#sage is just new generation shadow don't @ me

[flowersandbigteeth]

Meeting your Alpha in the King's Dungeon

A/N: This was someone's request, but I lost the request, so I'm sorry but here it is!

(Alpha) Riordan x GN Omega Reader

General Summary: You've been summoned to a magical world to soothe beast they call Alpha.

Word count: 6.5K

TW: cozy alpha/omega dynamic, kidnapping to another world, gentle alpha, mention of war and a small bit of violence, alpha/omega smut, nesting, knotting, and biting

You woke, your back cold. This wasn't you bed. You smelled something burning, maybe sage or thyme. It smelled herbal. 

“Open your eyes, pretty, I know you're awake,” a nasally voice said. 

Your eyes blinked open, and you squinted at the light. Sitting up, you found yourself in a well-lit room. It looked like a sort of lab with glass vessels filled with brightly colored liquids. Sunlight poured in the large windows. The glass was thick and uneven, making the world outside blurry. It had to be old and crudely cast to look like that. 

“Welcome to my world, little omega,” the voice said. 

You turned to see an old man in a purple robe, looking at you expectantly. He was rather short but had oddly long fingers. His face was gnarled with wrinkles, and his teeth were jagged and yellow as if they'd been broken. 

“Omega?” you murmured, trying to make sense of the place. 

You'd gone to bed as you did every night, yet you woke up here. Where was here? 

“Where am I?” You asked. 

“I'm sure you have many questions,” he chuckled, “but I don't care to answer them. You may not live long enough for it to matter, and I'm short on time.”

“What?” You gasped, instinctively hopping up, but your body was not yours. 

The old man waved a gnarled claw, and you rose off the stone slab where he’d laid you and drifted behind him through a heavy wooden door. 

“Hey, where the fuck am I? Who are you?” You snapped at him, wriggling, desperate to escape. 

It was no use; whatever…magic he'd used on you kept you bobbing aloft just behind him. As he descended steep stone steps, he mumbled to himself. 

“I'm sure I've gotten the signature right this time,’ he muttered. “The last specimen’s pheromones were muddled. Theirs is much more pure. It has to work.” 

He stopped at a heavy iron door with a guard beside it holding a pike. 

“Help me! This guy is kidnapping me!” you shouted to him.

The guard's eyes slid to you for a moment, and you detected the slightest bit of pity. 

“Open the damn door!” The old man snarled. “The king will have all our heads if this doesn't work!” 

The guard gave you another somber glance before finding a ring of keys on his waist and unlocking the door. 

You did not want to go into the dark, smelly place he was taking you, but you floated like a feather on the wind right after him. 

Around you, large shadows loomed behind thick bars. Red eyes peered at you from the gloom. It was quiet at first but then…whatever they were started beating at their cages, howling like beasts. You could only see flashes of sharp teeth and claws. Fear silenced you and you only let out a miserable whimper. 

“Ah, here we are,” he said, stopping at one cell. 

The creature inside roared his outrage at the sound of the old man’s voice. 

There was the sickening snap of wood, and what must have been a bunk came flying at the bars. 

“Now, now, Riordan,” he clucked. “I have a new toy for you to play with. Don't rip this one to bits this time, hmm? If this works, you'll see sunlight soon.” 

The old man, swifter than he looked, opened the gate and tossed you inside. You landed in a pile on the floor and heard the ominous click of the metal lock behind you. 

You crab-walked back towards the gate, terrified of what creature he’d trapped you with. Were you to be food? He'd stolen you from your bed just to feed this…thing?

In the dark, you could only see red eyes, glaring at you, set in a massive form. It must have been eight feet tall and two times the width of a linebacker. 

“Please, please,” you whimpered. “Don't eat me.” 

The creature parted its lips and you could make out massive, sharp teeth. Instead of pouncing on you, it lifted its nose, sniffing the air. 

Staring at it, petrified with fear and confusion, you watched its red eyes dim to a soft glowing green…like sunlight filtering through leaves in spring. They were…pretty. 

The creature took a heavy step forward, his wide feet emitting a deep thud. He seemed interested in you. 

“H-hey,” you stammered. “That's a good…whatever you are…I'm a friend, not food.” 

His eyes narrowed on you, and a large hand emerged from the shadows. You held your breath, ready to be torn apart, but he only patted your head, as if you were a kitten. 

“Fascinating!” The old man said. 

At his voice, the creature growled, then let out a loud roar that sounded more desperate than angry. You shrieked and jumped out of his way as he rushed the door, throwing his shoulder against the bars. A blue light flashed in front of you, and the creature flew back into the far wall, collapsing into a pile with a heavy thunk. 

“I think it's worked!” The old man muttered. “He hasn't torn the arms off of the specimen. Further observations are necessary, but I must report this to the King!” 

“Hey!” You shouted as he scurried away, careful not to touch the bars. “You can't leave me here!”

The old man ignored you, and with a slam, the heavy metal door swung shut behind him. 

Around you, other creatures growled in the darkness, pacing the length of their enclosures. Unsure what to do, you tiptoed towards the shadowy figure slumped against the far wall. 

“You okay, big guy?” You asked. “He didn't kill you, did he?” 

Even though the creature was terrifying, you felt for him. No wonder he was in a bad mood being locked up in a dark, smelly cage.  

He let out a low groan, and you extended a hand, brushing his hair. As your eyes adjusted to the dark, you could see he looked more human than monster. His teeth were far too large to be truly human, and the features of his face were too rugged, with harsh lines and a pronounced brow. Still, he wasn't ugly. He had an attractive cut to his jaw, and his hair, though it needed a brushing, was soft and maybe blond. It was hard to tell in the dark. 

A heavy hand grabbed your wrist, and you screamed, trying to yank your arm back. It was no use; he was too strong. Was this when he ripped your arm off? You braced for pain, but he only lifted his head and sniffed the inside of your wrist. 

“You…smell…amazing,” he said. 

His voice was low and rough, as if he hadn't used it in a long time. His eyes opened, and he looked up at you. They still glowed, but the red hadn't returned. 

“Y-you can talk?” You gasped. 

He let out a chuff devoid of humor. 

“I was human…once,” he said. “I can remember now. I used to talk a lot.” 

“If you're not human, what are you?” You asked. 

“An experiment,” he growled, squeezing your wrist. 

You whimpered, and he looked up at your hand, suddenly letting it go. He looked slightly ashamed. 

“I'm sorry, I,” he muttered. “I'm nothing but a monster now.” 

“Did that old man do this to you?” You asked. “Who is he?” 

He tipped his head back against the stone wall behind him. 

“The King's chief sorcerer,” he said. “He took us all from the army, injected us with Goddess know what, and we became like this.” 

He clutched his head. 

“I don't know how long it's been,” he moaned. “For so long, I could only see red, and then you came along.” 

His eyes focused on you. 

“I'm just a normal person,” you said. “I’m not sure what I could have done.” 

He leaned forward, burying his face in your chest. 

“Oh!” You squeaked. 

“Your scent,” he murmured. “the world becomes clear when I’m near you. You chase the red away.” 

His big arms circled you, and he pulled you into his lap, tucking his nose behind your ear. You felt the heat of his breath grazing your skin and shivered in his arms.  

“I like you here,” he murmured. “Well, not here…but with me.” 

“O-Oh,” you stammered. “Well, just your luck then, huh? Seems I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.” 

He let out another dry chuff. It was as if he'd forgotten how to laugh, but he was trying to remember. 

“Where are we?” You asked. “I went to bed somewhere else.” 

He hummed, thinking as he ran a heavy mitt over your head. 

“We must be in the South, near the Capital,” he said. 

“But where?” You asked. “I'm from Earth…(Y/C)? Heard of it?” 

He shook his head. 

“No, this is Swarin,” he said. “I've never heard of Earth or…(Y/C). Is it across the sea? Only pirates go that far.” 

“I don't think so,” you said. “The old asshole called me Omega. Do you know what that means?” 

At that, he nodded. 

“I don't really understand all the alchemy behind it,” he said in a low grumble. “But I'm an Alpha. A monster. And you…are soft and delicate, an Omega. We…are compatible…I think.” 

“Compatible?” you hummed. 

“The sorcerer has been looking for Omegas. There aren't any in Swarin. He's brought down samples…but they never did…what you do.” 

“What happened to them all? The samples?” You whispered. 

He let out a low groan. 

“I don't know, but I can guess,” he said. “I only remember screams…and blood.” 

His deep voice cracked. 

“What I did…” he sniffled. “What have I become? Why won't they destroy me?” 

He pressed you to him like a teddy bear, and you felt moisture on your neck where he'd tucked his head. 

Your heart raced, but you reached up and rubbed his cheek. 

“It's….it's okay,” you said. “That wasn't you. The old man, the sorcerer, did this…you have no control. When I first saw you, you were out of your mind.” 

“I would have killed you,” he sobbed. 

You patted his head. 

“But you didn't,” you said. “I think …I hope it's okay now.” 

You both looked up as you heard the rusty squeak of the metal door open. 

“This way, your Radiance,” you heard the sorcerer say. 

“This better be good, Elias,” another voice grumbled. “God, this place smells like rotting meat.” 

“Don't mind that it's the beasts. They tear apart rats for fun. Come, come. This way,” he replied. 

A man with a crown appeared next to the sorcerer in front of the cell. He wasn't quite so old but had a white beard and a regal countenance. 

“Look, your Radiance,” he said. “See how the beast is soothed? He clutches the specimen like a pet.” 

The king looked at the two of you with interest. 

“And you have a source for these…Omegas?” He asked. 

“Yes, your Radiance!” He said, clicking his long nails together with delight. “I've found a world through the ether filled with Omegas. This is only the first. I can bring many here. Once we pair the Alphas, they will become useful.” 

“They’d better be,” the King snarled, obviously annoyed. “This whole project has been a mess from the start. You promised me super soldiers, and what I’ve gotten is uncontrollable monsters. Can the thing speak?” 

You frowned at his description of Riordan as a “thing." He was monstrous, yes, but he had been human once- he still had a soul. 

“Riordan,” the sorcerer snapped. “Greet your king!” 

Riordan let out a low growl that made the hairs on the back of your neck rise. 

The King looked unimpressed. 

“If you don’t cooperate, I will take your new pet from you,” Elias hissed. “You want to keep them, don’t you? If you are good, you will not be separated. You’ll have good food and sunlight. You’ll leave this dungeon, but you must speak like a man, not a beast.” 

Riordan bared his teeth, but you patted his hand. 

“Speak to him, Riordan,” you whispered. “It’s a step forward. You’re not alone now. We’ll figure this out together.” 

His jade eyes flicked to you and then back up to the King. 

“Your- Your Highness…apologies,” he ground out. 

The King smiled and patted Elias on the back. 

“Excellent work,” he said. “Secure the beast and bring him to our war camp for a demonstration in the morning.” 

He looked a little sickly. 

“I can’t spend another moment in this filth,” he grumbled, turning on his heels and marching out of the door.

The sorcerer looked at the two of you hungrily. 

“You heard the King,” he said. “Time to return to the surface. Guards! Bring the collars!” 

A handful of guards appeared holding two metal collars. One big and one small. 

“Go in there and apply them!” He told them, and they all looked horrified at one another. No one moved. 

“Go in now,” he snapped, clapping. “you're going to comply, aren't you, Riordan? Because you want to keep the Omega?” 

Riordan narrowed his eyes, but you squeezed his hand. 

“It’ll be okay,” you said. “Maybe they'll give us some real food.” 

You tried to sound positive. Riordan looked at you, then lowered his head. 

“I will comply,” he said. 

The guards slowly entered the cell, the one holding the collars first. 

“Don't mind the collars,” the sorcerer told you. “They are a good thing. They keep you tied together with an invisible tether so your enemies can't separate you on the battle field.” 

“What else do they do?” You asked, not believing the sorcerer for a moment. 

“They also have the same energy as the bars,” he said. “If either of you misbehave, you can be punished.” 

You looked warily at the soldier holding your collar, but you reasoned that the collar may be easier to escape than the dungeon, so you remained still as he snapped it around your neck. The cold metal was uncomfortable but could be tolerated. 

The soldiers were eager to get out of Riordan's way as he rose, stepping heavily towards the gate with you in his arms. 

The sorcerer looked pleased. 

“Now to the baths,” he said. “You can't perform for the King stinking like you do.” 

Riordan gave you an uncertain look, and you nodded just slightly. 

“It's okay,” you whispered. “Won't a bath be nice?” 

You watched his jaw twitch, but he followed silently behind Elias as he led you past the thick iron door. The baths were across the building you were in. Outside of the dungeon, it was quite nice, with potted plants and paintings of flowering meadows decorating the stone walls. Sun filtered in through leaded glass windows, giving you a glimpse at the land you’d been summoned to. From what you could see, there were more stone buildings with people going about their days. 

“You have thirty minutes,” a guard barked sharply, drawing your attention back to the task at hand. 

He opened a door, and steam scented like lavender drifted out. The room was tiled with a blue and white motif, with a large blue pool in the center. Riordan set you down, attempting to lift your shirt from your back.

“Hey! I can do that!” you snapped. 

His eyes flashed, but not red, a rich gold, and he looked contrite.

“I can’t help it, Omega. My instincts tell me to tend to you.” 

You huffed. You weren’t sure what to make of this dynamic, but Riordan seemed bent on caring for you. If it kept the red away, you figured you ought to allow it. 

“Fine! Go on, but ask next time.” 

You eyed him carefully. 

“I’m not used to your size.” 

A smirk grew on his lips, and a deep noise rumbled in his chest. It sounded like…a happy cat, but deeper. More of a rumble, like thunder from far away. 

“Are you purring?” you ventured. 

“I think it is natural to calm my Omega…the wizard told me many things I didn’t understand until now.”

He tugged your shirt from you, then your pants, and paused, his fingers skimming the underwear you wore. Though you weren’t used to being naked in front of a stranger, you couldn’t bathe in your underwear. You leveled him with a stern stare.  

“Continue, but don’t get any bright ideas.” 

He nodded, slipping the small garments off of you. When you were ready, he dipped you in the hot water, following close behind when he’d removed his own clothes. The second he got settled in the water, he scooped you into his lap and started to scrub you. 

“What are you doing now?” you rasped. 

Underneath you, you could feel all of his power; the massive muscles, hard planes against your soft skin, and something…large poking you in the back. 

“You smell…like strange things. I will wash you, then I will scent you.”

You figured that if he had a better-than-average sense of smell, he would probably be able to smell the cheap soap you used, which was filled with chemicals. 

“What does ‘scent you’ mean?” you asked as he lifted your arm. 

As the smell of rot from the dungeon washed away, you were suddenly aware of a sweet cinnamony smell coming from Riordan. 

“I need to mark my Omega, so others know you’re mine,” he said, seeming proud that he could recall such facts. “It will not hurt.” 

“Oh…Okay…” 

He was very methodical, making sure every inch of skin was cleaned. When he was satisfied you were spotless, his nose dipped to the crook of your neck, and he purred. 

“You smell so good, Omega,” he breathed into your skin. 

The thick shaft pressed against your body thickened and hardened, drawing breath from your lungs. 

“We need to clean you,” you stammered, swirling around to straddle him. 

His cock patted your most sensitive spot, and it took some effort on your part not to look down. He watched you with wide eyes as you carefully scrubbed his hair with the lavender-smelling soap sitting on the rim of the tub. When you rinsed it away, you found he had pretty wheat-colored hair. Scraping it back with your fingers, he looked a bit more tidy, though he needed a trim. He didn’t wait even a minute after you were done helping him scrub the years of dungeon nastiness away, snuggling into your neck, running the spot just under his ear down your arms. 

You yelped, surprised at his sudden enthusiasm. 

“Riordan!” you squealed, and he looked up, his cheeks ruddy. 

“I have to rub my scent glands on you,” he informed you matter-of-factly before diving back in.

You tried to ignore the heat that pooled in your stomach as his cinnamon scent filled your lungs. Your breath drew short, and every sensitive spot on your body perked up under his touch. You weren’t sure if you were compatible with the giant, but your body certainly believed you were. As he rubbed himself against you, his cock gingerly brushed your stomach. Closing your eyes, you desperately tried to think about anything but sex. 

Riordan’s head rose suddenly, cocked to the side. 

“The guard is back,” he muttered. 

A moment later said guard appeared in the door, grimacing. 

“Don’t tell me you’re going at it in the bath, fucking beasts.” 

“W-we weren’t-” you started to say, but your words were cut off by a growl. 

“Don’t shout at my mate,” Riordan grumbled as he scooped you out of the water. Standing at his full height, looking down on the guard you saw the annoying intruder’s eyes widen, and he took an instinctive step back. Clearing his throat, he waved the pile of clothes he held at him. 

“Come on,” he tried to assert, his voice cracking. “The King is waiting.” 

