that connection happen in the brain? Not judging just wondering about something that makes no sense to me, personally.

It was sort of interesting how the relationship progressed. I get why she was so reluctant to really go there. Cath is the embodiment of fool me once, you will not get a twice.

I like that Levi really is a nice guy. Not a guy who plays nice and then expects something because of it. He legitimately felt horrible for the kiss with the other girl.

Also often, in the stuff I watched growing up, the love interest had to "look past" the geeky stuff that the main character liked. It is cool that Levi likes Cath for everything that she is, including the stuff that Wren tries to downplay. Same goes for Cath liking Levi. Niether one of them change to make themselves "better" for the other. That seems more real to me.

I like the slight struggle they had with Reagan being Levi's ex and how they all moved passed it. The only thing I can't figure out of I like is how once the relationship solidified, Cath's anxiety seems to have, if not disappeared, then greatly reduced.

I can't figure out if that's because she had more in the way of support in the form of Wren, Levi, and Reagan, more confidence because of the reactions she got to both forms of her writting, less stress because her dad had more support from her grandmother, and all of the other things that came together for her... Or the "Got boy now, what is mental illness?" Trope.

I would say it's the former because it would make sense, but we spend so much time in Cath's head and see her struggle and overcome, in the little daily battles that are always there even with changes made in the form of healthy coping mechinisms, medication or counseling. And suddenly it just drops away... I don't know, that bugged me.

Speaking of struggles

Arthur’s episode was handled really well, and I’m completely on Cath’s side. Family comes first. I don’t care if they are uncouncious, I wouldn’t be able to consentrate on a final if a close family member were in the hospital and I wasn’t there.

The part of my brain ruled by the anxiety goblin completely agrees with Cath wanting to leave the school. The part of me that is closer related to the turtle than it should be. “This is scary, uncomfortable, painful, ect. Time to hide.”

The more reasonable part sort of agrees with her when she said she didn’t choose the school, Wren did. Why stay at a school that you didn’t want to attend in the first place? I also understand the logic behind wanting to stay home to take care of her dad. Is ot the eighteen year old kid's job to take care of the parent? Not really, but what do you do when someone you love needs help?

The more rational part also says: You have a scholarship? Stay put, kid, loans blow!

During this whole thing? Wren is still a dick. The You and dad are crazy because you let yourselves be crazy argument...

"Got a broken leg? Walk it of wussy!"

Now, is that to say that Cath's way of letting her anxiety cope with her rather than the other way around is right?

No.

But it's a lot more complicated than "Just don't let it bother you." Bitch, if she could do that she wouldn't have anxiety now would she?

I don't know a lot about bipolar but I know enough to say with confidence, that just willing the chemicals in your brain to behave is not going to cut it.

So Wren's alcohol poisoning. Can I say that I loved how it was handled? The writing got around every tired thing that can happen coming out 0f a plot element like that.

Wren and Cath did reconcile, but Cath didn't cut her a lot of slack and was matter of fact about how stupid Wren's behavior had been. Her dad didn't do the whole "I'm just glad you're okay" thing, he laid down the law. One of my favorite lines from Arthur was when he told Wren that she had to go to AA meetings.

"I'm not an alcoholic."

"Good. It's not contagious. You're going to meetings.”

I honestly wouldn't mind a story from Wren's perective over the course of this year. It would be interesting to see her partying, her relationship with her boyfriend and her thought process while she let some of her personality blaze through while hiding others.

After she and Cath make up it becomes clear that she thought that she couldn't go to parties, make new friends, have new experiences and be close with her sister and still openly love nerdy things.

Professor Piper, writing, Laura, and Simon Snow.

I get the feeling that Professor Piper is suppose to be subverting the Mary Sue stereotype. When Cath first starts the class she is in awe of this teacher. Piper is wise, talented and compassionate. She's perfect. So when she first talks down fan ficton, I thought, well if the story were to follow the Mary Sue, Cath would "realize" her folly and abandon Carry On, Simon. I knew that wasn't going to happen.

The more she bad mouths fan fiction, the more she just... Acts like nothing touches her, I thought: She's the Mary Sue... But she's almost the villain (and almost is important here because she doesn't continue down that path). I mean, she can do whatever she wants with her students' grades? What university is this? Professors have to get their grades submitted by a deadline. She couldn't hold Cath's grade just cause she felt like it. She'd have to submit an incomplete and I'm pretty sure that it would have to be made up long before it actually was.

She calls fan fic "Stillborn" as if the only ultimate reason to write is to make a living off of it, that was bitchy. She likely would have been surprised that a good number of her students probably dabble in it, because I haven't met many people who write (post Harry Potter) who didn't read some fanfic, if not write it, and that's just one fandom Yes, it is a wonderful thing to make your living doing something you love, However, Cath is also right, you can write like some people knit or scrapbook. You can do something you love simply for the love of it.

Further more and most importantly, no writting is "stillborn" you put effort into it, it lives, if only for you.

Now, Cath is trying to not write her final project because she's scared, she's afraid that she doesn't have it in her to do with her own characters what she does so well with Baz and Simon. That doean't mean her reasoning isn't sound, it's just not sound for her.

Nick... I don't have a lot to say about Nick. I knew he was going to end up being a tool, and he was.

Same goes for the Laura thing. I agree with Cath, you don't get to walk out of being a parent and walk back in to be a fair weather friend.

Simon Snow. As a framing device first the "original" books and then Carry On, Simon was very effective. I had a hard time listening to many of them though because of the narration. Don't know why they had the narrator switch when we were in Cath's story.

Having read Carry On before Fangirl, it was interesting to see the differences between the stories. And it simaltiously gave and took away hope for the Anyway the Wind Blows.

That fantastic part where Wren tells Cath that she can't kill off Baz, that she'd always said that Baz deserved a happy ending because of everything canon and all the fics they'd written and read, had put him through.

I thought: That bodes well for Baz in the next one.

But Wren also says that Cath has to give him a happy ending because Gemma T. Leslie never will.

Then I thought: Well shit, that doesn't, does it?

And all of this means nothing, really. Carry On and Wayward Son exist outside both this book and the fictional series...

Gah! This universe is like a Russian nesting doll crossed with a rublix cube!