You quickly dressed in the light cotton pants and loose shirt he’d provided, having to pause for a moment so Riordan could refresh his scent on the new items. 

Though you could walk, you found your legs swinging in the air as your Alpha tucked you in the crook of his arm. 

“Where are we going?” you whispered to him as the guard led you out of the building. 

“We are at war…or we were. To a war camp, I assume.” 

Around you, a pleasant, medieval village buzzed with activity. As you passed, people gaped at Riordan’s size. He was at least a foot and a half taller than the tallest among them. Your eyes danced around the archaic scene with wonder. Where had this wizard spirited you off to? 

Ahead of you, a shrill grinding noise drew your attention. With five guards on each size manning lever handles the massive gate of the city opened to a sprawling wilderness. An overgrown cobblestone road cut through the forested hills, flowers blooming through the cracks in the stones. Dappled sunlight spotted the forest floor, lighting falling leaves like sparkling emeralds. In Riordan’s arms you felt him suck in a heavy breath. 

“Nice to breathe fresh air, huh?” you asked and he smiled. 

Despite the collars, this was far preferable to the stinking dungeon. Your body shook with the pleased purr emanate from his chest. Hours passed, marching along the winding trail. You could only assume it was early spring by the crisp, cool air and the early blooming daffodils growing from every spot of sun. 

As you turned a corner Riordan grunted and you glanced up to see him frowning. 

“What is it?” you whispered. 

“I can smell the camp from here. It’s much closer than it used to be…not a good sign.” 

You blinked at him. 

“Do you think the war has been going on for all the years you’ve been captive?” 

He nodded, jaw ticking, as he held you close.  

“I smell blood and rotting flesh.” 

You swallowed hard, sniffing the air. Your scene of smell was not any better than it had been and all that you caught was Riordan’s cinnomin and cardamom musk. The Omega emerging inside of you had you cuddling your head into his chest. It was hard to believe you were some magical creature, designed to compliment this massive beast, but your body and instincts were already caught up. 

His purr soothed your anxiety and you wanted to roll around in his scent. You wouldn’t have liked them under any circumstances, but the longer you bonded with Riordan the more bloodthirsty thoughts about his captors filled your mind. 

Freedom, your Omega crooned, Freedom to mate, to nest, to rear his pups. 

Before you could catch yourself, you were fisting his shirt, the urge to rearrange it to your liking driving your fingers. 

“Soon, Omega,” he purred. “Soon you can make your nest.” 

The impatient, emerging Omega huffed at him. He chuckled, allowing himself a moment of amusement before his attention returned to the road ahead. The sounds of metal clanging and shouting soldiers signalled your arrival. 

The camp was an ugly, dirty place. Smokey bonfires smothered your breaths and soldiers, some clearly injured, covered in blood scuttled around. Your guard guided the two of you through the hastily erected tents. Some were merely a bit of leather stretched between some odd poles. The one you stopped at was the finest of them all, made with lengths of canvas and gold and silver threads. 

“Gold threads at a war camp? A waste,” Riordan scoffed quietly, following your eyes. “Money would be better spent on bandages and rations. The enemy doesn’t care for such indulgences.” 

You blinked up at him. 

“You know a lot about war?” 

His eyes narrowed as he thought. 

“I believe I ranked captain when I was taken.” 

“Wait here,” the guard ordered before he entered the tent. A moment later the king emerged surrounded by his entourage. 

He smiled up at the both of you, not a friendly smile. It was calculating and cool. 

“Enjoy the walk, creature?” he asked, his lips carrying a smirk. “Nice to be out in the sun again, isn’t it?” 

You felt the growl building in your Alpha’s chest and patted him to calm him. He glanced down at you and you flicked your head just slightly to tell him not to fight this. Instead, he gave the King a half bow, careful not to jostle you. 

Pleased, the King smacked his hands together. 

“Now is the time to work for your supper,” he announced. “You’ll be accompanying a regiment to flank the enemy in the hills. If you make it back and do as your told, there will be food for your return.” 

“We will not be fed now?” you asked. “He will need energy to fight your enemy.” 

The King scowled at you and one of his guards slammed his spear into the dirt.

“Learn to show your king proper respect,” he snarled. 

You felt Riordan’s arm tighten around you, but he gritted out an apology. 

“Please excuse my Omega. They are not used to our ways.” 

He set you down, patting your head. 

“Stay here where it’s safe. I’ll be back soon.” 

The King laughed outloud. 

“Oh no, your little Omega will be going with you. I’ll have no mishaps if you go rogue.” 

At that Riordan growled. 

“It’s too dangerous. They are not a soldier!” 

This time the guard rubbed a strange crystal he had around his neck and Riordan spasmed as his collar shocked him. 

“Silence creature, you’ll do as your King wills!” 

You tugged on his shirt, asking to be picked back up. King’s edict or no, you didn’t want to leave Riordan’s side. He gave you a wary glance before he scooped you back up, panting from the shock. 

“Aye, your majesty,” he finally said on a heavy breath. 

The King gave Riordan a haughty look, high on the idea that this creature served him, only. 

“Escort them to the battlefield!” he announced before returning to the comfort of his tent. 

The soldiers around you looked wary, be it from Riordan’s great size or what lay ahead, you couldn’t tell. However, this time you smelled your destination long before you arrived. The scent of death was on the wind. 

As you drew closer, the scent wound around the sound of screaming and metal clanging. In either realm, you’d never seen a battle before and it was nothing like the movies. All of the parts were there, dead bodies, swords, shields, sweating soldiers, but it was all so much more. At the back, some captain shouted orders, but nothing about this seemed orderly. The soldiers had long broken whatever formation they had been in and it was clear the enemy had them pressed. 

“This is no good. The King will be overtaken by nightfall,” Riordan whispered to you. 

The captain seemed acutely aware of this fact, a bit of hope in his expression when Riordan appeared. 

“Into the fray beast!” he shouted. “Drive them back or we’ll all be skewered!” 

Needing his hands, Riordan reluctantly put you down. 

“Stay close, Omega,” he murmured, his large jaw setting. 

Your heart pattered in your chest, holding on the the back of his shirt as he waded into the bloody mess. Enemies flew at him swords raised, but he threw them back with little more than a wave of his arm. You tried to stifle your screams, lest he be distracted, shuffling behind him. The enemy was thick, bearing down on the two of you from seeming every direction. 

You jerked a dagger loose from one of the bodies you past, swinging it at a soldier who’d gotten too close. 

The enemy’s face was hidden by silver armor carrying a massive sword. A desperate scream emerged from your chest as he bore down on you with the sharp end of the blade. Riordan turned to come to your rescue, but it was too late. The sword made contact with the collar around your neck, knocking you sideways. Riordan roared, grabbing the soldier and ripping his sword arm off. You gasped in the bloody mud of the battlefield, prepared to meet you maker. Only, you didn’t die…in fact, you weren’t hurt at all. The collar around your neck slipped off you, sliced clean in half. 

Free, you sat up, eyes wide with confusion. Riordan, however, was quick and sharp, prying the sword from the disembodied arm’s grasp. 

“Elven metal,” he gasped, green eyes glowing. 

Before you could question him, you’d been tossed over his shoulder and he made a B-line to the forest’s edge. In the chaos, your guards hadn’t even noticed, busy fighting back the enemy the best they good. As soon as you were safely past the treeline, he turned the sword, which looked like little more than a cooking knife in his hand, to his own neck. The collar popped off with little trouble and Riordan massaged the sore skin where he’d been burned. 

“What now?” you gasped, still eyeing the battle behind you with concern. 

“Now we run,” he announced. 

Before you could respond, he picked you back up and sprinted into the forest. 

“Where are we going?” you asked as trees flew by. 

“The mountains, it ought to be safe there.” 

There was little you could do but hold on tight and peek over his shoulder to be sure you weren’t followed. You must have dozed off, because you woke in a strange place…on a bed. The sheets were itchy wool, but warm enough. In fact, you were quite warm. Blinking you looked around. A cheery fire roared in a stone fireplace and the scent of the stew boiling in a pot filled your lungs. You found yourself in a little cabin. There was only one room, but it came furnished with the bed you were on, a rocking chair, and a small table with a log bench. 

“Riordan?” you called, though you were the only person in the room. 

A few moments later the door opened. You could see it was snowing outside and a puff of icy air hit your face. 

Your alpha brushed snow off his shoulders before he smiled at you. 

“You slept a long time Omega,” he chuckled, handing you a pile of what looked like linens. 

“What’s this?” you asked. “Where are we?” 

“In the mountains.” 

You looked down at the pile he’d set on your lap. 

“What are these?’ 

“Some blankets for your nest. They’re not very nice, but I’ll get you better ones soon.” 

“Where did they come from?” 

“The orc village next door. After I dropped you off here, I went looking for food and stumbled on some very surprised orcs.

They have no great love of humans, so when I explained our situation, they asked if I would join their patrol in exchange for some supplies to get us started. With my size, they see me as one of their own, I suspect.” 

“They don’t mind we’re staying in this cabin?” 

He shook his head. 

“It’s a patrol cabin, we’d be staying in it anyway. We can stay as long as we like, or move into the village if we want.” 

He grinned, pleased he could provide for you. Your Omega side purred in your head and without thinking you started organizing the furs and blankets to form a proper nest. It came instinctively to you, where everything ought to go for maximum comfort. While you were busy with that, Riordan shuffled about the cabin, straightening things and finally spooning two bowls of stew for you. 

“C’mon Omega,” he said, setting your soup on the table. “You can fuss more with your nest after dinner.” 

"Your eyes are still green? I thought you'd go red without me."

His eyebrows jumped as he considered that thought.

"I think with your scent all over me, it held it off. Perhaps it will work even better when I've given you my bite."

Your cheeks warmed at the prospect of his teeth on your neck.

You hadn’t realized how hungry you were until the warm food filled your stomach. After all you’d been through, you felt safe. The cabin was already filled with Riordan’s comforting scent. Belly full and your nest on it’s way to a proper state, your Omega mind turned it’s attention to other matters. Your eyes drifted over Riordan’s strong shoulders, down to his thick hands. You’d always liked hands and his long strong fingers, lined with stiff veins sent heat pooling in your core. 

He looked up from his soup suddenly, sniffing the air and giving you a wicked smile. 

“Are you ready for me, Omega?” he asked and you didn’t have to wonder what he meant. 

Your body already knew. Purring, he abandoned his meal and gently set you in your nest, examining your features closely. Your cheeks burned under his careful inspection and some feral part of you wanted to tear off his clothes. 

His green eyes flashed gold and a smug smirk spread across his lips. 

“Present yourself to me, Omega,” he purred. “Invite me into your nest.” 

Those words in his grumbly bass, flicked a switch inside you. Your logical self slipped into a fog of lust, your instincts telling you to undress. With trembling hands you tugged your shirt over your head, then slipped off your pants, finally your damp underwear went. As nature told you, you scooted to the back of your nest to make room for his big body, then tipped your head to expose your neck to him. 

He thundered his approval with a deep growl. 

“Sweet little Omega,” he hummed, crawling across the sheets to you like a hungry panther. Your first kiss was soft and sweet, but was soon followed by his greedy mouth, eating you up. Your tongues and teeth clashed. He seemed desperate to taste you, pushing you onto your back to pin you to the bed. 

“Let me out,” he growled, his husky demands making your spine arch. 

Your most secret place wept for him, smearing your desire across the blankets you’d arranged. You carefully unfastened his pants, his cock bobbing to greet you. Precum dribbled down the length of it and you gave it a curious stroke. It was so big, hot, and ready for you. Under your touch, he hissed in pleasure, egging you on. It seemed impossible that that would fit inside of you, but you wanted to try. You wanted to please him, seduce him, so he’d give you his bite. 

The concept echoed in the haze enveloping your mind. 

His bite? He’s going to bite me. 

You weren’t afraid. You knew in some primordial corner of your consciousness that his bite was good. It was exclusive. With his bite you were his and he was yours. 

When your gentle teasing became too much, he flipped you on your stomach, big hand fisting your hair. 

“You were made for me, omega, but I won’t force you,” he informed you. “Tell me now. Do you want my bite?” 

“Uh-huh,” you murmured, eyelashes fluttering at the pressure on your scalp. 

“Be a good Omega and say the words,” he chided. 

“Yes, Alpha…I want your bite,” you whispered. 

“When we are like this, you will always call me Alpha.” 

“Yes, Alpha,” you moaned, body lighting up as you did what was natural to you and submitted. 

He let out a possessive chuff and you felt him nudge your legs further apart to accommodate his width. You were already plenty wet, but Riordan needed his scent in your most secret place, spreading his precum on your clenched channel.

His sticky fingers drifted over your body, covering you in his essence. You were his and he needed you to know it. 

“All of this is mine,” he hummed in somewhat of a trance, stuffing his fingers into your mouth so you could taste him. 

Unable to speak, you whimpered and sucked, the flavor of his spice on your tongue. While the fingers of one hand pushed into your mouth, the other tested your slick tunnel. Your muscles clenched at his intrusion, pleasure and need forcing you to push your hips back to seek your pleasure. 

“Good omega,” he purred, pushing another finger inside, “You’re going to take me just fine.” 

After thrusting and scissoring until your arms collapsed under you, your face pressed into the pillow and you ass sticking up, you felt the round head of his cock pushing against your core. 

“Relax. You can take it.” 

Tears slid down your cheeks as he entered you. He was large, extremely large, but your body performed some kind of Omega magic, stretching to accommodate him. He let out a gutteral grunt as he bottomed out inside. 

“So tight and hot.” 

He gave you one small thrust, to test you. 

“Do you like that?” 

“Yes, alpha!” you wailed into the pillow. 

You’d had sex before, but it was nothing like the sense of sheer domination you felt with his massive cock moving in you. Your pleasure was his, your body was his, your mind was his. 

“Show me your neck.” 

You tipped your head to bare your skin to him. He settled a hand on the spot where your throat and shoulder came together, holding you open for him as he slowly revved up his thrusts. With every ragged drive your mind unwraveled. 

Your alpha was fucking you. Your body gave him pleasure. Your cheeks burned with a sense of Omega accomplishment. You’d lived your whole life not knowing that this was what you were made for. Your heady mewls filled the little cabin as he rutted you. He curled his hands around your body, playing with your sex with his fingers. His touch drove you deeper and deeper into madness and you whimpered for more, pleading and begging into the pillow. 

He pushed you higher and higher until you were ready to implode. Seeing the time was right, Riordan bared his teeth, sinking them into your neck. It was impossible to tell if he timed it just right to bite as you came or if the bite caused you to cum, but it really didn’t matter. Suddenly you were in the stars, a sensation beyond an orgasm rolling through you along with the heat of your Alpha’s cum spilling into you. 

It felt good, and right, and explosive. You let out a yelp as colors sparkled in your vision and pressure built in your channel. 

“Wh-what?” you could only stammer. 

“Shhh, shhh, Omega, all is well. You’ve taken my knot.” 

He rocked the engorged rock into you as he stroked the most pleasurable spot with your fingers. The pressure turned into bliss and you melted into him as he licked the bite on your neck. 

“You did so good, taking my bite and my knot,” he purred, calming you. “You are a perfect Omega…so perfect.” 

He rolled on his side, smoothly taking you with him so as not to disturb the shaft linking the two of you. 

“I’m yours now?” you squeaked, thoughts still scattered. 

It was the only thing you could put together. 

“Yes, sweet one. You’re mine.” 

You let your body relax, his scent perfuming your nest. You were safe, marked, and all was as it should be. 

Bluesky -- Carrd -- Commissions -- Instagram -- Threads -- Subscribestar -- Art

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[spontaneousglitterbees]

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The paper has it spelled out like sunrise over a lake; she can’t help but look at it until she has to make herself look away. Her first ‘client’, the fellow student she’s meant to be shadowing for the week, the person she is tasked with protecting if she wants to pass this class after transferring in partway through the semester is none other than–

“Ooh, bad luck.”

(Part of the TAPP AU, also on Ao3)

Ouma’s voice squeaks out from beside her upper arm so suddenly she flinches.

“Oh please, Harukawa, don’t tell me I caught you off guard. That’s like, your entire thing, now!” he sounds so jovial, without a care in the world, but his chest heaves as though he also just shuddered down to the core.

“You did this.” She states it without room for uncertainty.

“Why the hell would I do that?” he flicks his hand toward the sheet of printer paper pinned to the corkboard, the one that has condemned them for the next one-hundred-sixty-eight hours. It’s up there for the whole school to see. “It’s not even my MO to hack this school’s ancient copy machine, or whatever, I’m out for a good time. Besides, I’d like to live, thanks much.”

Maki is entirely unimpressed. “It is precisely your MO to stomp on my nerves in every way you can,” she enunciates with each step forward.

His grip tightens around the handle of his cane, still smiling. His knuckles threaten to rip themselves to shreds.

“Actually,” a voice chimes in, stern but not unkind. “It makes perfect sense, does it not? You are both in Class 79, which ought to alleviate some of the initial awkwardness.”

Silver hair catching the artificial overhead light, teaching assistant and upperclassman Peko Pekoyama overshadows the pair from behind. “Besides, as the Ultimate…” her eyes narrow, incredulous. “... Supreme Leader, Ouma is going to need a security detail someday.”

Maki glares up at her for all of a split second before dutifully lowering her gaze. It's less that the Ultimate Swordsman is intimidating than that she's so... coldly supportive. The kind of person whose praise is lined with mist and whose fury is a downpour. It'd be a shame to disappoint her, especially over Kokichi, of all people.

"Oh, but Peko-peko-chan, don't you know? Maki and I have been sworn enemies since we were kids! You'd really let that mean ol' teacher pair me up with my nemesis?! That's so cruel!" Kokichi leans in on his cane for leverage, arms crossed in front of him as he acts out the phrase in big, encompassing gestures. That's a lie. But...

Unfortunately for both of them, it only seems to reassure Peko that the path forward is clear. "It'll be a fine challenge for the both of you, then. You’ll be able to focus on two objectives at once: gaining experience staying alert, and equal experience working with difficult clients.”

Kokichi scoffs in the background, of course, but it's hardly worth arguing. He tries to get in your head and stay there, after all. If anything, being ‘difficult’ is a point of pride for him. His eye still seems to twitch a little at the admission. It’s probably just the dry autumn air.

Maki, inventing new curses in her head and keeping them there, nods sagely. "Of course, Ms. Pekoyama. I won't let you down."

She looks over to her current mark.

It's going to be a long week.

------------------

The week starts off innocuous enough. The worst of it comes at the beginning of each day as Kokichi pulls his books out of his locker. Literature, World History, ... Calculus II? Each slams into the floor with a resounding thud, one after another.  Some of them won't even see use until near the end of the school day, but he insists she carry them now. Spiteful little shit.

Many of their general education classes are shared to begin with, fortunately, meaning the two of them simply have to walk between classes together for a while. It isn’t quite embarrassing as much as it is frustrating for Maki. Does he even really need a cane, or is it just a ploy to get the teacher’s sympathy? They saunter down the hallway in either case, uncaring of the actual time they arrive. Five minutes late, ten minutes, even; neither incurs a penalty, a bit of an affront to her own persistent punctuality. ‘This school is his’ indeed.

No. The real trouble starts brewing during their free periods.

"The autumn leaves are home to a variety of bug species," lectures Gonta, sitting cross-legged in the courtyard. Kokichi sits beside him, dredging through a pile of leaves; pick up, flip, sort, over and over. Maki remains stock-still and focused on defense. Peko could be hiding around any given corner, assisting a teacher lying in wait for an ambush just to make a point about vigilance. 

But it’s a bit hard to stay on edge when things are so… unremarkable. So normal. 

"As an example, early-emerging populations of Actias luna in North America lay eggs on the undersides of leaves to keep larvae and pupas safe during winter until the adults appear in March." Despite Gonta’s better efforts choosing a more palatable bug for discussion, neither Kokichi nor Maki seems to be paying actual attention. 

"Which has to be why the leaf piles make such a good crunch when you jump in'em, riiiiight?" Kokichi teases, crushing the pile of leaves he's sorted beneath the base of his palm. He throws his back into the motion with a sadistic smile. It breaks into the same mischievous laugh as usual soon after, nishishi~! 

Gonta, however, seems unalarmed; perhaps he sees the un-smashed pile, the ones with even just the potential to have 'stuff on'em'. Instead, he smiles. "That might be the beetles, they love hiding in leaves."

"Ewwww!" Kokichi wipes his hand on his pants, despite the distinct lack of bug entrails on them. "Great! Gonta, you can't just ruin fall like that! Now I'm gonna be thinking about nasty beetles when I just wanted to have some fun..." he makes a point to frown, but seeing no real reaction the expression disappears as quickly as it came. 

"I not– I'm not ruining fall, it's too hot out to be real fall. It's messing with the bugs’ hibernation cycles...."

Maki finds she's won a fourth consecutive mental game of tic-tac-toe with herself before she finally sighs. Would it be out of line to suggest going inside? Perhaps a more enclosed space will help her readjust to the objective. 

Before she can suggest such a thing, Kokichi beats her to it.

“Yeah, it’s waaaay too hot out for September, I’m beat. Harukawa-chan, can we go back inside now?” he doesn’t bother to pout, eyes going from half-lidded to three-quarters wide seeing the barely-contained irritation on Maki’s face. 

“Gladly.” She stands without hesitation, turning to Gonta. “Thank you for having us.”

“Of course, is only polite thing to do,” smiles Gonta. Kokichi is a touch intrigued.

“What are you thanking him for, I bet you weren’t even listening! You haven’t taken that scowl off your face all day.” He leans a bit to his left, accentuating the roll of his eyes.

“I knew that you wouldn’t.” Maki says simply, opening the cold glass door.

Kokichi is shocked, appalled he’d tell you, with a loud gasp! Then he shrugs a little. “Eh. I wasn’t bored, anyway.”

Gonta waves, cheerful as ever, as the door swings shut.

The foot of his cane practically skids across the terrazzo tile as Kokichi takes off down the hall.

“What’s got you in such a hurry?” Maki asks before she can think better of it; Ouma is still faster than she’d given him credit for.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Ultimate Assassin.” The reply comes quick and sharp, bitterness rising in his voice that hasn’t seen the light of day since well before the game ended.

Before she can ask ‘why now?’ or some such thing, as though there’s any logic behind what Ouma does in the first place, he’s looking at her expectantly from his perch just at the threshold of the main library doorway.

“Dunno about you, but I, for one, have homework. I’m looking for a book, silly, don’t you guys use those?” he shakes his head lightly, keeping the door open by leaning on it and waiting for her to go through. It takes a moment of the two staring at one another to determine who is going to relent; Maki walks a step inside as Kokichi beelines for the reading chairs.

Ah, the reading chairs. Only marginally more acceptable than the stiff, borderline crunchy upholstery of most of the furniture on campus. At least there’s no punishment for sitting on these. Surrounded by deep forest green carpets and a dim, subdued atmosphere one risks sinking into should they stay still for too long, the library is quiet. Starkly quiet. The sound of breathing itself seems to echo, not at all damped by the depth of archways and sub-sections of books and books upon books.

Kokichi looks idly up at the rafters, looking for something he must not find.

“What’s wrong?” Maki reluctantly asks, curiosity overpowering her better sense.

“It’s hot in here,” Ouma replies, his voice… uncharacteristically soft. It’s impossible to tell what emotion comes attached, if there is one at all.

“The air conditioning has been broken in this building all day, I hear.”

There is an awkward silence between them, an absolute vacuum of small-talk.

He takes a deep breath, only to look back over at Maki. “Welp. This place is huge, so. Might as well get crackin’, book’s not gonna find itself!” He smiles a little too wide for his face as he launches upright, looking over his shoulder and taking off into the canopy of books. “Be back in a bit!”

“Alright,” says Maki, striding over to meet him. “Where are we going first?”

Kokichi shakes his head. He’s sorely mistaken if he thinks it’ll be that easy to get rid of you. “Hmm, iunno. I’ll know it when I see it,” he chirps as he changes directions, taking a few dizzying turns before coming to a brief pause.

What is his problem? What does he get out of making this difficult for the both of you? Surely boredom can’t overtake the selfish want to do less work… yet, sure enough, he’s speed-walking away again.

Maki doesn’t need to look up to explain the sudden chill down her spine.

“Kiyo-chan! Fancy meetin’ you here,” Ouma laughs, stepping to the shelf opposite Korekiyo as Maki walks up to the two of them.

“Not exactly, Ouma, you know quite well I’ve been tasked with the maintenance of some of the anthropology department’s rarer books,” Kiyo shakes his head, adjusting his mask. “... No, I won’t be taking you to them. I was actually looking for a project on Minoan mythos in relation to pre-Hellenic…” he cuts himself off. 

Really, Maki thinks to herself, it’s hard to believe this awkward kid could have been the monster he once was. That’s the thing about monsters, though, isn’t it? In real life they don’t have horns or tails like the minotaur…. 

“Say. What are you visiting the library for? Your field is not precisely predicated on a large literary basis, is it?” 

“Kiyo-chaaaaan! No fair! Are you telling me I don’t look like I read? ‘Cuz I can read plenty, as long as it’s not BORING me to death!!” Kokichi leans on his cane, slightly swaying. “I like libraries. They’re like obstacle courses, and half the time nobody is even in them to get in the way!” he smiles. “But that’s a lie.”

“He’s looking for a book,” Maki chimes in, startling both Korekiyo and Kokichi back a few steps. 

“Oh, is that all? What kind of book are you looking for, Ouma? Certainly I could be of assistance.” Kiyo nods, possibly(?) smiling, and at the very least visibly trying to maintain a less standoffish posture.

“That won’t be–”

“Binary star formation,” the two phrases come in at the same time. Kokichi continues, “and the history of their discovery.” 

Kiyo stares at Kokichi for a moment, in (confusion? Disbelief? It’s difficult to tell, with so much of his face obscured and those piercing eyes ready to strike at any time…) before nodding. “Of course. I believe I recall where that one is, it was returned quite recently.”

Ouma stares idly into the distance for a split-second, an automaton re-calibrating on the fly. “Right. Duh, but I need it now, so.” 

Sure enough, Korekiyo is only away for a matter of minutes before returning with a single large tome. The book seems more focused on general astronomical phenomena, but must have a chapter or two dedicated to binary stars. Should have picked something more obscure, Maki huffs at the thought, if you really just wanted to cause trouble. Let me guess, that isn’t–

“That’s exactly it!” says Kokichi, who excitedly starts flipping through the pages. Korekiyo looks like he wants to scold him, be more careful, but restrains himself from doing so. Nonetheless, the two share a look; Kokichi suddenly feels like maybe he should slow down, lest unsavory things happen to his nerves. 

Just a feeling.

Things look, for once, to be going well again. Ouma is reading (or, at least, glaring at a page), freeing up Maki’s attention to better scope out the area.

… At least, until “Kiyo-chan? The text is so small, I can barely read a thing!”

Don’t get involved, don’t worry about it, Maki, you have a mission!

“Then why don’t you take it back to one of the reading areas? It’s certain to be brighter there.”  Korekiyo shrugs, back to looking at the shelf ahead.

“Can’t you read it to me, Kiyo-chan? Pleeeease, you have such a nice reading voice!”

Korekiyo stops, for a moment, glaring at Kokichi. “And that’s a lie, certainly.”

“What! You’re calling me a liar! Kiyo-chan, that’s so, s-so,,” the tears start to well up, if only slightly. Is he losing his touch with the waterworks? “Accurate, yeah, but not this time! If I didn’t tell the truth some of the time, it’d make the lies too obvious! And that’s no fun at all.”

“... Ah,” says Kiyo, uncertain of how to take a compliment.

“So?”

“Oh yes, right. Hmm. It can’t be that large of a diversion, surely…”

Such is how Korekiyo winds up over by the reading chairs, telling a dubiously-interested Kokichi about disk and turbulent fragmentations. “Where the instability and arbitrary motion cause a core to split off into multiple masses of gas and dust that collapse into independent protostars,” so the reading goes, “that are close enough to one another they become entangled in mutual orbit.” 

Maki can hardly say she’s particularly invested, even if it would be nice to have a better idea of what Kaito’s blathering on about half the time now that classes are in full swing. Still, something in her can’t help but hang on to this itch of unease, as though at any moment something will go wrong. She’s supposed to be watching Kokichi, but finds herself looking more at Kiyo than the surroundings. There is no danger there, anymore, though you’d have been more likely to get hurt than Ouma. But this feeling you can’t… no. That you refuse to name, this resentment, it takes residence in your bones and won’t let go. Is it because he’s been programmed as having been a killer? Aren’t you the very same? And when it really mattered, didn’t both of you decide to k–

The slightest sound makes Maki jump into action, fists at the ready to block an incoming blow, only. Huh. It seems it was just the weight of the book closing.

Kokichi sits up a little straighter, speaking a little louder (before, begrudgingly, quieting down, because this is a library). “Thank you, Kiyo-chan~ That would’ve been soooo boring to get through alone, you know? Nishishi, I’ll still be expecting your application for DICE one of these days! Best not disappoint,” he leans back in the chair, only to swing up to standing.

Korekiyo simply rolls his eyes, but there’s something undoubtedly fond in the gesture. If there weren’t, the fact would make itself known near-immediately; instead, Kiyo simply picks up the book to put it back on the shelf. “Is that all you needed, then?” 

Kokichi exaggerates a sigh. “Not by a longshot, but I think I left the rest in Miu’s lab,” he rolls his head back, momentarily looking at the spot where Maki has planted herself, arms crossed. “So I gotta run. Laters!”

As Kokichi is picking his cane back up (and staring at the foot for a moment, making sure he’s placed it on the correct side for now. Working on making the ruse more realistic, perhaps, Maki posits, though she dares not say such a thing aloud), Maki nods in acknowledgement of Kiyo. 

After an awkward pause, Kiyo nods back. “Miss Harukawa.”  

But the pair are off again, out of the library and en-route to Miu’s lab.

The silence between the two of them is thick. Neither is perturbed by the light traffic traveling in either direction down the hall, staying steps apart but not quite identifiable as a ‘group’. Much remains unsaid between the two. Neither dares disrupt the precarious balance maintaining a stoic facade, and the awkward silence stays.

At least, while only in the company of one another.

“Hey!” Kokichi yells, swinging open the door to Miu’s lab with reckless abandon, startling a very focused Chihiro and Kazuichi sitting at the far end of a long table. “Where’s that boisterous blonde–”

“That is the best most bodacious boisterous blonde bitch to you, ‘ya shitstain.” Miu looks up from her workbench, approaching the opposite side of the long table with a haughty laugh. 

“Mm, nope. Too wordy. Might mistake you for a nerd,” he teases, pointing up and down at a Miu dressed in her lab coat and covered from goggles to toe in smears of motor oil.

“Oh please, haven’t you figured out yet that I’m beauty and a brain?”

“And a nerd, yeah, I got that.”

The pair bicker like old friends, though it’s only recently they’ve had a chance to talk over their time in the killing game. Perhaps it’s easier for them to act like it never happened; it’d be hypocritical of Maki to judge.

Although…

“So you’ll concede she’s beautiful?” Maki tugs on her hair, wrapping it around her finger with a smirk. One sentence sparks a good five minutes of playful arguing, nuh-uh yuh-uh, and mild shoulder-punching. In terms of the assignment, it’s permissible, but on thin ice.

The perimeter seems clear in here, anyway, only the five of them. Chihiro and Kazuichi seem too engrossed in whatever project they’re working on to bat an eye at the two’s banter, and there’s no good angle for an ambush. Besides, it’d be irresponsible to initiate a confrontation with so many metal scraps and machines around. Still, she has to remain on alert.

… Though she can’t help but listen when she hears Miu launch into a small tirade: “What I’m always working on, dumbass, and a couple things besides. Picture this: you’re me, and you’re ‘getting a regular checkup’ because you’re ‘recovering from a traumatic experience’ and all that junk. And I’m sitting there, wasting valuable workable time between classes, just for them to call me up to do, like, the same three tests they always do? And I think to myself, man, wouldn’t it be genius if you could just step into a booth, or a pod, or something like that when you get there, and it does all of that preliminary stuff on you at once so you can just be done with it already? And this was like, two? Days ago? So you know I have a prototype.”

Kokichi looks nonplussed, to say the least.

“Haven’t you been working on anything less… totally mundane, than that? Maybe like a shrink ray, or a portal device or a body-swapper, or something exciting?”

“Well, you know I’m building an android, but we all know how you feel about that.”

“I do not need the list of features you’re giving that thing. Nobody, needs the list of features you’re giving that thing.”

“W-W, h-hey! I’m not gonna be weird about it,” Miu pouts, voice getting soft for a moment. “That’s like, totally crossing a line…” only to pick back up. “Nah, I’m not gonna load in any kinky shit until I can ask him about it!”

“Is that finally an answer to the question I’ve been asking for like three months now? We’re going with ‘robots only have dicks upon request?’”

Maybe it’s better to stop listening, actually. Not that Maki is given the choice.

“Point is, I still need a test subject! Why not you, while you’re right here? Every experiment we’ve run so far has been demonstrably fine, quit your worry-warting already ‘ya buzzkill.” Miu scoffs, rolling out a wardrobe-sized booth on a dolly.

“But Iruma-channnn,”  Kokichi whines. His eye twitches, scanning the new device up and down, only more resolute that “there’s no way I’m gonna go in there unless it’s got AC!”