The little bits we get of Cath's final project were lovely, and yes, painful. Writing something personal is painful but, but cathartic a lot of the time.

I had a lot of emotions reading this book and while I like Carry On more, I think Fangirl is fantasic. Just from the two books I've read, Rainbow Rowell's speciality is to take expectations and expertly either defy them or bring them to fuition in a way that is more satisfying than what the reader might be expecting. This means I might break from my escapist reading trend a bit more often.

#book #books #fangirl #rainbow rowell #spoilers #eight #book blogging 2020

1 note · View note

eggoreviews · 5 years

Text

10 Best Smash Reveals!

Now that we’ve had every reveal in the base game of Ultimate, I thought I’d look back through Nintendo’s backlog of splash screens and pick the trailers that built the most hype with the most over the top Nintendoness. But hey, let’s be real, they were all good.

Note: This doesn’t rank the characters themselves, just how they were revealed and how much hype it caused.

10. Mega Man

Since becoming an important an important third party mainstay in the series, Mega Man’s debut in Smash 4 at E3 2013 basically made everyone explode a bit, especially considering the array of cancelled Mega Man games that were dropping off all over the place. Mega Man’s trailer was simple but great, with Capcom and Nintendo I think fully realising that a character like this needs little introduction.

9. Pac Man

There’s really no arguing Pac Man’s place in gaming history, and he was the perfect fit for the series’ fourth installment, especially while Nintendo was getting used to the presence of third party characters in the roster. His reveal trailer rightfully depicted him alongside Mario, Sonic and Mega Man as we finally got our ‘yellow icon’ representation. I think he’ll be sticking around for a long time to come and for good reason.

8. Cloud

This one really knocked it out of the park. While Final Fantasy, as the gaming giant it is, is pretty much an obvious fit into Smash, I think very few people expected it to be 7′s Cloud, the game that famously was a PS1 exclusive at launch and signaled the end of Square’s relationship with Nintendo at the time. And to be honest, he’s still one of my absolute favourite third party characters.

7. Palutena & Dark Pit

Is this a weird pick for this list? Probably! But hey, I said I’d be judging these based on the trailers too and while these two might not have been the most hype reveals in history, have you seen how cool that trailer is? The bright, colourful and awesome manga art style, the fact that you’re immediately thrust into a fight between Link and Pit! I absolutely loved this trailer and I watch it more than I probably should. Plus, Palutena is one of my favourite Nintendo characters and you can fight me.

6. Joker

Here’s one I’m kind of still recovering from. Marked in as another sort of embarrassment to Playstation considering Persona 5 is still a PS exclusive, the Smash team dropped this on us at the Game Awards 2018, just before the launch of Ultimate. And I have been waiting as patiently as I can ever since. I’ve absolutely ADORED Persona 5 so far and seeing my boi get put into my favourite fighting game was enough to melt my whole brain. You can’t tell me you’re not excited.

5. Snake

There’s excitement and then there’s explosions. Snake’s reveal as the very first third party character both shocked and absolutely blew everyone away. Likely to be seen as the very last character who would be considered, especially since the likes of Sonic and Mega Man were absent at this point, the fanbase has never been more thankful for Konami’s tenuous ties to Nintendo, especially since we got our boi back for Ultimate.

4. Ridley

Here’s a legendary Nintendo villain that no one ever thought would see the light of day on the roster, as Sakurai repeatedly tried to tell us he was far too big to work. But damn, did they make him work. They made him work so much he got his own Alien-esque reveal trailer at E3 2018 that sees the purple menace brutally murder Mario and Mega Man. And this might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m glad he looks as genuinely scary as he does now and not that weird bug-eyed model they went with for his boss fight in Brawl. Yikes.

3. Sonic the Hedgehog

After Snake’s arrival in Brawl, it was a little while before fans finally got to see a blue blur hit-and-running Mario as his official reveal, but this is the moment that it finally felt like Nintendo and Sega’s competition level had been set to ‘friendly’. Drawing arguably more of a reaction than Snake due to his iconic status, Sonic is the longest serving third party character in Smash at three games so far (everyone else with only one or two) and it really doesn’t look like he’s leaving. His special moves may all basically be the same, but I love him anyway.

2. Simon & Richter

Oh boy. This reveal really did have it all. The spooky atmosphere and visuals that made the trailer so uniquely Castlevania that we all knew who this was gonna be as soon as the trailer kicked off. But the ingenious blend of Castlevania with Luigi’s Mansion? I absolutely LOVED it. And on top of that, the Castlevania franchise is one that was definitely sorely missed from the series up until now and even though it just arrived, it almost already would feel weird without it. Here’s hoping Snake and the Belmonts continue into Smash 6! (if there is one lol)

Here’s some gr8 picks that didn’t quite make the big 10:

Shulk - Come on, I don’t care if this was leaked beforehand, how cool was that trailer?

Wii Fit Trainer - The fighter we didn’t know we all needed. And her reveal was pitch perfect.

Ken and Incineroar - As the final reveals for Ultimate’s base roster, this trailer blended general Smashness with some well-received humour that made this one of my faves

Isabelle - The one that confused us all. Is it Animal Crossing? Oh wait, Isabelle is in Smash! And it’s also new Animal Crossing!

1. King K. Rool

Despite the plethora of third party characters, I don’t think any reveal built as much hype as this. DK fans and general memers alike rejoiced in unison when it was revealed that you can play as this massive crocodile at the end of the August 2018 Smash direct. Honestly though, I think this trailer and its execution was absolutely brilliant. From the stomping sound effects and the few suspenseful seconds of blackness to the ‘villains’ motif in the opening frames. That Dedede fake-out that was followed by his immediate death. And that music! Holy hell, Gangplank Galleon is one of the best remixes I’ve heard basically ever. And despite the fact that I had no attachment to this character before Ultimate came along, this trailer easily came out on top for me.

What was your favourite reveal? Let me know down below if you want! Thanks for reading!

#super smash bros #super smash switch #smash bros ultimate #Smash Bros #nintendo #loz #mario #super smash ultimate #Super Mario #donkey kong #nintendo switch #castlevania #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #isabelle #animal crossing

3 notes · View notes

ralfstrashcan · 5 years

Text

Violence in Fiction

When I don't like something in a TV show it's most likely the way violence caused by the protagonists is dealt with. There are different ways in which that can happen and I'm just gonna explain some by examples, namely Sherlock, Teen Wolf and Shadowhunters.

1) Skirting violence (Sherlock)

This is a good method to avoid having to address violence in any way, at least in theory. Until there is one measly scene containing violence and to keep the balance it's not touched on at all and so things get... really weird.

Taking a look at the first two Seasons of Sherlock and ignoring minor brawlings Sherlock and John get themselves into, there is one scene standing out: In the first episode, where John shoots the Cabbie and Sherlock 'questions' him while he's taking his last breaths. The first part is still mostly okay because it is talked about. It is clear that John has killed people in the past and knows how to handle that, Sherlock asks him if he's alright (so it's made clear that shooting someone is something that potentially leaves traces on a person's mental health) and John answers that the Cabbie wasn't a very nice man. And yeah, I get it, he was a serial killer that killed people through sick mind games to fund the college career of his kids and get a personal kick out of it, but the situation in which John shot him wasn't one of imminent danger, at least not because of the Cabbie. He actually shot the Cabbie because Sherlock was about to take the (only potentially) deadly pill because of his own ego and stupidity, not because the Cabbie forced him or posed any kind of threat to him. So wasn't it a little unjust? Even a serial killer deserves a trial, right? Of course it could be argued that John didn't see all that from his tiny little window, and this part of the scene isn't even what I want to focus on. I just thought I'd mention it along the way.

The real uncomfortable part begins after the Cabbie is shot. Sherlock wants answers, preferably fast before the Cabbie goes west, and so he steps onto his shot shoulder to give him a li'l incentive to spill. And this is.. problematic. Because, you know, torture. Deliberately inflicting pain on a dying person. Not cool. And yeeeaaah, Sherlock is really harsh most of the time and unnecessarily insensitive, but this is crossing the line. And it's not addressed at all, which makes kind of sense, because Sherlock obviously has no qualms and John doesn't know it happened (?) and so it just sits there, uncommented. I always feel really awkward watching that scene because it seems so out of place amidst the other relatively violence-free episodes of S1 and S2.

In S3 and S4 the general tone of the series changes and so the violence when it occurs (Mary shooting Sherlock, Sherlock shooting Magnussen, Eurus killing people whenever) doesn't seem so out of place like that one scene in the first Season did.

2) No real or asymmetrical consequences of violence (Teen Wolf)

Two things, real quick:

i) Everyone should be a lot more traumatized than they actually are. The only person(s) to show any kind of reaction to all the gore are Stiles and occasionally Lydia (and the Sheriff, but the Sheriff is mostly exasperated so it doesn't really count).

ii) I feel like the thing that has impacted Stiles the most so far (I still haven't seen 6B, but since Stiles only has a minor role in this (</3!!!!!!!!!) I don’t think it will really change anything) was the thing with Donovan in S5 and I felt like ???????? shouldn't the whole Nogitsune thing have been way way worse for him??????? I mean okay, in S5 he was actually in control, except he wasn't because it was an accident, but yeah yeah yeah, I get it that it's hard to comprehend and knowing something rationally isn't the same as feeling it to be true emotionally. Still. That was one person that died. While attempting to kill him, mind you. In S3 the Nogitsune killed, like, a lot of people and Stiles, being possessed, didn't only have a front row seat, he also felt his elated emotions while killing them. And the whole thing went on for weeks. That's gotta be worse, right?!

I felt like Stiles acting weird and keeping secrets from Scott in S5 was used as a plot device so Theo could sneak his way inside Scott's head while after S3 there was no time to deal with Stiles-Trauma, so in S4 he was mostly back to normal.... except for that one scene with Malia in the basement, the “Control is overrated”-Scene (which I still don't get by the way, so feel free to explain that to me anytime).

3) Inconsistent reactions to violence (Shadowhunters)

This is probably the one that annoys me the most, because it's inconsistent. I freakin' hate inconsistency. Everything else can be forgiven, tropes, clichés, stupid lines, stupidity, even gaping holes in the logic, as long as it's freakin' consistent. It's why I have absolutely zero problems loving Teen Wolf to pieces, because that show has logic that is downright sketchy at times, but that is a constant, so it's alright. (Except for maybe S4, that was really too much bullshit. But it was funny as hell, okay, so I didn't care. I enjoyed myself immensely watching it.) Anyway, back to my point. Shadowhunters and the way violence performed by the protagonists is dealt with.

There are different types of violence shown on-screen:

a) Killing Demons

This one is really unproblematic, because demons are Creatures of Evil whose sole purpose of existence is to kill or injure innocent bystanders. Also they are no highly developed creatures and look like really nasty vermin (or at least most of them do, except for 1x01 where all demons where human-shaped and human-looking but I'm putting that down to pilot-weirdness) so it's like killing a bug. It's also really convenient that 'killing' them doesn't really kill them but instead just sends them back to their home dimension where they dwell until the next rift opens. So, really, it's more like putting them in the jail of monopoly.

b) Killing Downworlders

Eh, I'm sorry, what? Downworlders aren't killed on-screen by protagonists, only by Evil Circle Members! We all know that is Wrong and Bad!

Yeah well, mostly. Except for that one scene in S1 where Alec and Izzy slay Vampires like it's nothing. But let me start elsewhere.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Shadowhunters may or may not have racist tendencies and look down on Downworlders, yet there is that iffy little thing called The Accords that prevents them from harming them. In theory. It is also widely known that most Shadowhunters in higher ranks don't really give a shit about the Accords and feel like ignoring them whenever the mood strikes is totally okay. For example Aldertree torturing Raphael to get information. It's the same when Meliorn is to be brought into the City of Bones for questioning even though he could very well die in the process of said questioning. But, you know, he is evilly withholding information, so it's alright to break the Accords, because surely the Seelies will be too afraid to start a war with the Shadowhunters in retaliation, should anything happen. We all know how the story goes, Izzy 'goes rogue' and steals Meliorn before he reaches the City of Bones and because the Clave is full of shit they drop the charges for treason against her as soon as they get the Cup in their greedy little fingers. Really, you would think a trial for treason couldn't be ended so easily, but whatever. My point is, Izzy is very pro Downworlders for a Shadowhunter, right? In a society where, even though it's dictated by the Accords, being pro Downworlder is very frowned upon. Lydia even warns her to consider what she's saying when Izzy says, “You know what's insane? Thinking we have the right to treat a Downworlder's life as worthless” in 1x11 during her trial, neatly proving both my claims.