“That can be arranged,” says Miu, writing at the bottom of a spare paper. “Now, get over here so we can get this show on the road!” 

“Nnnnn can’t make me.”

“Come on.”

“Nah.”

“It’ll be fine!”

“For you, maybe.”

“You know what? Fine. Hey Maki!” Miu calls, waving to where Maki is stationed around the corner. “C’mon, this’ll only take, like, two minutes, you in?”

Great. You’ve been Acknowledged.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Maki starts to stammer, but Kokichi has suddenly lit up.

“Ooh! Do it, do it Maki!”

“I really don’t think I should distract from–”

Suddenly, both Miu and Kokichi are peering over the table, all but pounding their fists against the wood as they chant “Do it, do it!”

If anything, their exuberance makes her want to give in less, but the coast is clear, for now… Chihiro gives Maki a withering look. Doesn’t seem like they’ll run out of steam any time soon. 

“... Fine.”

Kokichi and Miu turn to one another and high-five, cheering in unison. 

“Great,” Miu breezes by, opening an entrance to the box. “Come on in.”

Maki is immediately enveloped in what at first looks like a photo booth but, upon examination, has too many blinking lights and moving parts to be one. In lieu of a screen, a plexiglass barrier shows off the dim reflections of the moving mechanics, leaving the subject to back up into position. A thermometer pops out of the front panel at the same time as a blood pressure cuff restrains her left arm, a bar descending to the top of her head to record her height. Every metric is recorded on a tiny screen on the outside of the chamber.

Experiment: success. The device certainly does its job. Whether it’s been done well is questionable, but it certainly has been done.

Meanwhile, Kokichi has been lounging in quite possibly the single Good Chair in the entirety of Hope’s Peak, talking to Miu about something indistinct. By the time Maki walks out of the machine a matter of minutes has passed.

It feels like it’s been hours. 

And Maki is not happy.

“Ouma? I need to talk to you.”

“Can’t it wait? I sorta–”

“Now. Ouma.”

Kokichi keeps his head down, but follows Maki’s footsteps.

“We’re leaving. Goodbye, Miu. Hope you got your data.” Maki states, perfectly deadpan. She turns, practically dragging Ouma by the wrist.

“Harukawa, I’m sorry i–”

“That’s a lie,” Maki helpfully completes the thought, marching out into the hallway. “You’ve been lying all day, making up any excuse you can to be as distracting as possible just waiting for me to screw up. But it isn’t going to work. We are going, to your room, and you will stay there, and it will be quiet. Do you understand?”

Kokichi stops walking. He does not pull away from her hand any further than the natural distance that comes as he stops, glaring up at her with an oddly-canted eye. 

“You think you can ground me, Child-Caregiver? All I want is to hang out with my friends, and get to do it at a decent goddamn hour, and that’s SO bad? Aww, am I inconveniencing you? What would you rather be out doing. Huh? Would you rather be hunting me down for sport–”

Maki snaps out of her shock, shaking her head. “UGH! Not everything is always about YOU, you know!” She storms a few steps ahead.

“Well excuse me if you aren’t exactly open about your hobbies,” Kokichi scoffs, jogging up a few more stumbling steps to meet her. “If you insist on making our little forced-bonding-time absolutely miserable, I guess, be my fucking guest.”

“It’s not about fun, it’s about salvaging the entirety of this semester! Out of all of us, you should understand that!”

“Oh, so there is an ‘us’! I thought it a mere myth on the breeze, oh please, Harukawa, regale me with tales of how our miserable myriad of troubled teens that calls itself a class constitutes any kind of Unit,” he coughs on the end, running out of breath. A bit of spit drips from the corner of his mouth, hastily wiped away by a hand before he makes a big swinging gesture with his cane. 

This, it turns out, is a mistake.

First, his cane clatters to the floor. In and of itself, this isn’t surprising; at least it didn’t go through a window or otherwise launch across the hall, instead dropping down at Kokichi’s side.

Then Kokichi falls down with it.

He nearly faceplants, the only buffer coming in the form of outstretched arms in front of him that immediately buckle. 

Maki stifles half of a laugh. That’s what your overly-theatrical-ass gets when you try to act larger than life itself. She holds out a hand to help him back up. Frustrated as she may be, she isn’t cruel.

… But he doesn’t take it.

In fact, Kokichi doesn’t seem to be moving much at all.

Thinking fast, she immediately turns him onto his side in a recovery position. Still breathing– heavily, at that, as it’s taking up the majority of his focus just to do that much. It’s a full minute before he starts trying to talk. 

“Mmaki’alls sumiki,” is about all he can say, saliva rolling down his face, eyes glassy. One eye moves slower than the other as he tries to look up at her in that disturbingly blank way of his.

He says it again.

She doesn’t know what to do.

In for four, hold for four, out for four.

You can’t react this way to a little surprise. Cool heads prevail, Maki, you know this.

She feels a hand on her shoulder.

“Maki? Thank goodness I was following you. Listen, both of you, I’ve called my classmate Mikan. She is a nurse. What I need you to do, Maki, is help me pick him up. Ouma, just keep breathing…” Peko Pekoyama commands, picking up the cane to carry with her bag as she prepares to pick up Kokichi.

There’s an upset indignant note from him, an ‘uh, no shit,’ that pierces through the existential terror. That’s a good sign. That means not every scrap of consciousness needs to be dedicated just to staying alive. “I ‘ust, ‘eed’an ninit,” he tries to speak again, getting steadily more exasperated with himself. Even so, he does not cry.

No matter how he may want to, he does not cry.

------------------

Kokichi Ouma finds himself in a hospital room yet again. Maki Harukawa, however, finally finds herself at liberty to have him out of sight as she leans against the closed door.

Now you can panic.

“Maki?” Peko asks, tilting Maki’s chin up to meet her gaze.

Nevermind.

“You did the right thing, initially. Okay? You put him in a position where he could breathe, which is probably the most important thing you could have done.”

Maki stammers, tugging on her hair with an iron grip. “I did not do the right thing, initially. That’s the problem,” she admits, shaking her head. It’s difficult to stifle the ghost of tears blocking out her vision.

“Hm? What do you mean?” Peko asks, guiding Maki over to sit in a pair of chairs beside one of the many windows on this floor. 

No matter how hard she tries to stop them, once they start the words won’t stop flowing. “I mean that it’s my fault he’s like this!”

“... Maki, I saw it, it was an accide–”

“In the game, I shot him. Twice. With laced bolts, he. He just took Kaito, and was planning, s-something, and we were all so scared and I thought he was going to kill him so I covered them in strike-nine, and I shot him. Twice! And I went for a third…”

Peko is taken aback for a moment. Class 79 tends not to talk about their experiences in the simulation, so to hear things like shot and kill only confirm every terrible rumor she’s heard about the entire debacle. She blinks, once, then twice.

“Maki, I. I had no idea.”

Maki pulls on her hair, looping it around her whole hand and it still isn’t enough. “I know, I know, I’m an assassin, Ms. Pekoyama, and he’s the only mark I’ve ever actually killed myself.”

Peko is loath to let the silence spread between the two of them, yet she isn’t sure of what to say. Still, she says anyway: “I am. So sorry, that happened between you two. I assure you, I did not have an understanding of this. History, before I suggested you be paired together.”

“A-and now, now it’s my fault he collapsed, because whatever is wrong with him started because I poisoned him, because I’m a heartless, murder machine a-and,,” Maki hiccups, a hand over her face. She hasn’t even gotten this far into the story with her therapist, yet she sees enough of herself in Peko to entrust her with this secret.

“... I know what it is like to live with regret.” Peko offers. “It is never easy to choose one life over another. I don’t think that it should be, either. You should never have had to make that choice, but you did, and you made it as well as anyone could. You wanted to defend your friends, Maki, and you did. You cannot agonize about how things might have been after the fact if you want to move forward.”

Maki just stares at her hands, and cannot scrub away the illusion they are bright, bold magenta.

“... Maki?”

But Maki is far down the hall, watching Kaito close the door to that damn hospital room, because he’s betrayed me, again. 

“... I hated him.” She takes a deep breath, and lets the words swish around in her mouth for a moment before spitting them back out: “I hated him. I wanted him to suffer. He was irritating, and a threat, and I didn’t– I don’t understand him, and I wanted him to get away from me and everyone I care about.” Deep breath in. “So I shot him, with a crossbow, and I laced the bolts with the slowest-acting poison I could find, so he wouldn’t know peace the same way the rest of us hadn’t.”

“Ah,” says Peko, surprised but without any tone of judgment. After all, it is Peko’s turn to think, wouldn’t that be hypocritical? “Multiple things can be true at once, you know. Just because some part of you wanted vengeance does not overwrite your intentions to defend. I’ve only ever known you to want to protect the innocent, Maki, and even if you haven’t always been that person, that is the kind of person you are becoming. Every last one of you was in significant distress at that time, and that includes you. You shouldn’t let self-hatred cloud your perception.”

Maki nods ever-so-slightly. 

“What you did was. Excessive, yes, and you should not have done it. But it is in the past now, Maki. The fact that you feel remorse for it proves you aren’t ‘heartless’. You made a poor decision, with a high price. All that can be done for it now is to atone in ways you can. Sometimes, remembrance is all you can offer. But you,” Peko points at the flower on Maki’s uniform, “have a unique gift in all of this. Ouma is still alive now. In this life, you can still make amends.”

Maki sniffs, then holds her breath. In for three, hold for five, hold for four, hold forever… the tears just won’t slow. “It was cruel. I, was cruel, I don’t. I don’t want to be that way, not even to him. I-I want to. Amends, I want to,”

Peko smiles. She takes both of Maki’s hands into her own. “Then you will. You’ve already started, after all.”

The more Maki thinks of it, this whole shadowing experience has shown off facets of Ouma’s personality she hadn’t seen before. He does not like bugs, but still tolerates them out of care for his friendship with Gonta. He could have been cruel and smashed all the leaves, but he picked out any that even may have had eggs on them. Kokichi could have been legitimately cruel, yet he wasn’t. Kiyo, quiet as he is these days, is willing to accept him because Kokichi has accepted him in return. Even Miu, after she tried to bash in his skull with a hammer, has come around to not just tolerating his presence, but coming to enjoy it. Enough to make a machine for the medical wing since he, her friend, is in and out of the hospital so often… so he’s claimed.

Maki can only reconcile now that at least some, possibly all of those claims of chronic pain and complications are very real. Part of her knew this all along, but didn’t want to believe it; it’s easier, after all, to lie to yourself. Hadn’t Kokichi said something to that effect, so long ago?

Despite how irritating he is, despite his best attempts to get under her skin, despite being Kokichi Ouma, he’s… admittedly, a decent friend when it counts. And, perhaps, someday they can be friends as well.

“I still. It. It’s so stupid,” she shakes her head. “I-I better not…”

“But you want to say it, right?” Peko nods.

“I still feel. Jealous? Kaito can do what he wants, of course, but ever since the simulation it’s felt like our trio with Shuichi is… different. Like he’s choosing Kokichi over us.” Over me, she does not say. Peko can see it in her watery eyes.

“That, I’ve certainly understood,” Peko laughs. “Sometimes the person you admire can be… short-sighted, maybe. But your admiration is your own, you know. You have to own it, and, if they don’t ultimately feel the same way…” She looks off into the distance. Imagining someone, no doubt.

“... Right. Right, thank you Ms. Pekoyama.”

“Just Peko is fine, Maki.”

“Thank you, Peko.”

“Of course.”

“... But maybe they do feel the same way. You. Never know until you ask, right?”

Peko snaps back to attention. “I… suppose.” 

“It’s just a matter of gathering the inner strength to ask, whether you like the answer or not. … I think you should,” Maki shrugs, drying her tears. “And maybe I should too.”

“Perhaps,” says Peko, unshaken as ever, until… she smiles, conspiratorially. “I will if you will.”

“Alright,” laughs Maki. “Deal. But I have someone I have to address first.”

------------------

Meanwhile, Kaito slowly closes the door to the hospital room. The cool air hits him almost immediately upon entering; the air conditioning must be turned up significantly higher than in the rest of the building. It’s a different room, this time; the slightly different decor is disorienting for a moment, while he allows it to be. There’s something far more important than misplaced flowers and chairs and abstract paintings at its center, though.

“Kokichi?”

There’s a disgruntled sigh from the hospital bed, and an equally disgruntled Kokichi hooked up to not-even-a-fourth-of the equipment he was last time, to Kaito’s knowledge, he actually had to stay here.

“‘eah. Yeah, ‘s me.” He even sounds tired, still slurring words together a touch at this point.

Kaito takes his left hand, the dominant side. The uninjured one.

Kokichi can barely curl his fingers around Kaito’s, for now.

“Like the worst case’a TMJ you ever had,” he tries to smile, but finds the effort fruitless to try. Out of everyone, Kaito won’t mind if you don’t pretend for him. He already knows what you are. “‘Cept it’s everywhere. Mostly.” 

“Maybe you shouldn’t be talking so much–”

“Tsumiki-chan said, as long as I focus on breathing, I can do what I want. Mostly wanna not-do-things, though. Boring. What’d you do today?”

“You’re asking me?” Kaito laughs, but humors the thought. “Class, mostly. Went out to train with Shuichi, he’s actually coming along pretty well. Still has trouble keeping up with me in the real world, though, lung capacity and all. Been missing Maki, though. She’s really trying her hardest for this class, you know, she’s even talking to that Peko girl right now.”

Kokichi looks away, both eyes now in-sync as he tries to look to the tile floor. “Yeah. She’s still Harukawa, alright.”

Probably not a great time to talk about it, it dawns on Kaito just a little too late.

“What even happened, man, can I ask that? Figure I may as well instead’a dancing around it,” Kaito says, just to banish the thought. To get it out of the way.

Kokichi laughs a little under his breath. It hurts, but there’s a degree to which he can’t help it. “Ask’er yourself.”

Kaito is confused for all of a moment before looking around the–

“Ah! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you! I-I just thought I could answer any q-questions, so Ouma doesn’t have to-o…” Mikan Tsumiki, Ultimate Nervous Wreck, holds her clipboard to her chest.

Kaito is beside himself, unsure of how to get her to calm back down. Kokichi’s hand squeezes his a little tighter. Give her a moment.

“R-Right, sorry, you were wondering about his condition, right? Ouma’s, I mean. T-There’s good news! And. Bad news, which we’ve already talked about before you arrived, or. I did most of the talking because he’s having a hard time at the moment, but you knew that– Bad news we’ve already talked about, and good news.” Mikan looks up at Kaito expectantly, straining a smile. 

“... Do you want me to pick one? Because I’m sure whatever the bad news is won’t look so bad compared to the good,” Kaito nods, resolute.

“Oh yeah, s-s. Sorry. Yeah. SO the good news is this is just a flare-up, probably caused by a mix of stress and the heat outside. He’s been doing a lot better in this building since we have a backup generator for our climate control,” she continues. “But the bad news is that if he doesn’t take care of his condition, he could end up in a full-blown crisis, mister,” a darkness casts over her eyes “and if you do you won’t be able to breathe on your own, then it’s back on a ventilator for up to weeks at a time, and I know how much you hate that.” She picks her head up. “But, hopefully it won’t come to that!”

… It’s a lot to take in at once.

“What. Exactly, is his condition? How could he deteriorate so suddenly?” Kaito asks despite Kokichi’s half-hearted protest.

“It wasn’t sudden. I’ve been feeling it all day… it just got too bad to deal with. That’s all.” Mikan looks over to Kokichi before he relents and nods. “Someone else should know.”

“It seems to be an autoimmune disorder caused by the program. Not one that we’ve seen before, but one that’s kind of unique because of how it happened. The device ‘taught’ his immune system to attack danger that wasn’t physically there, so it started attacking what was there instead. It seems to include some of the signals sent between muscle groups to get them to move, leading to muscle weakness that varies in severity. This would be a moderate exacerbation, I think, so it really could be much worse!”

Mikan is still working on her bedside manner. Kokichi huffs a little, amused, while Kaito is still processing.

“Is. Is it ever going to stop?”

“I think you know the answer to that,” Mikan sighs, a little shake of her head. The same thing Kaito had been told about his lungs. “It’s impossible for us to know, but don’t count on it.”

“So… So what can we do? There has to be some kind of training we can do to make it a little less severe, right?” The impossible is always possible, is it not?

“Well. Physical therapy might help as part of the treatment, but it’s most important he’s taking his meds regularly and getting enough sleep,” she says. “But it’s pretty near impossible to enforce.”

Kaito looks over at Kokichi for a moment, then back to Mikan. 

“Maybe, on his own. What if he had a roommate? Then we’d share responsibility.”

“You’re kidding me,” Ouma says, doing his best to sit up a little. It’s more effort than it’s worth, but that does not stop him from trying.