I think it's safe to say that Izzy doesn't have these views since yesterday but has had them for a long time, to withstand against a society that tries to teach her differently.

So why the hell does 1x03 happen?? Simon got kidnapped by the Vampires, so to steal him back Clary, Jace, Alec and Izzy break into the Hotel DuMort and Alec and Izzy are the distraction. Meaning they trigger the alarm and proceed to kill every Vampire that comes their way.

What. The. Hell.

I mean yeah, the Vampires did kidnap Simon, but collective punishment much? Who says the other Clan Members even knew what Camille was up to?? In fact we see Raphael and Camille disagree over this whole kidnapping, suggesting that this was Camille's idea alone and the rest of the Vampire Clan had no say in it at all. Of course the Shadowhunters don't know that, but that possibility should have crossed their minds, that's not too much to ask, right? Also, again, don't they deserve, like, a trial? And even if they don't, isn't killing tons of Vampires for one measly abduction where the hostage isn't even lastingly harmed a little excessive?

And yes, the Vampires did attack Alec and Izzy, but they were freakin' breaking into their home and flapping their seraph blades around. Did they expect to be asked to leave politely? What the hell?!

To be honest, from Alec I didn't reaaally expect more, because of the weird racism issue he has (in early episodes he says some super racist things about Downworlders and later it's never mentioned again and not really reflected in his behavior which I find super weird and annoying but that's a topic for another day) but Izzy, who stands out with her Downworlder-friendly attitude??? What was going on with her???

Of course one could argue here that they are just so hardened through all the demon-slaying, but honestly I don't believe that because demons are (mostly) mindless creatures whereas Vampires were real people at some point and still are in spirit if not in biology. Seriously.

c) Killing other Shadowhunters (namely Circle Members)

And on with the killing of real people. Apparently Circle Members (CM from now on because I'm lazy) don't need a trial, fine. Apparently all the protagonists have absolutely no problem slaying fellow Shadowhunters, even though I believe that before S1 the Circle was officially dead and no more CM were running around and so the protagonists didn't have practice killing people. Izzy says in 1x04, “Before Clary got here, every day was the same. Go on a mission, kill demons. Go on a mission, kill demons.” Demons, not rogue CM. But of course that could have been for the easy parallelism, you know, to keep the sentences short. But I don't think that.

Anyway, even if we leave all this aside... shouldn't all that people killing leave, like, a slight uncomfortable feeling in anyone's gut? Because it really doesn't.

Again, one could argue that they are just hardened and used to all the violence and while I think that is a flawed argument (because I don't believe that killing is something you can get used to if you don't have a grave mental health issue) I will concede the point. For the Lightwoods.

What about Clary? She's been part of the Shadow World for like two weeks and she's joining in on the killing as if it's nothing. She goes from “Oh my god you killed her!!!!!111” in 1x01 to happily stabbing people in two seconds flat. What the hell, Clary.

That she might take to killing demons, okay, because blah blah primitive creatures blah blah. But everything else is just un-freakin-believable, if you ask me.

Of course I understand why this happens in all these shows. It's necessary. It's for the same reason that you don't show every meal the characters eat or every time they go to the toilet; it's obvious they do it at some point but nobody cares about that. If you focus all your screen-time on the mental health issues of the characters you never get to the fun parts like explosions and fights and stuff. I get that.

Still. Can't it be avoided?

Welllllll.

I have to admit, I have seen one TV show that really took the time to portray consequences of violence realistically, and that was Hannibal. In the first episode Will, who is labile on a good day, shoots someone in an entirely justifiable act of self-defense where he had absolutely no other choice than shooting that person or risk the life of an innocent bystander. And then he is traumatized for a while and the frequent visits to the psychiatrist of his misplaced trust don't really improve his situation, but my point is, he struggled with what he has done even though there were good reasons why he did it, there were long term consequences, and he is haunted even Seasons later by this, by his first time killing another person.

Now that is some nice handling of the consequences of violence.

Of course taking all that time on-screen to process his thoughts and feelings serves the plot, so there's that.

I guess what I'm saying is, I understand why it's done, this neglect of dealing with the fallout of violence, but on the other hand it still annoys me. Don't get me wrong, I love all the shows I mentioned and have re-watched them more than once and surely will again, but.

A grain of discontent stays.

#meta #bbc sherlock #teen wolf #shadowhunters #hannibal #sherlock holmes #john watson #stiles stilinski #alec lightwood #isabelle lightwood #clary fray #will graham #hannibal lecter #violence

6 notes · View notes

sconeboi · 7 years

Text

in a heartbeat

length: 1.8k

type: flufff

warnings: none!

Carry On / In A Heartbeat crossover!

If you have not seen the short film In A Heartbeat I definitely recommend checking it out, link here

thank you to @alwaysfangirly for being an amazing beta (yet again!)

SIMON

I practically sprint through the halls of the school. I have to find Ebb. I’ve seen her clean up massive amounts of rubble with Nonsense. I know she’ll know what to do.

Agatha’s choked-up voice keeps ringing in my ears. Goodbye, Simon. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.

It was the most powerful I’ve ever seen her. She seemed to just appear in front of me, her wand already whipped out and ready to go. She must have been practicing for a week. What to say. What to do.

“In a heartbeat!” she had cast, pointing her wand at my heart. We’ve learned about this spell. Rarely used, because it can destroy relationships. Makes your heart beat out of your chest if you’re truly in love. Or, I should say, a cartoon-like outline of it (an actual heart shape would be terrifying). You can see the shape of it pump through your skin. Trixie used it on Keris that day. A little heart literally burst out of her’s chest and wouldn’t let go of Trixie.

When Agatha used it, nothing happened. My chest had stayed still. Agatha’s brow furrowed. “Goodbye, Simon,” she said. And repeated it sternly when I called after her.

But her milky, water-like magic is still swimming around in my chest. And it’s starting to get hot. Fast. Boiling, even. I jump over a small shrub and sail through air, as if my magic had momentarily boosted me up.

“Nonsense!” I say, just for kicks. The grass around me suddenly grows a foot taller. It must have been trimmed with magic.

Another shooting pain of heat rolls over my ribs. And all at once, everything goes cold.

Baz walks across the courtyard, on the path that leads to the classrooms. He’s reading some textbook with one hand and fiddling with his wand in the other. His hair is slicked back, but a small, jet-black piece falls right out in front of his face.

And that’s when my heart starts thumping.

What the fuck. What the actual fuck? I can see the outline perfectly through my Watford jumper. I try to press it back in, but the fake little spelled heart refuses to quiet down.

Baz is headed by way, so I leap into a nearby bush and listen as his footsteps make his way past me. I roll out and leap into the nearest tree to see if I can get a better look at him.

Why is the sight of him making this thing go completely mad? I study his hair, his skin, his eyes. It’s a nice feeling; staring at Baz without contemplating the different ways he might kill me someday. I push up on the tree branch and crane my neck to see him better, but I hit my head on the branch above me. Baz looks up, noticing the loud noise,and I dart behind the trunk. My heart’s going wild, beating so quickly and so loudly that I know Baz can hear it. I pray, I beg, I use all of my magic to hush it up. It works slightly, and finally I hear his footsteps continue on.

As soon as I relax, the skin on my chest seems to magically rip open, and something warm and soft falls into my hand. It’s a little heart in a cartoon shape, complete with a face, stick-like arms, and beady, blinking eyes.

Without warning, it darts out of my hands and points toward Baz eagerly, right out in the open. It darts back to me and grips my hand, nearly pulling me out of the tree. I pull back. It pulls harder. Eventually it lets me go and goes flying, right into Baz’s hand, knocking his wand to the floor.

I practically screech as I run, until I’m inches behind Baz. He hasn’t even noticed the switch yet; he’s too engaged in his book. I’m not sure what to do, so I make a grab for the heart, and in a split second it zooms off.

I’m holding Baz’s hand. My real heart flutters. He looks up at me, bewildered, and we both pull back immediately.

“What the fuck, Snow?” he says, snapping his book shut. As soon as he does so, I see the little heart dancing on top of it.

“I’m sorry!” I say as I jump up and grab blindly around Baz, following the blur of pink. My leg wraps around his, my hand jolts past his head. And somehow I land with my arms around his neck, my chest against his, so close that I could practically kiss him.

I feel the heart wriggle around in my hands, so I push away quickly and run.

“What the fuck was that?” I hear Dev call as he strolls past. Baz responds something inaudible. I'm too far away to hear, but I doubt I even want to.

BAZ

“No clue,” I tell Dev. “Thinks I’m trying to end him again, probably.”

“So he goes for the lips instead of the throat?” he replies, smirking.

“Apparently so.” I pick my wand up from off the ground. “Who knows, he might be gay.”

“Ha! The Chosen One, queer? Hilarious.”

“See you inside, Dev.”

“Merlin, Baz, lighten up a little.”

I look over my shoulder to see that Snow is out of sight. Simon Snow just held my hand and almost kissed me. It was as if he wasn’t in control, like a spell was forcing him to reach all around me, just to make my knees weak.

As I walk into the classroom, I feel something graze the top of my head, but I don’t think much of it. I dust off my hair for bugs and find nothing. But as soon as I step in, something wacks the back of my head and pushes me to the floor. I look up to see a little heart-shaped creature, and I immediately understand the situation

But there’s...there’s absolutely no possible way...

The heart swoops right up to me, cooing like a dove and nuzzling my face. Snow bursts in looking panicked, leaves in his hair and mud smeared on his trousers. His face is frantic, searching for his little love personification. He spots it and nearly jumps on top of me, grabs the heart’s tiny stubby arms, and tugs. But it won’t leave my side. Before I know it, the heart grabs onto my finger and pulls. Hard. I can already tell that it’s not letting go.

People are starting to whisper around us. Dev’s stifling a laugh; Niall’s in the corner, glaring. They all recognize that cartoony heart figure. They all know exactly what this is.

“Snow...is this...is this the Heartbeat spell?” I ask him, stuttering.

“N–no!” he says. “No, it-its not!” His face has turned completely beet-red out of embarrassment. Blood is rushing to my own cheeks.

“Simon...” I start.

“Shut up,” he whispers, looking panicked. He turns his face away and tugs as hard as he can on the little heart.

We both flinch at the same time as a loud crack rings out. It shoots down the middle of the heart and splits it in two. One half falls in my hand, the other Snow takes with him.

“Snow!” I call. “Wait!” But he’s already out the door.

SIMON

The sun is just beginning to set as I sit under the damned tree I fell from earlier today. The broken half of the little heart rests in my hands, heavy as a rock. I’ve sorted out a couple of things since I’ve been here, watching the grass grow.

First of all, I’m in love with Baz. Which I didn't realize until now, but that must be why I spent all those years obsessing over him.. Only it wasn't because I thought he was plotting, it was because I… liked him. I couldn’t accept it until I met his eyes when we were both holding onto my heart. But I'm not gay. Nothing's making sense anymore.

When I met his eyes...they were so cold. Angry. I had made a fool of him in front of his friends. He wanted nothing to do with me. So he broke my heart.

Tears start to form in my eyes, so I try to blink them away. Then suddenly I hear a rustle of leaves.

When I turn around, I see Baz standing behind the bushes, staring right at me.

“Did you come over just to mock me?” I say, trying to make it sound as if I wasn’t just crying.

“Snow...” He makes his way over and kneels down in front of me. “Let me fix this.”

“W-what?” I stutter.

Baz reaches for my hands but I pull away hesitantly. I look at him, tears beginning to flow again. He gives me a reassuring half-smile, and my stomach does a flip.

He takes my hand holding the piece of the split heart, then holds out the half he kept. “All you need is love!” he casts, swaying his wand around. I recognize the spell; it’s usually used for cheering someone up after a loss or...a heartbreak. Immediately the broken pieces weld together, and the little heart flies back into my chest. All feeling of Agatha’s watery magic ceases.

“Today’s been eventful,” Baz says with a smirk. He collapses down next to me, leaning against the tree trunk.

“Yeah it has.” I still can’t believe after all those years of hating me, he just mended my broken heart, as if it was an everyday chore.