“It’s that, or have you check in even more regularly than you already do. Even if I have to fish you out of the dorms,” Mikan shakes her head, tsk-tsk-tsk. “It’s not a bad idea. I’ll take it up with Administration. Unless you’d rather have an aide following you around…?”

“NO. ‘m good. It’s good. Could be way worse…”

“And I’ll see if I can get you an air conditioner in your room? It is very literally medically necessary.”

“Yessss,” Ouma seems happy enough, and settles down. It’s distinctly possible he’s too tired to put up much more protest, and takes the opportunity to start to nod off.

Kaito smiles fondly, and shakes his head.

------------------

Several hours later, Kokichi wakes up to the creaking of his door. He tenses, finding that he can, even if it’d be too much to disengage himself from ensnaring wires and monitors. He doesn’t bother. A moment later, it’s clear enough who it is.

“... Hello, Ouma.”

“Harukawa.”

Kokichi stares upward, idly counting holes in the ceiling tile.

The silence is deafening.

“I’m sorry,” Maki starts, a meandering sentence unto itself that unravels slowly from her tongue. 

Too slowly, for Kokichi. “Yeah, alright. For what?”

“Take your pick.” The courage she’s built up is thrown to the wind as she strives to just say it,  or at least say something.

“Sure. Forgiven. Whatever. Now, what’s it you want?”

“... That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.”

“Ooh, she catches on! Maki Harukawa, how do you do it,” he laughs. It’s a strangled sound. 

“Cut it out, Kokichi, I’m sorry. I’m sorry about what happened today. I’m sorry about pushing you too far–”

“You didn’t push me too far.” he says, but it sounds… hollow. Sincere, insincere, it doesn’t seem to matter; there’s no substance to it, but it’s also packed with double-triple meanings and spite.

“I’m sorry anyway,” Maki says. 

This appears to appease him, if just for a minute.

“I’m sorry about pushing you around, and for blaming you for my own inability to properly focus.” she sighs. “… In my defense, you don’t make it easy, but. That’s not the point. The point is, I should not have done that. I got angry, and when I get angry sometimes I act rashly. So I’m sorry.”

There’s something bigger to that statement, of course. Something he cannot help but respond to with a brutal truth:

“I don’t know if I can forgive you. I want to stop being scared of you, but it’s not. Suddenly okay again.” He turns his head, half-muttering. “I’m not sure I’ll ever really be ‘okay’ again….”

The silence returns.

“... That’s. That’s okay. I mean, if you don’t. You don’t, have to. Respect is earned, and so… so is forgiveness, I think. I hope I can earn that in your eyes.”

“... Alright,” says Kokichi. “Fair enough.”

“See you around,” Maki shrugs, halfway to closing the door.

“And Maki?”

“Yeah?” she pauses.

“Thanks.”

#danganronpa #dr #new danganronpa v3 #ndrv3 #ndrv3 spoilers #danganronpa v3 #drv3 #killing harmony #maki harukawa #harukawa maki #kokichi oma #kokichi ouma #oma kokichi #TAPP AU #Talent Acquisition Pilot Program AU #dr post-game au #ndrv3 vr au #korekiyo shinguji #miu iruma #gonta gokuhara #peko pekoyama

[beevean]

Call me a narc, but I generally feel as if the Twitter Takeovers have gotten increasingly more unfunny the more we got? I haven't even watched the last one, but it's the fact that the fandom takes everything they like and runs with it as if it's canon that bothers me... because "everything they like" ranges from dumb quips (Sonic liking Mongolian throat singing or hating Amy's shortcake despite neither having been shown in the games before ever, for example) to statements immediately seen as shipping (hi, Sonadow), to blatant mischaracterizations (I know we got the one ShTH advertisement with Shadow dancing but do you truly think he's gonna be singing and dancing at a concert?), to IDW being canon (Starline mention...), and everything inbetween. And now Amy's cards suddenly being her "hyperfixation", even though there's a million posts on Tumblr alone why a hyperfixation is not just a quirky synonym to "being deeply invested in a hobby". I don't know, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Of course they're just meant to be funny (unfortunately not forgotten in the grand scheme of things, because TMOSTH mentioned Shadow and his coffee bean thing, alas), but it feels as if the creators of the sketches think they are funny by mangling the characters and coming up only with the stupidest out-of-this-world nonsense that the fandom runs with it because it is stupid and out-of-this-world, you know? I want to like them, but... not like this, so to say. Not when the characters are not getting actual respect and the fandom becomes insufferable through it on top, if I may be blunt.

Real talk: Eggman gushing about Sage, literally saying that she is the reason he keeps existing, plus fans "booing" Sonic for laughing at such sappiness, makes me want to drink concrete.

bro. bro really. I thought Flynn confirmed that Eggman's appreciation for Sage is purely self-masturbatory? That he's only proud of her because she's such a big accomplishment and a testament of his genius? That Frontiers showing Eggman getting choked up at the thought of losing her, calling her "dear daughter" in a somber tone, and the DLC's new ending showing them holding hands, didn't mean that Eggman in that game had been warped to develop genuine fondness for Sage, and it was actually all as self-centered as Eggman should be? :^)

(also I don't get why he would love the Egg Salamander, of all things. Didn't he build it together with Nega? As much as I like Rush, it feels like a shoehorned reference for the sake of being semi-obscure.)

And even if, even if I accept that this is completely non-canon and for the sake of a joke... other fans won't. Because "everything is canon". Shadow canonically likes to eat raw beans. Amy is canonically neurodivergent (or she canonically misuses medical terms). Sonic canonically has nightmares about not being appreciated, which might I add was a scene deadass stole from Boom, the show that had no pretenses of being canon whatsoever. Eggman canonically adores Sage as his own darling daughter. Starline canonically exists in the gameverse. I canonically am done with this.

Honestly, from what little I've seen, this Takeover was so OOC and just unfunny that the concept has completely lost his charm. What's the appeal of asking question to the game cast, if the game cast simply doesn't behave like they would and they are twisted for the sake of memes and "how do you do fellow kids"?

oh and the shiptease is out of control. at one point amy talks about going at a concert with shadow which makes sonic jealous, in that "NO EVERYTHING IS FINE" way. this is literally 2000s-tier shadamy and the reason i to this day am sour about that ship. save me, save me, save me, can't face this life alone.

#sonic the hedgehog #you know i think i understand the classic purists of old now #can i pretend no game came out after generations? #or uhhh forces at the very last #yes it's a joke i get it! it's in good fun! #... but eh i found past takeovers funnier what can i say #and that was before fan reception became insufferable for me #call me an old witch i guess

[shadowpeachyuri]

I'm not an analyst but i am a theater kid so these are just my thoughts. I might bring up various theater classmates of mine so to keep anonymity I'll just call them by their first initial. To me Macaque is a theater kid that is a mix between my classmates M & E. He's a serious theater kid who's been in more than his fair share of plays/musicals but he's also a dramatic little shit who i don't think would settle for backstage. He's experienced, and he's a good actor, but he's also kind of quiet and reserved, they are maybe one or two other theater people he's close to but he's really just there to act. However he isn't lead material he's side character material all because Wukong showed up, tripped over his own two feet, fell flat on his face onto the stage and the director went "YOU! You're perfect!" and cast Wukong as the lead. However Wukong, just like classmate D, doesn't want to be there he'd rather not be there AT ALL or be cast as Napkin #2 rather than the lead but the director knows he's a good singer and dancer because Wukong's been alive for how long? He's had to have picked up something as common as singing and dancing. So he's cast as the lead cause he has the looks, the skills. Sure he's not as good at remembering lines as Macaque, though this can easily be excused to the director as "he's a lead, he just has a lot of lines to remember" so they're hardly gonna bat an eye. But the stage fright, what about that ? I hear you asking. Well also like classmate D he's loud, a contrast to Macaque's quiet reservedness, he's not gonna let a bunch of "random" people know he has stage fright especially when he's the great sage equal to heaven. So in response he's loud, and annoying, and generally not showing people how close he is to pissing his pants. Also I'd just like to mention that by having Macaque be a side character instead of backstage and Wukong as a lead the warrior is once more cast in the hero's shadow (lol I hate myself) Lastly tho I'd just like to say that once upon a time they were both totally DBK's hypemen and would've played a pair of (equals) Lefou's to DBK's Gaston (and you can pry this from my cold dead hands). --Mythicalmagicalmonkeyman

listening and taking notes. i’m not a theater kid (was in drama club and was in a couple non-school plays but never fully joined the group/polycule), and mostly assigned mac as backstage bc

moving in the shadows

emphasis on not being heard, since in the brotherhood and shadowpeach flashbacks there was a recurring pattern of him not being listened to

mental image of him wearing all black or smth (idk what the techs wear :[) looking at wukong and just SEETHING

the new minifigure of him where he’s holding a boom mic and looks like a tech guy

but also it’s like. i picture him losing the role in auditions to wukong (mostly bc god hates both of them) and then him getting assigned a more minor role but then he’s like “fuck this” and does tech instead for petty bitch reasons (note: again i don’t know how this behind the scenes drama works i was in the ensemble if i participated at all)(and that was mostly just school plays too)

#ask!! #mythical!! #anon ask!! #i do love the idea of them hyping up dbk #also btw. saying you’re not an analyst is like saying you’re not an artist #in that it’s a skill you build but it’s a skill available to everyone #for instance: you read my take looked at it and had your own breakdown and response of it #critiquing some parts and ‘yes-and’ ing others #what is that if not analysis?

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1160: Arrival of Team Dark (And Knuckles) Pt. 2 (Sonic X SSBU)

Meanwhile at The Sidewalks of New Donk City......

Shadow: (Sighs While Walking and Scrolling Through the Christmas Parade Pictures with Omega) I swear. The one time I missed out on a parade this year and it's my float that gets featured.

Omega: It is well-crafted parade float in retrospect.

Shadow: (Simply Nodded in Agreement) It is. Amd it doesn't look like it was tampered with thankfully.

Omega: (Turns to Shadow) If another version of your parade float is given another opportunity to be shown in the public, would you allow me to be it's personal bodyguard?

Shadow: I doubt the general would be generous enough to give my float another go anytime soon, but if I'm wrong, then I say go for it. Just try not to go overboard, especially if you know who somehow gets involve.

Omega: Fear not. I will try to restrain myself from eliminating Eggman for Sage's sake. (Squints his Eyes a Bit) Keyword being "Try".

Shadow: (Chuckles Lightly) Look at you having a soft side.

Omega: (Angrily Points at Shadow) Do NOT twist my words and motives, Shadow the Hedgehog! I am only doing this to refrain Sage from ever being emotionally distress.

Shadow: (Smirks a Bit) Cause you care about her?

Omega: (Stares at Shadow For a Few Seconds Before Sighing in Defeat).....To some extent. (Glares at Shadow) Mark my words, if any word on this comes out in any form of transportation, I WILL eliminate you.

Shadow: (Snickers a Bit) We both know Rouge would never let you go through with that in the long run. But I'll pretend this conversation never even happened. (Place his Hand on his Chest) You have my word.

Omega: (Pulls Out his Pinky) Seal of Kept Promises?

Shadow: It's called a Pinky Promise, Omega. And sure. (Wrap Around his Pinky Around Omega's For a Brief Second Before Letting Go) So speaking of Sage, do you have any ideas on what we should get her for Christmas this year? I was thinking about getting some books, but I don't think I have the slightest clue on what she reads to begin with.

Omega: Futuba-Chan has informed me of these VR headsets everyone of all ages playthrough in their daily schedules. Maybe we could give her that instead.

Shadow: (Starts Nodding to the Idea) Yeah, I think that might be something she'll enjoy too. Let's just hope they aren't too expensive to buy.

Omega: From what I've heard, the prices range from $60-$200 depending on which brand you want to purchase.

Shadow: (Grabs his Chin While Thinking) Is that so? Then how about we try and get the one with the lower price? It'll save us more money and we have a plenty of other people to get gifts for in the meantime.

Omega: Does the select few involves Eggman as well?

Shadow: ('Sigh') Unfortunately. Believe me, I'm not a fan of doing this as much as you are right now, but given that Sage sees us as part of her family as well, it's only fair that we give him something for the occasion.

Omega: I say we order a box filled with stone cold coal and have it delivered directly towards his doorstep. It's what the fatman in a messy mustache truly deserves.

Shadow: (Turns to Omega witha Raised Eyebrow) People sell COAL on the internet?

Omega: The world of the cyberspace is truly an unusual specimen to behold.

Shadow: (Rolls his Eyes) Unusual is putting it lightly........

Omega: (Suddenly Stops Walking Before Tapping Shadow on the Shoulder) Shadow. (Points Shadow to What is Above the Two of Them) It appears we have reach our potential stopping stopping point.

Shadow: (Looks Up at the Large Sign that Reads "New Donk Glorious Hotel & Suite" Before Looking Down at the Plave in Front of Him) Hm. We finally found ourselves a hotel around here. (Grabs his Chin While Thinking and Making his Way to the Door) But is this the same one everyone else has been staying at?

Shadow was about to open the entrance door for himself until......

'DOOR OPENS'

Younger Smash Crew: (Suddenly Rushes Out of the Door) SHADOW!~ (....And Hug Tackles the Ultimate Lifeform into the Ground)

'THUD'

Omega: (Looks Down at Shadow) Does that answer your question?

Shadow: (Groans a Bit in Pain) One way or other....(Glares at the Giggling Huggers) Who's idea was it to hug tackle me?

Hat Kid: (Happily Pops Herself Up Close to Shadow) Guilty!~

Shadow: (Chuckles Lightly the Moment He Sees his Little Sister's Face) The Little Gremlin herself. Should've known.

Hat Kid: (Gives Shadow a Big Kiss on the Cheek Before Hugging Him)

Sonic: (Looks Down at Shadow with a Welcoming Smirk on his Face While Putting his Hand Out For Him) Took you long enough to get here, Faker.

Shadow: You thank G.U.N. for that. (Grabs onto Sonic's Hand as It Help Him Get Back Up On his Feet While Carrying Hat Kid with One Arm) It's a miracle we were able to finish those paperworks in time.

Sonic: Again with that? Don't you guys have accountants to do that sort of stuff or something?

Shadow: We used to, but the last accountant we had quit a while ago, so position has been open ever since. (Forms a Bit of a PlayfulSmirk on his Face) 'Less you want to take the job yourself.

Sonic: (Chuckles Lightly) And waste my time and energy cooped up in the office all day? No thanks.

The sound of soft grunts catches Omega's hearing sensors behind him as he turns around to see Futuba Sakura stretching both her arms out in her tippy toes before her eyes starts to widen as she quickly hides one behind her back, awkwardly giggling and waving hello to her robot friend.

Lavenza: (Smiles Sheepishly at Omega) Please do not mind our simple minded Oracle there, Omega-kun.

Morgana: (Already Has a Deadpinned Look on his Face) She thought it would be a swell idea to try and play the "Guess Who" game with a bulky robot.

Futuba: (Comically Glares at the Young Couple Behind Her) Well, excuse me for being a tad bit playful here, you little twerps!

Yusuke: (Grabs his Chin) You do know there are other ways to properly greet him, yes?

Futuba: Oh don't join in on this crap too, Inari! Get off my back already!! (Suddenly Hears a Mechanical Like Sound) Hm? (Turns to See Omega Bending his Knees Down) Whatcha doing there, big guy?

Omega: i am lowering my stance in order to give you the opportunity of covering my visual functions.

Futuba: (Stares at Omega For a Brief Second Before Giggling Softly and Hugging Him) You big goof!~ You don't have to do that for me. I really appreciate the thought though~

Lavenza: Is Ms. Rouge here as well?

Omega: She is currently shopping at a well known mall center, dragging Knuckles along with her.

Sonic: (Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise) No way. You guys actually got Knucklehead to leave Angel Island for once?

Shadow: No, he actually asked to come along with us. Says he wanted to get out and explore the world more without any worries at the moment.

Sonic: Exactly what he told me a year ago back the desert. (Forms a Genuine Grin on his Face) Good for him.

Shadow: Yeah. Omega and I are planning on doing the same tomorrow after we get everything settled here.

Omega: In the meantime,, we are also planning on ordering a present box filled with solid sets of coal and have delivered to Eggman for Christmas this year.

Morgana: Wait, people are selling literal COAL on the internet nowadays!?

Shadow: (Shrugs) I'm just as surprised about it as you are.

Sonic: (Chuckles Lightly) Shoot, if that's the case, you mind adding my name on the Receivers List too?

Futuba: (Happily Raising her Hand Up) Ooh! Add me there too! That way I won't have to feel bad about not getting him anything!~

Yusuke: I would also like to be included in this exchange.

Hat kid: Me too!~

The Gang: (Raises Their Habds As Well) Us three!~

Lavenza: (Raise her Hand Up as Well) Me forth!~

Morgana: (Turns to His Girlfriend Next to Him) You too, Lavenza?