“By the way, I’m not an idiot. I know what the In a Heartbeat spell does.”

Heat rises to my cheeks.

“I...I’ve liked you, for forever, Snow,” he says, looking away. “Almost since we met.”

My eyes go wide. “Really?”

“Really. And if you like me back, I mean...”

Without waiting another second, I shut my eyes, lean in, and press my lips to his. It lasts just a few seconds as I pull away to gauge his reaction.

Baz grins from ear to ear. He still has his eyes closed. Slowly he opens them to study my worried face.

“Okay...” he says through his smile. “That was...great.”

“Yeah. Not bad.” I run a hand through my hair awkwardly.

We’re so close that our chests are nearly touching, and I can feel Baz’s heart thumping against mine. Our heartbeats are nearly two hearts beating as one.

#everyone has been requesting this like crazy #carry on #snowbaz #snowbaz fanfiction #rainbow rowell #fic #in a heartbeat

768 notes · View notes

heartforheart532 · 7 years

Text

2x11 Review

So I wanna go ahead and talk about “Mea Maxima Culpa’’ with you guys! I’ll be highlighting a few things I liked about the episode and what didn’t really do it for me, and of course you guys are all welcome to share your own thoughts in the comments down below.

This review is NOT spoiler free! If you have not seen the episode yet, then don’t click on “Read more.’’ Come back when you’ve watched it and feel free to join the discussion. (It’s quite long, prepare yourself)

Okay, before I begin this review I’m highlighting the things I did or didn’t like and then I’ll dive into them more later.

Things I liked:

1. Parabatai intro scene 2. Jimon banter 3. Debute of Sebastian Verlac 4. Azazel (For a certain part) 5. Malec (Duh) 6. Raphael’s scenes 7. Clary/Jace/Valentine scene 8 Luke/Maia bonding + Luke being one of the best Alpha’s there is. 9,. FUCKING PARABATAI’S 10. The summoning of Azazel 11. The bodyswap between Magnus and Valentine.

Things I didn’t like:

1. Climon 2. Azazel (For a certain part) 3. Ollie 4. Izzy battling her yin fen addiction 5. The Saphael scene 6. Certain parts of the bodyswap between Magnus and Valentine 7. Clary’s reaction when she found out Jace was not her brother 8. JACE FUCKING CRYING

Alright, kicking off I’ll start with the things I liked and really set the episode for me:

1. The parabatai scene: How could anyone NOT love this scene? It’s some lighthearted, playful training between to brothers and parabatai and it’s something that makes you smile. It was a great decision to put this at the beginning of the episode and how the two bantered about Jace’s issues while training. I think it really lightened the mood after the events of the Soul Sword and we all know Jace could use that.

2. Jimon banter: WHAT IS THERE NOT TO LOVE!? This scene honestly made me laugh so loud. Reasons why I love it so much is because, A) Simon really, really wants to cheer Jace up, showing he actually cares for him and B) Jace is having NONE of it, which is just funny. I saw some people found it disappointing on how he responded towards Simon but guys, don’t forget that’s what Jace is like. Besides, he does care for Simon. He just doesn’t want to show it.

3. The debute of Sebastian Verlac: I think we’re all in big trouble. We all know Sebastian is no good, and you can definitely tell something’s up with him at the end of his and Izzy’s scene, but Will plays him so, so incredibly well that I can’t help but smile when I see him on my screen and I think at that, the producers did a damn good job casting him. For this role you would want someone that looks nice, acts very sweet and would want to be someone you can trust and lean on, while in the inside, they are planning how to take you and everyone else down. Will so far is rocking the ‘’kind’’ side of Sebastian but I can not wait how he will portray the real Sebastian. All in all, I’m hyped.

4. Azazel: I pointed out in the highlights that I only liked certain parts of Azazel. The parts I liked is more his power then anything. Also the small backstory Magnus gave us on Azazel (I’m not that far with the books yet, I know. I’m a slow reader) really intrigued me and left me anticipated for what Azazel might be up to next episode. Also why DID he swap Magnus and Valentine’s bodies? I’m really curious to that. (I also really liked the plot the writers were going with here, having Magnus and Alec arrive late at the scene where Azazel was with Izzy and have them think he has her, it all fitted really well and I thought it was brilliantly written.)

5.Malec: DO I EVEN NEED TO EXPLAIN MYSELF WHY I LIKE- MORE LOVED THESE SCENES SO MUCH!? I think to me the big deal breaker is the casual kiss and touches they shared with each other. Now they are in an established relationship, we see them getting more touchy feely with one other and that is something we clearly missed in 2A. Magnus seemed to be the person that, after his family, Alec really has grown to love and this episode shows that beautifully. From the point where he just casually kisses Magnus first, to the point where he is crying out in pain and practically begs his loved one to stop Azazel and afterwards being so worried, that he wanted to go home with Magnus. (Even if it was Valentine at this point but hey, Alec doesn’t know that.) I think they work great together as a team, even if we saw them evastigating the place around the vampire den for a short amount of time.

6. Raphael’s scenes: I am so happy with the path the writers have chosen for Raphael. I love that how, when Isabelle visits him, he owns up to his mistakes, tells her to leave for her own good and refuses every single offer she throws at him. But when she leaves he knows she’s not going home so he goes to Magnus’ to warn Alec. Also, the fact that after everything Magnus welcomes Raphael with open arms and covers up the windows with his curtains really warms my heart. to me, this episode showed a more vulnerable Raphael then it did the last two seasons. He didn’t bicker with Alec, he accepted the attitude he got from him. He knew it was his fault and he’s owning up to it, while looking out for her at the same time. I think that’s just amazing. As for the Saphael scene, I loved it. I do. Him scaring Simon is just plain funny but there was one thing that had me confused, and I’ll explain that later.

7. Clary/Jace/Valentine scene: Valenitne taunting Jace about Clary and her not having a clue and Jace punching him. Sorry just. That made my day.

8. LUKE: Can we just appreciate how fucking calm Luke stays with all this going on and tries to keep his pack under control at the same time? I have so much respect for this man and I am so, so happy all is good between Maia and Luke. These two are really going to need one other these coming episodes and I’m really looking forward to see more of their bond. For the rest, I loved how he handled the Russel situation and was not afraid to fight Russel if he really would have had to. And besides, letting Russel know he’d lose if he fought with him? Fucking genius.