Lavenza: (Smiles Brightly at her Boyfriend) I don't see why not. It'd be quite funny even.

Morgana: Pretty sure he would try and destroy everything if he sees a box of coal laying around on his doorstep.

Futuba: I wouldn't worry too much about that. Sage could easily make him not go through with it if we convince her beforehand.

Lavenza: Being Daddy's Little Girl does have it's benefits after all, especially in a younger age.

Omega: If that doesn't work, I could always annihilate him.

Shadow: Omega.

Omega: (Quickly Turns to Shadow) ONLY if the first option proves unsuccessful in the end!......Hopefully.

Shadow: What was thar?

Omega: Nothing.

Morgana: ('Sigh') Well, if you two are certain, then count me in too I guess.

Shadow: Then it's settled. Here's hoping this doesn't cost too much.

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@caleb13frede

@bestpony666

@princekirijo

#sonic series #super smash ultimate #shadow the hedgehog #e 123 omega #hat kid #sonic the hedgehog #futaba sakura #lavenza #morgana #yusuke kitagawa #sage (mentioned) #eggman (mentioned) #takes place after rouge and knuckles webt off shopping #reunion #sweet family moment #humor #fluff #new donk city adventures #team dark arrival (and knuckles) two parter

[azerothtravel]

Over the expacs, what’s been your favourite raid or dungeon bosses?

Hey, Anon! Sorry this took so long, but I wanted to give this some real thought. So I've never been much of a raider. I just didn't find it too exciting to treat WoW like a part-time job. I dabbled in Vanilla, but never did anything after Zul'Gurub. There was a bit in late BC when my small guild and another one joined forces to run Karazhan for awhile (I don't know that we ever got as farther than chess). But it wasn't til the introduced LFR that I ever saw raids while they were new with any real frequency (I know, I am a filthy casual). My endgame has usually been more PvP and alts. But! That leaves a zillion dungeons and the raid experiences I have had so let's see…

When I think of dungeons in Vanilla, I think of Blackrock Spire. I have a great fondness for General Drakkisath in UBRS, for having someone kite him all over the place. And the Beast! Taking the punt from the Beast. Eventually getting the Chromatic Carapace and starting down that road. Those were really fun times. But also Bal'nazaar in Strat, which was a really fun surprise and also, uh, something I actually have a screenshot of. :)

In BC, it's all about the Blackheart the Inciter fight in Shadow Labyrinth. "Slaughter yourselves for my amusement!" That was a wacky one, especially the first time you saw it. It was also cool, as a non-raider, to get to fight Kaelthas in Magister's Terrace. But also, in Auchenai Crypts, Shirrak the Dead Watcher. The first time you came to that bridge and saw that guy, that was memorable.

Wrath is really hard to pin down. I'm actually really partial to Utgarde Keep. But it kinda has to be the Lich King chasing you out of Halls of Reflection. That was such a tense encounter. Unsurprisingly, I don't have any screenshots. But, looking through my screenshots, I just found out we did Naxxramus in 2009! I have no memory of this!

Who knew?? I bet the same friend who made us an alliance with a bigger guild to do Kara was behind this, but I completely forgot about it.

First boss that comes to mind in Cataclysm is in the Stonecore, your friend and mine, Ozruk. Like many of you, I am certain, the first time he yelled "Break yourselves upon my body!" my group cracked up laughing. I think we might have even wiped from laughing too hard. He's got a great song, too! But for Cata, it has to be Deathwing. The fight on his back is probably the most memorable instance fight in the expansion, for good or ill.

Mists actually has a whole lot of my favorite dungeon and raid bosses. Stormstout Brewery was pretty unique, with the Ook Ook fight being pretty great. I liked the Sha of Fear fight, with the teleporting to different platforms and all. The Paragons in Siege of Orgrimmar are memorable. I did so much for those bastards. Having to fight them all was mean. I think the Thunder King raid is one of the best raids of all time, top to bottom, and the Thunder King himself was a really cool fight.

Warlords is actually harder to remember. Nitrogg Thundertower on the Grimrail Depot train was really cool. I remember hating basically every minute of the Everbloom... Ner'zhul in Shadowmoon Burial Grounds had good atmosphere. I enjoyed Highmaul, but did not like that final raid at all, nor the remake of my beloved UBRS. Oh, High Sage Vyrix, that was a cool fight. Man. That Archimonde fight. I swear, it took like 15 tries in LFR. I never went back after we finally won.

I've expressed my complicated feelings about Legion before, but it had some fun dungeons. The fight in the dark in Vault of the Wardens was really cool. Maw of Souls' fight with Freyja was cool, tearing up the back of that boat. But not a whole lost stands out to me, dungeon & raid wise.

BfA. I liked the Ghuun fight. The Azshara fight, and also the swimming one with the big eel. That whole final raid was pretty interesting, with a good final battle. Some cool things in there. But the best was Lord and Lady Waycrest in Waycrest Manor, with the big pipe organ. That was cool.

In Shadowlands, I liked almost everything in the first raid. Some really fun things in there, and Denathrius especially. The Tarragrue fight in the 2nd raid was really fun with the anima powers. And the Eye of The Jailer fight making you grapple across that gap was fun.

I have weirdly very few memories of Dragonflight dungeons & raids, apart from fighting Fyrakk over and over trying to get that damn axe. My RNG is legendarily bad. 11 tries and nothing yet. I don't think I played dungeons too much after the first couple of months, and didn't get too into the first 2 raids. Think I did them once each. Honestly, Dragonflight has found me playing alts harder than ever, so between that and PVP, I've done a lot fewer instances. But I do like that they incorporated dragonriding into one dungeon and the 2nd to last fight in Amirdrassil.

And that is my long, long answer. I'm sure I'll remember something I should've mentioned as soon as I hit post. Thanks for the ask!

#wow #world of warcraft

[pocketramblr]

any totk thoughts (just from osmosis bc idk if you've played it)

i haven't played it or really sought out watching it but i still have things from osmosis and i will say them,,,,, under the cut. very disorganized and randomly spoilery etc etc

Things I Would Have Done Differently If I Were Sonia

1- Been named "Zelda" instead. (nin10do you COWARDS are you really scared to have two different characters separated by untold generations named zelda NOW??? NOW YOU THINK THATS CRINGE???? fool. You did that in your first ever sequel and it was amazing. now you look scared and stupid. kill the part of you that cringes instead. In my head her name is Zelda and i dont care.)

2- not married that fake "Rauru". Like. OG Rauru is a cool fat ancient sage with an animalsona who protects the nukes away from everyone else and when you accidentally mess it up he hides and keeps you safe until you can go fix it. This new one is some imperialist that everyone is sooo obsessed with because his waist is snatched now. Or maybe i'll be more generous and say it's because they're furries that's more fair. But still like. Please there are others to simp over. he was all "oh im the first king of hyrule' and i was like 'oh.... no you're not'

(its actually ok that we have um. yet another first king of hyrule. Because we can have 3 first kings of hyrule, since we have 3 iterations of ganondorf now too. but we should still have 3 first zeldas. and we only have 2. because they messed up sonia. come on it would have been all NICE AND CLEAN AND BALANCED if there were 3 first kings, 3 first zelda, and 3 ganondorfs. This is the series about 3!!!!! but.... well perhaps next game we can have a third first zelda. perhaps i can be patient.)

(also love that we have a 3rd ganondorf. do you know how often i had to explain he does in fact reincarnate and that fsa ganondorf is a different one from oot? but now everyone knows theres more than one but less than the number of links even if they dont know exactly how many ganondorfs there are so. close enough! now ill just pretend he had a 3rd seperate origin story as well instead of 2 origins shared between 3 come on let the guy have something.)

This is unrelated but I think the Zonai are the evolutionary link between Ooca and the botw!Rito (since they did not evolved from the zora like ww!Rito). They look kinda dinosaur-y to me. i guess they're supposed to look kinda goat-y too? and rabbit-y???? i dunno i think they're generally fun. And also might be the results of unethical sheikah experimentation yeah i don't forget the temple of shadow............

OH and im very glad (our) Link wasn't the hero from the tapestry with Zonia. theres apparently some other Zonai hero with red hair who's briefly in it? i wish that Zonai was also named Link and got more to show but i was really not a fan of time-looping this poor link too, he had enough of that with the 100 year nap. if i can't have a gerudo link, at least we have a zonai hero maybe

but also in sooooo many fics i reserve the right to completely ignore this game. if it doesn't fit where i planned it didn't happen. this is like hyrule warriors to me. in another timeline.

LOVE all the yiga stuff and getting to fight with friends now. its what link deserves and his friends deserve. LOVE LOVE that Zelda and Link are so codependent there's not a word in the hylian language for them. i am a qpr truther for this particular zelink but i think that if these two were offered a way to fuse into a single being they would at least STRONGLY consider it. unhinged. love them.

incredible outfits for link and i love slowly discovering them as art passes my dash.

The way this world is even more open than botw is such a feat, the open engineering is just fabulous. I hope to see a new drone every week. Torturing the koroks is just. its horrible but i laugh every time .kjhghjkkjhjk whyyyyy these poor little tree dudes (*chanting 'crucify this one too' in my head*)

the way this game tried to both continue the botw 'honoring past games' and did a new 'gaslight you about the other games never happening' is a wild balance. Like, TWINROVA SHOWED UP??? in what i think is a very subtle detail in a memory??? maybe there's more of them in the game but it seems to be the same level as like 'hero of the winds' mentioned plus some salt around hyrule. excellent love that. but i also just saw a post gushing about how great it was that this game made this link theeeee most important specialist hero eeeever and the master sword was only ever for him and um. i just hope that isn't true. i think this game should add and not take away.

but hey twinrova showed up and there was that cool goth gerudo too!! i stan her.

oh and redeads in gerudo town or whatever it was? AMAZING. gerudo town was all spared from the calamity in the first game with no guardians making past the desert so having the town taken over and terrifying with the upheaval is just a good show of stakes stepping up.

OH!!!! and my number one favorite thing is that Link can make a drink that he was too young to order in botw. funniest possible thing that dude can do.

#i said the things i didn't like and then the things i did like... #so sorry to be negative at the start but i do love so many things i promise kjhghj #i just also have THOUGHTS that i havent been able to say so. yeah #anon #pocket talks to people #every single thing i just said was gained from osmosis. so . pinch of salt

[violence-devil]

Sonic Frontiers and Letting Go

I was listening to One Way Dream earlier and decided to write this up because the story for Frontiers I feel is so much more poignant than just "wow the character dialogue is better now"! Since I'll be talking about the story and it's themes, expect spoilers.

I joke with friends about Frontiers being "peak mid" but there's just so much good there that makes me love it. It really does feel like a new start line for Sonic. Shit could be much better next time, but they got just enough right for me and many other people to like it. And One Way Dream even ties into the game's theme, despite being made as a message to fans from Sonic Team. It's so defyingly optimistic, and about only moving forward towards the good future you can make for yourself (I was gonna write more about how this connects to me being trans but I don't wanna make this TOO LONG lol). Lots of people wanted Crush 40 to return for Frontiers but I feel like that era of Sonic is long past and would feel out of place. Natewantstobattle did an amazing job on One Way Dream, and Kellin Quinn fucking KILLED IT for the 3 titan themes. The other 2 vocal themes are pretty good too. It's so representative of the beginning of a new era, instead of retreading the past. Which is why I kinda see now why Sega wanted to replace Sonic's VA for this game and honestly I think they shoulda. Roger did start to come into his own but his voice was weird in Frontiers. I appreciate the more serious take on Sonic, but he sounds 40 lol. The game's director said he was debating whether to even have boosting in this game and tbh I think they shoulda removed it yeah. He said he is still considering ditching it moving forward. Which would mean moving on from the boost formula which was introduced like 16 years ago. The boost was really understated in Frontiers already so I don't think it would be too hard. But, enough about external media and mechanics, time for the story itself!

So much abt this game is abt moving on. Amy seeming to have mellowed out and instead wanting to share love with the world and not just her crush on Sonic, Knuckles learning to ease up on his duties as the guardian of the Master Emerald, Tails once again stepping out of Sonic's shadow, and Sage learning that she should disobey her father in order to save him, even if it does ultimately cost her her life due to what she needs to do. Not just the main cast, but even the Kokos being basically recordings of spirits long dead endlessly doing what they last did when they were living until Sonic liberates their souls from their physical forms by helping them reach the conclusion they were attempting to make. So now they can finally let go. It was especially liberating seeing Tails go through this since they did have him admit he already went through this arc before, but reframes it as him still growing up. So, even if he did make a life altering realization, it was still possible for him to fall back into previous complacency.

The final thing I wanna touch on is the final boss. I think people take it too literally. In my opinion, I think it's a more abstract being rather than just a big evil thing to beat, and that this time it's just taking the form of a moon. I think there's a lot of symbolism there people ignore. Sonic has been compared to the sun in media before (or just nature in general), bringing new life across lands and liberating people from either machines or their old selves, and this incarnation of The End being the moon is actually pretty meaningful since the moon is a symbol representing the concept of death in Japan. It talks about bringing order to the universe, snuffing out the chaos and instability that life brings. The two are very much polar opposites, and I think having Sonic face something that's more conceptual like that is pretty cool.

Oh also Mike Pollock did the male voice for The End and while I'm sure it's sheer coincidence there could be a created connection here about Eggman. He lost Sage after letting her go do what she felt she needed to, his own daughter, possibly the only being he's been close to for years. And the stinger at the end of the game is the cherry on top. Because he didn't let go. He somehow accessed whatever dimension all of the spirits went to when they moved on which is where he found Sage again, and I think that this will set up perfectly for the sequel, this time with Eggman as the main antagonist again, representing the inability to move on while Sonic is all about change.

#sonic frontiers #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic frontiers spoilers #haruhi.txt

[ms-m-astrologer]

Hi Ms M, hope you're doing well these days!

Gots you a question aboot eclipse season (henceforth=ES). You always throw in a Charles & Diana warning (which btw I don't understand? did they get engaged or married during one?) and advise against starting anything new or major.

YOUR SAGE ADVICE or INPUT PLS:

I've been planning an overseas trip and researching it since before ES, the trip itself will not be till November - ie after ES. Now, at this pace it looks like I'll be ready to do the bookings during ES (dunno if it matters whether it happens before or after the new moon eclipse?). Can't tell hotels and flights not to get their November listings booked till my woo woo ass clears ES on Oct 31 😂🌚 Y'know?

So what say you? Would this scenario incur any, uh, unpleasant surprises just because I did the bookings part of things during the dreaded ES?

Placidus chart: my 10th house starts in Libra (though it occupies a good chunk of the 9th, where the new moon eclipse at 21°08’ falls) and my 5th starts in Taurus (again, at 5°09’ full moon eclipse falls in the chunk of Taurus that's in the 4th). Naturally, this would imply a Cappie ascendant. Sigh.

Ms M. Je suis confused. And slightly terrified of awful things happening. Especially with all the big red screaming warnings about ES and the damned, doomed, and generally gulptastic Libra season that accompanies it.

Thank you for existing and doing your li'l thing here. ☮

===

You’re welcome! Thank you for the feedback, too.

Diana and Charles married in the shadow of the eclipse, which is why I always mention it. Although that was 40 years ago and maybe I need to look for something more recent for all those Pluto/Sag people………!

Usual disclaimer about needing to see the whole chart - I think your trip is going to be fine - booking during ES isn’t the same as actually traveling during ES.

And since Libra season is indeed an almighty b!tch this year, you’ll enjoy November travel even more. Take me?!?!! Blessings, ❤️❤️❤️

#submission

[shadowoffandoms]

cw: long ramble post that i made at 4 am before I go and get five hours of sleep let me just say; wow, it feels like I'm seeing the rise and end of Sonic games.

Seeing all the amazing fanart creators have done gives me a feeling of endness that I can't describe fully, but it also reminds me there's more to come.

Sonic Frontiers was only the beginning, and Sega is going to actively try to make something akin to it.

It's the goddamn start of a new generation, and I'm so glad I was looped into it. I've always had my eye on Sonic (stares at Shadow The Hedgehog), even if I've never played any of the games myself or seen the movies (I DON'T HAVE PARAMOUNT, I WOULD IF I COULD.) But it always seemed like a banger series with cool ass characters but learning there's lore? What the hell are Mobians? What the hell do the Chaos Emeralds do? To be frank, Sonic Prime got me back into loop from the killer ratings. I was able to watch that, thankfully. And god I craved more. I remembered hearing about Frontiers when it was going to come out, at the time going "oh cool" and carrying on, but now? IT'S ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT! I LOVE THE STORY, THE DYNAMICS, THE TENSION THAT IS SO SOMETHING WITH KNUCKLES AND SONIC, EVERYTHING. SAGE IS BABY, IVO NEEDS A GODDAMN NICE AND HAPPY FAMILY OH SO HELP ME GOD.

tl;dr: i am now obsessed with a blue hedgehog that goes god levels of speed and his 50 year old rival who seems edgy but isn't really that edgy

#shadow rambles™ #sonic frontiers #long post

[tobiasdrake]

Having completed Sonic Frontiers, I now feel confident saying that this is the best Sonic game I've played in years and it leaves me very hopeful about the future of the franchise.

I've heard it said that Sonic games typically aim for a 7 and consistently manage to hit their mark, while Frontiers aimed for a 10 and landed at an 8. That sounds about right to me.

Spoilers to follow.

First of all, the PLOT is back. Do you remember when Sonic used to have, like, characters? And continuity? After the failure of '06, Sonic Team basically had a panic attack and fired the ENTIRE CAST. Even Tails barely managed to hang on as a minor character.

That always felt like an overreaction. Yeah, the cast was getting really bloated. Like, we didn't need Shadow and Rouge shoehorned into every game. But you don't fire Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. Those characters are the mainstays.

And we picked up Orbot and Cubot. But. Like. Does anyone really care about Orbot and Cubot? They're really more of a recurring joke than characters. I was honestly surprised by their staying power, especially during a time when all the interesting characters were banned from ever appearing again.

Frontiers welcomes back Tails, Knuckles, and Amy with open arms. And that feels right. Other characters should be able to come and go, but Sonic needs some regulars to have his back.

But it wasn't just a return to form. It honestly feels like moving forward. The characters feel like they're maturing. Sonic and Amy are able to have honest, open conversations about their respective needs, wants, and goals. Knuckles is ready to leave his solitude behind and experience the world. Tails wants to take some time to find himself and his identity outside of being Sonic's pal.

It feels like everyone's growing up. And that's. Amazing.

(Yes, I know Tails already did the "I can be more than Sonic's sidekick" thing back in Sonic Adventure. But that's kinda the point. Whether he's Sonic's sidekick or Sonic's equal partner, he's still defining himself by Sonic. He wants to find out who he is without Sonic.)

Despite his age, even Eggman isn't immune to the "Everyone's growing up" thing, coming out of this with a child that he dearly loves and a new sense of responsibility. And can I just say, Sage is awesome and I hope we keep her.

I mean. Shadow got to die tragically at the end of his game and then abruptly resurrect himself and become a series staple, so there's a precedent for it. And the seed's already been planted in the post-credits scene for Sage to do the same. I look forward to seeing her again.

Speaking of things coming back, I'm pleased to see Super Sonic boss fights set to empowering fight music for maximum catharsis finally make their return. And we got four of them to make up for lost time.

That said, there are places where the gameplay needs improvement. The Portal Levels could use more aesthetic variety rather than reusing the same 3 or 4 zones, and I'm pretty sure I caught them just reusing entire pieces of levels from Sonic Generations a few times. The story tries to cover for this by explaining that the levels are pulled from Sonic's memory, but I dunno. Seems lazy.

But the Portal Levels are short and fast-paced enough that I rarely stopped to notice. Aesthetically samey and occasionally copy/pasted as they were, I had fun with them nonetheless.

What I really didn't like was the Starfall mechanic. After a while, I stopped bothering to fight the big scary boss monsters that spawned on the map because what's the point? If they're just going to respawn in a few minutes then there's not really any point in fighting them.

Would have been better to let you permanently kill them, but have the option to respawn them if you wanted to fight them again. That way the sense of progression is preserved while still making them available for rematches.

In Breath of the Wild, the game they shamelessly stole this mechanic from, the entire game was built from the ground up around a theme of entropy. That's why this mechanic was there: Because even your accomplishments are destined to decay with the passage of time. Nothing is eternal. Nothing truly lasts. All things inevitably decay.

Sonic Frontiers feels like they're just doing it because BOTW did. But Frontiers isn't about entropy. It's about... Well, Frontiers. Exploring and discovering your way through this new place, building shortcuts and paving new paths as you go. Resetting your progress with the minibosses every now and then feels antithetical to the flow of the game.

All in all, it feels like there's a lot to build or improve upon. But it nonetheless feels like the Sonic franchise has finally recovered from the trauma of '06 and is moving in the right direction. I'm excited to see where they go from here.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic frontiers

[beevean]

7, 13, and 24!🍀

7) what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

Sage, probably. I am well aware that she's inoffensive in canon, but oh boy, the Eggdad discourse really soured me over :\ that and a very charming stan who can't stand a single mention of her without them vomiting their displeasure and anger in people's inbox.

13) worst blorboficiation

I once said Shadow, and I still stand by that, people seem to only appreciate his "coolness" but not his actual character. But now that new episodes of Prime have been released... Sonic. Sometimes I wonder if fans even like the Sonic from the games, or they have an idea of how he actually is.

21) part of canon you think is overhyped

Frontiers' overall plot :P I don't see what y'all are seeing, guys. At best it's just characters standing around exchanging forced callbacks, at worst it's characters retreading their old character arcs pretending to be innovative about it. And then there's Eggman. And I still haven't understood the first thing about the Ancients and how they're supposed to enrich the lore aside from the fact that they're a huge reference to evangelion's first ancestral race

As for games in general, I'm not a fan of Sonic 2 or Sonic Adventure 2. Sonic 2 is an improvement over Sonic 1 but I still prefer that one overall (and 3&K is lightyears ahead both of them lol), and I don't care how flawed SA1 is, it fits my tastes more.

#sonic the hedgehog #thanks for asking!

[rollflasher]

Let's get it out of the way: the Sonic series :P

Oh you little bastard but of course you would ask me that :P

Favorite character: Zavok of course! :D Ok but in all seriousness, I think it's not a secret that title belongs to Sonic and Shadow for me :P

Least Favorite character: The Deadly Six

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Sonknux, Blazamy and Sonamy. Sorry I can't metnion more because I don't have particularly strong feelings for the rest of the ships. (Honorable mention for Sonic X Ground)

Character I find most attractive: Stupid sexy Ground, no wonder Sonic kisses it so much (:P)

Character I would marry: No.

Character I would be best friends with: I wish I could say Sonic, but maybe that would be Tails.

a random thought: Sonic needs a new anime.

An unpopular opinion: Eggman and Sage's dynamic is the definition of wasted potential.

My Canon OTP: Even if I like Sonamy, I'm not sure I can answer with it since I'm not that crazy about it anymore, sorry.

My Non-canon OTP: Sonknux of course! :P

Most Badass Character: Sonic himself, Frontiers is a prime example if there was any doubt in recent memory :P

Most Epic Villain: Eggman of course.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Ships like Sontails for obvious reasons.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): This could apply to the WHOLE cast if you think about it, but just for the hell of it I'll say Eggman in Frontiers. I already ranted about it so I won't repeat myself.

Favourite Friendship: Sonic and Shahra surprisingly! I just really can't get over how compelling I find these two. I know Shahra can be seen as a bit boring for some people but I really like it when Sonic offers support to a character undergoing emotional grief, in general Sonic being an emotional support friend for girls is a big weakness for me. In general I like how cute their interactions are, the idea of Sonic not being her master but her guardian, their pinky swear, the whole undertone of helping someone move on from a toxic relationship and the best of all, the complete lack of a romantic chemistry. I dunno, I just think they're neat.

Character I most identify with: Well...oddly enough, I would say Sonic himself. It sounds stupid since he's not meant to be relatable but really, even if it's in an idealized way, I feel like a lot of my personality is defined by Sonic himself one way or another. Even if I could relate more to things such as Tails' issues, I always felt much more identified with Sonic.

Character I wish I could be: Guess at this point answering Sonic is redundant :P

#sonic the hedgehog #opinion

[the-letter-horror-lover]

Kicked Out by TheAuthor5263

Anime » Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Rated: K, English, Humor & Family, Boruto U., Hinata U., Naruto U., Words: 2k+, Favs: 1, Published: Sep 8

1Chapter 1

Boruto was bored. He had nothing to do. No missions to go on, no one to tease. No pranks to pull. Shoulders drooping, he meandered into his dad's office.

"Hey, stupid dad."

"Stupid- Boruto! Watch your words! I'm the seventh hokage, not some cruddy old geezer!"

"...Yeah yeah. I'm bored. Can you at least tell me about a new ninjutsu? I learned the rasengan in four days. There's gotta be something harder than that for me to master, right?"

Naruto sighed, looking at the stack of paperwork on his desk. "Why don't you try to make another shadow clone?"

"I don't have enough chakra... Building it up takes time. I don't have some monster inside me that gives me unlimited chakra like you do..."

Ouch, said Kurama from inside of Naruto. What have you been teaching your kid about me, huh?

Naruto laughed sheepishly. "Well... I guess I could spare a few minutes... Just to show off. But I doubt you'll be able to keep up with me! I have a monster fox inside me, after all."

"Really? All right!" Boruto smiled as he excitedly walked out of the office, his father at his side. "So? What are you going to teach me?! Is it something your master taught you?"

Naruto frowned. "Something pervy sage taught me..."

"Pervy sage? You mean you called the legendary Jiraya 'pervy sage'?"

"That's what he was," sighed Naruto. "He used information gathering as an excuse, going around to sleezy bars and chatting up women... He even took my money!"

"Huh? Did you even learn anything about him? Why did he decide to teach you in the first place?"

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "What was it again..? I forget... Ah! Right!" Plopping his fist into his palm, Naruto smirked. "I'll show you a good trick... But you have to promise to keep it a secret from mom... Alright?"

Boruto smiled. "Promise!"

With that, Naruto leapt off towards the training grounds, Boruto following close behind.

They arrived within a few moments, but that didn't meant Naruto was ready to start. He peered around for a while, trying to confirm that no one else was there.

"What's the holdup, dad? Hurry up and show me already!"

"Well," said Naruto, putting his hands together, "it's not exactly something your mother would be happy about..."

"Then? Why are you showing me?"

"Listen," said Naruto, "this jutsu is guaranteed to work on any man. You can get him to do whatever you want with it. You can even get someone like one of the legendary sannin to train you," he said with a smirk, watching his son's eyes sparkle.

"Hurry up and show me!"

"But," said Naruto, a shiver creeping down his spine, "if your mother sees me-"

"Don't worry about that, just hurry up and do it!"

"Fine fine, I'll do it..." Naruto formed a sign with his hands. "Henge! Oiroke no jutsu!"

In front of Boruto, Naruto was transformed into a blonde girl with bountiful proportions and smoke for clothes.

Boruto's jaw dropped. "...This? Is what you wanted to show me?"

Naruto smirked. "Plus... Taiju! Kagebunshin no jutsu!"

Suddenly a hoard of girls appeared around Boruto and began clinging to him. One of them transformed back into Naruto, a confident smirk on his face. "Heh hee," he laughed, "I bet even you can't hold up against my harem jutsu!"

Boruto's shoulders slumped. "I knew I couldn't count on you to teach me anything useful."

"Geh! I'm serious," said Naruto, "this is how I got pervy sage to agree to train me! And how I got rid of closet pervert as a teacher! It's an important jutsu!"

"I'll admit the jutsu has its uses," said Boruto, "but is this the best you can do? Oiroke no jutsu should be more like this," said Boruto, transforming.

Now as a girl, Boruto struck a pose, a smile on his/her face. "See, if I have clothes," said Boruto, "It makes it even harder to resist if I start to take them off," he said, leaning forward and putting his thumb under the strap of his/her bikini top. "And if you add a harem," said Boruto, materializing clones, "they should all have different personalities and different outfits. Then you can see which type is the most effective, and go from there."

Naruto's eyes widened. "I see..." He never thought his son would teach him something. "So you mean, like this?"

Naruto transformed again, but Boruto immediately reverted back to his normal self. "No no no, you call that sexy? That's so old fashioned. What is with those clothes? At least give the bikini a pattern or something. And that pose. It's no good. It should be more like this."

"Like this?"

As the two compared their jutsu of questionable use, neither of them noticed the looming presence of an angered Hinata peering at them from behind a tree. But the second Boruto did notice, he froze.

"What," laughed Naruto, "Is this one too good? Here, what if I do this?"

Boruto held up a shaky finger. "M... M, M-"

"M? Hahaha, even you can't stand up against this! Feast your ey-"

"Naruto-kun," called the not-so-sweet voice of his wife.

Naruto froze. Still transformed, his head slowly turned around. And as he did, all of the color drained from his face. "Hi... Hi, Hi- HINATA!"

Kicked Out by TheAuthor5263

Anime » Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Rated: K, English, Humor & Family, Boruto U., Hinata U., Naruto U., Words: 2k+, Favs: 1, Published: Sep 8

1Chapter 2

"What are you doing?" Wearing a placid smile, Hinata took a thundering step closer.

Naruto poofed back to normal, his hands raising in surrender. "Boruto was asking me a question and I-"

"Hey! Don't pin this on me! You were the one that-"

"I was not! It was all your fault in the first plac-"

"NARUTO. BORUTO."

Both boys let out a frightened noise, putting their hands up beside their faces as they looked at Hinata, the veins by her eyes protruding.

"S-S-Sorry dattebasa-yo!" They both managed to stammer.

"No dinner for either of you tonight."

"Wha- mom! That's not fair! I don't have any more-"

All she had to do was lower her eyebrows, and Boruto backed off.

"Hinata," said Naruto, putting his hand on her shoulder. But as if his hand was that of an enemy, she spun around and grabbed his wrist.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, you said you have too much work to do in the office to come home today, did you?"

Naruto's face became drenched in sweat. He gulped. And then he hung his head. "I get it. Come on Boruto, let's go."

"What? Me too? Where are we going?"

Boruto looked over his shoulder, watching as his mother turned tail on both of them, holding a handmade lunchbox in her hands. He instantly regretted his decision, and now understood why his mother was so angry. Why did his father have to be such a looser?

Sighing, Boruto followed Naruto down the street. "I'm going to sleep in the office tonight... Hinata is going to kill me if I go home..."

"Why did you teach me in the first place if you knew she was going to get upset," asked Boruto, looking down upon his pathetic father.

"I didn't think she would appear out of nowhere!"

"She has the byakugan! If you're not in your office and she goes looking for you, she's guaranteed to find you!"

Naruto could only sigh. "Thanks for the tips. I hope I live to see another day."

"Ch... Stupid cruddy old man." He turned to walk away but paused when he heard a surprised yelp from behind him.

Turning around, he saw his father's office full of papers, all of them spilling to the floor. "What the- who on earth would-"

"Hmm!"

Boruto heard the voice of his little sister, stalking off in satisfaction that she had wrecked her father's office. He couldn't help but put his head in his hands. "Himawari..."

"Me and mama made a special lunch just for you. We worked really hard on it. But she said you did something terrible and couldn't even give it to you. You're a bad person, papa!"

Naruto felt like he had been stabbed through the chest.

Boruto put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. Even if they're both like that now, they have to forgive us eventually, right?"

Shoulders drooping, Naruto waddled away from his office and ran into Shikamaru.

"Oi, Naruto... What happened?"

The shell of a man barely managed to say, "...Oiroke no jutsu..."

Shikamaru tilted his head to the side, but when he saw the state of Naruto's office, his jaw dropped. "Are you just going to leave it like this?!"

"I'm going to be killed tomorrow anyway... What's the difference..."

"Oi! Cruddy dad! Get it together!" Boruto ran up to him. "Hey, Shikamaru oji-san, is there any way we could stay at your place for the night?"

"Mmm... that might be kinda hard... You see, it's Temari's birthday and I forgot to get her a present... So on my way to buy one I thought I'd check up on Naruto as an escape, but..."

"Ah," Boruto put his hand up to his face. "He was in trouble too. Why are men so useless?!"

This time, it was Shikamaru's turn to slouch over and become one with Naruto. "What do we do..."

Boruto sighed. "It can't be helped. Let's go ask Inojin. You can get some flowers for your wife while we're there."

And so it was that the two shells of men and Boruto set out for Inojin's place. "Oi, Inojin."

"Ah, Boruto! What are you doing here? Geh... And what happened to the seventh and Shikamaru oji-san*?"

"It's a long story," said Boruto, rubbing the back of his head. "That being said, Shikamaru oji-san* needs some flowers for Temari oba-san*, and we need a place to stay for the night."

"I can get you the flowers," said Ino, which perked up Shikamaru a little. "I even know which kind Temari likes... But as for a place to stay..." She looked over at her husband. "It's our anniversary," she said, blushing.

Inojin sighed. "And there you have it," he said, looking away from the happy couple. "I might need a place to stay too," he said, slouching. "Do you have any other leads?"

"I have one more," said Boruto, "But I'm not really sure if I want to use it..."

"Hmm? Don't tell me... You're going to try..."

"As long as she doesn't find out the reason why we got kicked out, she should have mercy on us... I hope."

Boruto gulped. This was the one lead he didn't really want to pursue. But it seemed like they were out of options.