9. FUCKING PARABATAI’S: AND MY FUCKING EMOTIONS. HUG. THAT HUG. THAT’S ALL. HUGGING WHILE JACE IS CRYING. OKAY BYE.

10. The summoning of Azazel: I really liked the summoning actually. I don’t know, I found it interesting to watch, maybe because you know that, of course, it will fo wrong and you’re anxious to see how they will fix it. I really loved Magnus’ facial performances during it and the way he used his magic. Harry Shum Jr owning the scenes like always.

11.The bodyswap between Magnus and Valentine: I. AM. SO. FUCKING. HYPED. FOR. THIS!!! I really think this is a good plotline, even though it’s not lasting long if you have seen the 2x12 promo. But guys, this is going to show us beautiful, earth shattering acting by both Harry and Alan! And I am so here for it! I don’t know how but in the 2x12 promo I can literally feel Valentine in Magnus and the other way around as well. The way Harry portray “Valentine’’ Magnus is just amazing and he is going to blow our minds once more. As for Valentine, we see a very vulnerable and scared one, we see a scared Magnus. And Alan nails that as well in my opinion, you can just feel them in each others bodies and I am so excited for it.

Now moving on to the things I didn’t like:

1. Climon: This is not a ‘oh ew gross they’re kissing’ opinion. No, this is an opinion where I am hella pissed at Clary. Simon is voicing his worries about being a Daylighter and she just fucking keeps brushing him off, she keeps pushing his worries away instead of talking about them and it really, really rubs me the wrong way. If she wants to be a ‘normal couple’ then she should listen to Simon, not shut him up because ‘they’ve gone already through so much’ and she so desperately wants to smooch him...

2.Azazel: The only thing I didn’t really like was how when Sebastian and Jace tried to attack him he vaporated into what looked like a swarm of bugs and then disappeared. Again, I’m not firmiliar with his book charachter and I don’t know if he does it in the books but ... No, I didn’t really like it.

3. Ollie: Don’t like her. Don’t trust her. Keep an eye on her at all costs.

4. Izzy: It’s really difficult seeing our beloved Isabelle struggling like this. But I think the writers and Emeraude did a good job on showing what kicking off drugs looks like and can do to a person. Props to them. For the rest, Emeraude killed the episode in the best way possible.

5. The Saphael Scene: Okay, here I am getting to something I didn’t understand. Raphael seemed very calm talking to Simon, even when explaining about Daylighters. Then he got up in to his face and said in a very low voice “I hope so’’? I mean, what’s the deal with that? Is Raph jealous?

6. Downsides of the bodyswap between Magnus and Valentine: Mainly Malec. Alec is going to lovingly interact with Magnus, while not knowing it’s not HIS Magnus and Valentine (Read Magnus) is perhaps going to blow him off most of the time. ALos the scene where Alec is holding Magnus (Read Valentine) against the wall and tell him his sicks games are over after (?) Magnus tells him that if he loves him, he has got to believe him, really kills me on the inside. Magnus is desperate and has no way to actually prove that it’s him, except for his boyfriend. But if you watch very closely you see Alec falter when Magnus calls him “Alexander’’. No one calls him that, sure they know it’s his name but no one calls him that. Especially not Valentine. If that doesn’t cause any alarm bells to go off in Alec’s head, then I don’t know what will.

7. Clary’s reaction when she found out Jace is not her brother: I get why she is mad. That’s not my argument. What pisses me off is the way she said “Why would that ruin anything?’’ Like girl, don’t fool yourself and don’t fool Simon. He deserves better and so does Jace.

8. JACE FUCKING CRYING: Beautifully and heartfelt portrayed by Dom. And it broke me. Clary wanted him to feel something? Well congratulations, you made him cry.

All in all, this episode had me on the edge of my seat most of the times and really sent the tone for 2B! I am really excited to see what happens next and I don’t think they could’ve kicked the Summer premiere in a better way.

See you next week, Angels!

#shadowhuntersseason2 #Shadowhunters 2B #Shadowhunters 2x11 #Shadowhunters Spoilers #SH spoilers #Alec Lightwood #Izzy Lightwood #Isabelle Lightwood #Jace Wayland #Simon Lewis #Maia Roberts #Luke Garroway #Magnus Bane #Raphael Santiago #Sebastian Verlac #Valentine Morgenstern #Malec #Climon #Clace

14 notes · View notes

game-refraction · 7 years

Text

Game Review: Phantom Trigger (Switch)

Almost exactly a year ago, developer Heart Machine released Hyper Light Drifter, and it was one of my favorite games of last year. At first glance, Phantom Trigger shares more than enough examples with that title to have peaked my interest as it is yet another pixel aesthetic hack and slash title, one that the developer likes to call a “hardcore neon slasher”. While Phantom Trigger, which shouldn’t be confused with the anime visual novel game GRISAIA: Phantom Trigger, does have several enjoyable moments through its 5-6 hours of play, it simply becomes far too repetitive to remain entirely enjoyable through the whole experience.

You play as the Outsider, a warrior that has come to a strange land to find out that he is living inside the mind of Stan, a man in the real world who is currently in the hospital and is quite sick. There is some back and forth to each reality to bridge the two worlds, and there are choices you’ll make within each reality to then shape one of four endings the game can leave you with. You’ll interact with a small group of characters that each want something from the Outsider and most of them will fill you in on a few details about the world and the threats that lay in wait for you.

Phantom Trigger is published by tinyBuild and developed by Bread Team, a development team of just two people; coder Victor Solodilov and artist Denis Novikov. While the title isn’t revolutionary by any means, the fact that just two people made it is nothing short of impressive.

As I mentioned earlier, the title can easily be seen as something of a Hyper Light Drifter copycat, but after playing through Phantom Trigger, that isn’t what is going on here at all. Both titles do share in some visual elements, but the core mechanics, combat, and story are vastly different and each game brings something very different to the table.

The combat in Phantom Trigger is more close range than long range. You have a whip, sword, and a mystical fist that are colored, green, blue, and red, respectively. These colors are also used for some lite-puzzle solving that looks to break up the combat, if only for a few brief moments. Each weapon has its own exp bar that fills up upon using that weapon, and the level of each weapon will also then unlock combo moves like shooting out a lane of ice to freeze enemies, or summoning three mystical blades that fire out and then retract back to you.

The combat can be fun early on when the levels are not incredibly busy, but once you start interacting with vast hordes of enemies, the combat starts to not be as responsive or as fun. Some enemy types are a blast to contend with, but when you start dealing with those that shift your playstyle from offense to defense, it can break the flow of combat, especially when it starts to mix and match several on screen. The difficulty and this style of combat can easily entertain those looking for a tense challenge, and I can totally see the appeal of it, but I just found that while the game had some interesting weapons and combat ideas, that it failed to create situations where I found each weapon to be uniquely effective.

With the weapons at your disposal being color based, this mechanic is used in and out of combat. There are a few moments here where enemies will constantly change color and each color is then only weak to that respective color of weapon. These moments only happen a few times and is sadly underused. The main purpose of these color weapons is via the lite-puzzle solving, and “lite” may be too strong of a word. The puzzles mostly consist of a ‘Simon-Says’ color matching mini-game to unlock a variety of doors and switches. There is also the use of your whip to move large green blocks around to have them pass by or land on switches to then again, open doors.

Each new world that you enter will sprinkle in a few new enemy types, but they sadly usually just consist of the same designs with having different elemental attacks. There are a few times where we do get entirely new enemies, but overall there are maybe 6-7 unique types featured in the game. There are those who just lumber around or ones that fire off death lasers from a tv set that is permanently attached to their shoulders, or ones that require you to wait until they hit the ground, which can also unleash an area effect attack you’ll need to watch out for. There are also a few new types that make an appearance in the final section, just minutes away from completing the game that share in some attacks we’ve seen before, but it’s quite frustrating to see something new revealed just before you complete the game.

The game also ends each section with a boss battle and these, for the most part, are very enjoyable. There was one boss, however; that didn’t play by the rules of the others and introduced new mechanics during that battle. Bosses, for myself, are more enjoyable when they are beaten by mastering techniques and attacks that the level or game have been teaching us leading up until that encounter. I’ll also point out that there is one boss battle where you fight two pillars that I still have no idea how I actually beat it, or even how I was dealing damage to it at all.

The Outsider has a blink teleport that will help you not only get around the map but dodge enemy attacks as well. This dash can definitely come in handy, but it can be hard to figure out exactly where you’ll come out of it when the screen is filled with various enemies that leave traps and poison puddles on the ground. You’ll be required to at least get the hang of it as several lasers or traps require that you blink through them as to prevent damage to your very limited health bar, and this is made even more stressful in co-op when you share that very health bar with your co-op partner.

The co-op mode itself can be fun should both players be of similar skill level as it can get pretty hectic sharing the same screen with another player who may have a different way to move around and play the game. It’s not impossible, but it made the game actually more hard yet easier at the same time if that makes any sense. There is lastly an Arena mode that pits you against waves of enemies and revisits to the bosses that should keep you busy should you have enjoyed your first trip through the game already.

As I’ve indicated a few times so far, Phantom Trigger is difficult and when you start the game, it is set to hard by default. I’m not a huge fan of difficult games, but I do understand their appeal. Part of the difficulty is based around how much damage certain attacks do towards you and how much health is earned back from the rare health drops that enemies will occasionally present to you. There are checkpoints scattered around the map that do refill your health but several of them are placed far enough back that should you die during or after a very intense battle with dozens of foes, you’ll have to redo not only that battle but anything leading up to it and this is where the repetitive nature of the game makes for a very poor experience as a whole.

My last bit of frustration with the game is due to the somewhat poor controls on the Switch. I played the game in various ways, as is the appeal of the portable home console. I played with it the Joycons attached to the console, attached to the Joycon grip, and with the Pro controller. I found that the best way to play was with the Joycons attached to the system as the reaction time was a tiny bit better. The Pro controller has a slight delay with its analog sticks that made for a poor experience when the screen was filled with enemies and I needed every split second of timing at my disposal. I also found that no matter the controller configuration I was using that combo’s were not easy to pull off during these intense encounters.

The last bit of controller issue is the swapping of the A and B button’s on the Nintendo Switch controllers in relation to how the rest of the industry works. This lead to many times where I would go to back out of something and it would select it instead. With the Switch, you normally have to relearn what the bottom face button and the right face button (A and B) do and since this game uses the reverse to what Nintendo has done here, it can be a bit confusing, but not game breaking.

Visually, Phantom Trigger is quite gorgeous, as pixel aesthetic games usually are. The game runs a solid 60 fps in both docked (1080p) and undocked (720p) and it fully playable in both configurations. The game has some nice uses of color and each pixelated character has some really nice designs to them. I also was rather impressed with the variety within the levels themselves and considering again that one person did all the artwork, is even more impressive. There are a few moments where foreground graphical elements block some of the action below, but it’s fairly rare and usually adds some nice depth the environments. The melancholic ambiance and intensity of the music is pretty good as well, but nothing is terribly catchy or that memorable.

I had a few glitches during my time with Phantom Trigger that I’ll address, but they didn’t really bother me too much. I had several enemies get stuck in the level that allowed me to just walk up and kill them with no resistance and this happened at least a few dozen times. I also had teleporting enemies just blink in and out and become invincible, and this would have been a major issue had they also been able to attack, but they just became visually oddities than anything physically harmful. I also had a floating mine cart in one of the later levels that flew off the tracks and through a wall, and I’ve read that I wasn’t alone in that bug. Other than that, I had a fairly smooth experience with the game.

It’s safe to say that I had an alright time with Phantom Trigger despite how frustrating the checkpoint system can be and how repetitive that certain sections of the game can get. It wasn’t the Hyper Light Drifter experience I was hoping for after watching various trailers and gameplay sessions, but it did the job of keeping me mostly entertained through the 5-6 hours I put into it. It has its flaws, sure, and they are more apparent than they should be, but for those that are willing to look past them, and for those that want a very challenging game, then you can have a lot of fun with tinyBuild’s Phantom Trigger.

Phantom Trigger was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch with a review copy provided by the publisher.

All screenshots were taken on the Nintendo Switch and formatted for this review.

Game Review: Phantom Trigger (Switch) was originally published on Game-Refraction

0 notes