While he was at it, he picked out some flowers for Himawari, his mother, and owner of the last resort for a place to stay. After all, showing up empty handed would be rude. And if it was the hokage... Maybe they'd get a pass.

After waving goodbye to Shikamaru, the father-son duo walked up to the Uchiha household. Boruto gulped. "Do you think they'll let us in?"

"...She hates me... They hate me... I'm never going to be able to go home..."

Boruto sighed. Ignoring his useless father, he knocked on the door.

"Boruto?"

"Hi Sarada," he said, doing his best to smile through the eye twitches, "I brought you flowers."

". . ."

Her silent stare was enough to tell him his act was already seen through.

"So? What do you want?" She said, completely ignoring the bouquet of amaryllis. "And wait, what happened to the seventh?!"

"Well... We... Ended up needing a place to stay the night, and Shikadai and Inojin were busy so..."

"Hmmm... Sounds fishy." She eyed the flowers again. "But I guess I'll ask mom. Wait here."

A few moments of nervously sweating later, the door opened to reveal a doubtful Sakura. "Naruto... What did you do this time..."

But Naruto didn't respond. He only continued to mumble.

Boruto watched in horror as Sakura bent over to listen to his father's mumblings.

"She's going to kill me... She hates me..."

Standing back up, Sakura faced him, a vein protruding from her forehead. "Naruto..."

Boruto backed up.

Grabbing him by the collar of his Hokage cloak, Sakura shook him back and forth. "What did you do this time? How many times are you going to make Hinata mad with your stupid pranks?"

"O..." Was all Naruto could say as he shook.

"Oh? Oh? Is that all you can say?"

"Oiro..."

Boruto froze. Sakura put Naruto down.

"Sarada," she said, standing back and reading a punch.

"Yes mama?"

"Get ready."

Boruto flinched as he locked eyes with Sarada, who seemed to be indifferent to the situation as she pulled her fist back in sync with her mother. "Wait- I had nothing to do with-"

"Ready, and..." Taking a step forward, Boruto braced for impact.

"SHAANNARROOOOOO!"

With that, both men were knocked out of the premises of the household and landed somewhere in the middle of town.

"Sa..ku..ra... chan..."

Boruto was quicker to recover than his father, who lay there dazed in the street. It seemed like Sarada had stolen the flowers from his hand as he punched him, and the others were relatively unharmed, thanks to the angle and direction that he flew.

"Hmm? If it isn't Naruto! And Boruto. What are you doing laying down in a place like this?"

Blinking up at the dark figure, Boruto's bruised face lit up. "Konohamaru nii-chan!"

After relaying the situation, Konohamaru laughed and threw Naruto onto his back. "I'd be happy to let you stay at my house for the night. Oiroke no jutsu... Certainly takes me back!"

"Huh? It takes you back?"

As they walked home, Boruto was told many a story, but he never slept thanks to Konohamaru's loud snoring.

His idiot of a father was called "usuratonkachi" by Sasuke when he tried to show up for work instead of returning home, and under the pressure of being stabbed with a sword, Naruto left to apologize to his wife.

Boruto had already patched things up with the flowers, and Hinata's wrath was quelled. Himawari even helped him clean up the office.

And so it was that all became well with the Uzumaki family once more. And Naruto decided to make triply sure the coast was clear before practicing all that Boruto had taught him.

*oji-san and oba-san are general terms used to refer to middle aged people in japan. While it does also mean aunt and uncle, it can be used just like mr. or mrs. especially when someone of Boruto's age is using it. I don't know what Boruto calls them so I just wrote that there. Like for instance, the lady behind the candy counter of a store a young kid frequently visits might be called "_ oba-san," instead of "tenin-san" which is store owner.

#Boruto #Kicked out fanfiction

[lyllyan-weiss]

LONG Character Survey: Lyllyan Weiss

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Lyllyan Aster Weiss

NICKNAME: Lyl, Lily, Lil' Lily.

AGE: 21

BIRTHDAY: 11th Sun of the 6th Astral Moon (November 10th)

ETHNIC GROUP: Auri|Xaela (In Eorzea)/ Human (Out of World)

NATIONALITY: Eorzean (In Eorzea)/American (Out of World)

LANGUAGES: Eorzean, Draconic, basically anything due to the echo.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: She is Bi. Swings both ways. She loves all.

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Biromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Depending on the different routes on the story, she will be either single or taken.

CLASS: Jack-of-all-trades

•Knows everything and knows how to play everything.

• Favors caster classes above everything else.

HOMETOWN / AREA: N/A

CURRENT HOMETOWN / AREA: Shirogane is where her apartment is, but she sees Ishgard as her home that she spends her time in, and then the Crystarium had became home to her as well.

PROFESSION: Scion, Adventurer, Full time hero in both her world and Eorzea. In her world she is a waitress and an artist/animator.

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Right now it is Brown with Light brown Highlights

EYES: Purple (Right), Green (Left)

NOSE: Small and Sharp

LIPS: Small and full

COMPLEXION: Pale but fair.

BLEMISHES: None.

SCARS: In Eorzea, her scars are battle scars that is more aligned on her back. They do not show up when she is in her world.

TATOOS: The Scion Tatoo on the part where the neck and back meet.

HEIGHT: 5'0

WEIGHT: 130lb (Eorzea)/ 150lb (Her World)

BUILD: Short, Thin and fit.

FEATURES: None really.

ALLERGIES: Rolanberries in Eorzea, Strawberries in her world.

USUAL HAIRSTYLE: Long hair with a half braid in the back in Eorzea. In her world she has short hair that stops in the middle of her neck.

USUAL FACE LOOK: Warm color Eye shadow applied lightly to the eyes and a very nude color for lipstick in Eorzea. In her world, she hardly puts make up on, but usually has dark circles due to being tired all the time.

USUAL CLOTHING: Depending on her mood, she'll go very modest, or wearing a bikini with thigh boots. In her world, she is always modest with usually a t-shirt and sweats.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEARS: Bugs (Mainly Arachnids, spiders are the worst.) Antilions that hide in the sands. Losing her love ones. Becoming Sin Eater. Being alone. Falling.

ASPIRATIONS: Explore all of the worlds she could go to, but also to make animations that can change the world.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Stubborn, happy go lucky, Compassionate, tries to take care of everyone, protective, loving, friendly, trusting.

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Stubborn enough to push past her limits, usually getting her hurt. She so selfless that she tends to forget about taking care of herself. She can be too trusting of others that she often gets hurt in the end. She usually bottles her problems with the worry of being a burden to others. Very emotional driven (Just ask Ser Zephirin).

ZODIAC: Scorpio.

TEMPERAMENT: Artistic and Motherly

SOUL TYPE(S): The Priest, The Artisan, The Server.

ANIMALS: Cat

VICE HABIT(S): From the definition that I read, her faults are that she feels like anything bad that happens to her or her friends are her fault, and that she sometimes Envy others. But her hobbies that she enjoys are reading, triple triad, drawing, and writing.

FAITH: The Twelve. Even in her world she believes in the Twelve.

GHOSTS?: Definitely

AFTERLIFE?: I hope there is one.

REINCARNATION?: Well so far that we know, reincarnation is a thing, right?

ALIENS?: I doubt the world was made for one type of civilization, plus multiple worlds. Yes.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Uh...Alphinaud does politics for me.

ECONOMIC PREFERENCE: Just trying to survive, man. Stable, I guess.

SOCIO POLITICAL POSITION: Uh... Alphinaud???

EDUCATION LEVEL: Lyllyan herself has had up to some college in her own world. In Eorzea, she has an understanding of Aether and well has learned all the classes, so being able to pick up something new, she can learn fairly quick.

FAMILY.

FATHER: Captain Carebear (Mykel Weiss)

MOTHER: She doesn't have the ability to go to Eorzea so her name is Lynn Weiss.

Siblings: Lucas Weiss(Rafien Dalarain(Deactivated)), Nathaniel Weiss(Random Guy (deactivated)), Olivia Weiss (Never been to Eorzea).

EXTENDED FAMILY: Grandmother(Nana)(Deceased), Granfather(Poppy), Fortemps Family (Rest in Peace Haucherfaunt).

NAME MEANING(S): Lyllyan is based off of the Lily flower. Aster is based off of the Aster flower, and then Weiss is a name given to those with white hair or pale complexion.

HISTORICAL CONNECTION: Um...Ascian? Amourotine?

FAVORITES.

BOOK: If its Manga, It's Rurouni Kenshin. Books would be the 'Septimus Heap' series by Angie Sage.

MOVIE/PLAY: Movie would be 'Wizard of Oz'. Favorite Play would be 'Hamilton'.

5 SONGS:

•'Seasonal Feathers' by Len and Rin Kagamine

•'Drakkar' by Distrion and Electro-Light

•'Light it Up' by Robin Hustin and TobiMorrow (feat. Jex)

•'Stitches' by Shawn Mendes

•'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran

DEITY: Thaliak

HOLIDAY: Valentione

MONTH: November/ 6th Astral Moon

SEASON: Spring

PLACE: Rak'Tika Greatwoods

WEATHER: Rain

SOUND: Ocean waves.

SCENT(S): Cherry Blossom, sweet.

TASTE(S): Favorite food is Bacon so....also likes sweet things.

FEEL(S): Fuzzy blankets, warm cloth, soft.

ANIMALS: She loves all animals! If she had to narrow it down, it would be Cats, Pandas, and Chocobos. Does Pokemon count?

NUMBER: 8 but screw Construct 8

COLORS: Purple, light green, light blue.

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Drawing.

BAD AT: Math. She used to bring her homework to Eorzea to have Alphinaud and Urianger help her.

TURN ONS: Oooo. Funny, kind, calm, generous, but also romantic.

TURN OFFS: Selfish, rude ass hoe, and killing my friends.

HOBBIES: Singing, Drawing, Reading, Exploring, Triple Triad.

TROPES: Mother Hen.

AESTHETIC TAGS: Chocolate and Caramel. Honey. Lavender and Leaves. I think that's how this works???

FC INFO.

MAIN FC(S): Scions of the Dawn. It consist of Dad and myself.

ALT FC(S): None.

OLDER FC(S): We did have an FC on Gilgamesh called Lionheart with the Tag FF8. It was one that we had started the game when we got out of beta, but moved to different server/data center.

YOUNGER FC(S): *Confused Au Ra noises*

VOICE CLAIM(S): ??????

GENDERBENT FC(S): *Even more confused Au Ra noises*

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1: IF YOU COULD WRITE YOUR CHARACTER YOUR WAY IN THEIR OWN MOVIE, WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED, WHAT STYLE WOULD IT BE FILMED IN, AND WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?

•So, I'm already making a comic that I want to make as an animation for the story of FFXIV with my character and her friends. This character was specifically built for FFXIV, but it has a twist. Kinda like a Sword Art Online ordeal, but instead of Millions of people playing are stuck in the world, it's just like 100, but they aren't stuck, in fact they are just chosen to go between their world and Eorzea. If they die, they don't actually die, but respawn, even in their own world, but they feel how they die and the only way for them to die in any shape or form is by natural cause like old age or sickness. This would be a 2D animation in the anime style and be a multi episode series with multiple seasons. I even though about branching out to go certain routes so that Lyllyan can end up with all my favorite characters. I would call it Final Fantasy XIV: A World Reborn.

Q2: WHAT WOULD THEIR SOUNDTRACK/SCORE SOUND LIKE?

•With it being a Final Fantasy story, it would have Final Fantasy Music.

Q3: WHY DID YOU START WRITING THIS CHARACTER?

•Lyllyan Weiss was made to represent me and she still does, but also inspires me to be more like my courageous heroic self. Because of this, I have been able to do things like crossing a bridge that's in bad shape to get to the other side without the fear of falling, just to get back to my mom who went to the other side on a trip we had.

Q4: WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS CHARACTER?

•She is literally me.

Q5: DESCRIBE THE BIGGEST THING YOU DISLIKE ABOUT YOUR MUSE.

•Just like me, she is stubborn and hard working, but there are times she pushes herself way too much. She hesitates to ask for help, not because she doesn't trust the people around her, but more of trying to not burden them. Others wish she would open up to them and also rest when she can. Raha has to literally force her to rest, and she nearly gets herself killed against the first battle with Rahjit because she kept getting back up to fight even when the others beg her to stop.

Q6: WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN COMMON WITH YOUR MUSE?

•Almost everything. Major thing is that she doesn't look like me, but also I know when to quit.

Q7: HOW DOES YOUR MUSE FEEL ABOUT YOU?

• I feel like if Lyllyan and I were to meet in person, we'd get along just fine. We would play video games all day long if we could.

Q8: WHAT CHARACTERS DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE INTERESTING INTERACTIONS WITH?

•OH BOI HERE WE GOOO

- Leveilleur Twins: Alphinaud and Alisaie are very close to Lyllyan. Alphinaud used to pull Lyllyan out of class to have her hurry up and go through the story, now its chill and play ace attorney. Alphinaud, depending on what route is taken, is definitely in love with Lyllyan and is constantly teased about it by everyone. Alisaie is like a sister to Lyllyan. They have had many nights where the pulled 24 hours playing Sims. Alisaie is who Lyllyan tries to protect the most between the two. She's also the reason why Lyllyan is now Bi. Lyllyan absolutely adores her and if the route is taken, they end up being the cutest couple.

-Leon D'hart: An Alt character that I made that depending on the story and route, he is also Lyllyan's Lover. He is a character made by Square Enix to be the Warrior of Light replacement if Lyllyan did not succeed in preventing herself becoming a light warden. His story with her is a bunch of trial and tribulations, but in the end they do end up married.

-G'raha Tia/Crystal Exarch: The main story Lyllyan's Lover. Great friend to start out and tears were shed when he sealed himself into the tower. He really kept Lyllyan guessing when he was Exarch. When Emet-Selch kidnapped him, Lyllyan was hellbent on getting him back. Now she visits him at the first everyday bring stuff from Eorzea for him, and even occasionally stuff from her world. He is her world as she is to him.

-The Scions: Thancred and Lyllyan are like Big brother, Little sister. He protects her, and scolds her as such. They may act like they hate each other, but the moment either gets hurt, the other is at their sides. Though rumor has it that Thancred had feelings for Lyllyan. Y'shtola is close to Lyllyan, but is usually not around often. Shtola usually is often around to keep an eye on Lyllyan's aether since her amount is quite high compared to the others and her fellow Warriors of Light. Urianger is someone who used to hardly talk to Lyllyan, but started opening up more after the years. He had watched her grow from 15 moons to now 21 as the others, but they seem to be more special to him. Lyllyan swore to protect him if anything ever happened especially after he asked her her thoughts on his new attire. Tataru is a precious angel and if anyone was to hurt her, Lyllyan would kill everyone and then herself. Ryne, even though she is not a scion, she is a scion. Ryne worries about Lyllyan, but is often in awe of her. Lyllyan and Thancred adopted her, and she's ended up calling Lyllyan mom on many occasions.

-Ser Aymeric: Depending on the route, he would be Lyllyan's Lover and he tries to protect her when he can, be it politics or in war. He has a dream to journey with her, and though he can't do so with Lylyan Weiss the Au Ra, there is nothing saying he can't make a character and become a Warrior of Light himself and travel with Sakura Yue(Lyllyan's Alt).

-Zenos Yae Galvus: So this guy commits Seppuku and then shows up at Lyllyan's job as her new Bartender. They end up becoming friends through the job, and the fact that Zenos is bored out of his mind that he can't go kill people,but finding out later that he is back makes Square Enix themselves worried about this guy.

-Estinien: Lyllyan had adopted him as her Edgy Son. He hates it. He reminds her that he is older than him, and she retorts about beating him as a Lalafel. He usually starts brooding after that on a high building that usually takes Alphinaud and Ser Aymeric to get him down.

•I'm only stopping this cause there are so many more characters!!!

Q9:WHAT GIVES YOU INSPIRATION TO WRITE YOUR MUSE?

•Music and Playing Final Fantasy. Mainly XIV, but others do count too, but also reading all the other fanfiction and comics about final fantasy XIV.

Q10: HOW LONG DID THIS TAKE YOU TO COMPLETE?

About...4 hours? Maybe more? My hands definitely hurt from all the typing! XD

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Tagged by @amandafullmetal

Tagging @ladyramora @ranier-layarte @scholarlostintime @fabledtactician

[symbianosgames]

Prune is a tiny mobile game about the simple pleasures of growing and cultivating trees.Of breathing life into barren soil and thriving against all odds in a hostile, indifferent world. It’s a delicate dance to remove that which does not matter in favor of that which does.

Prune is my love letter to trees.

The seed of the game (first and last tree pun, I promise!) actually started with a tweet from a friend:

The game was originally supposed to be a short two to three month project to get my feet wet as a solo indie game designer. I had a fair amount of experience as a designer on large AAA teams but had never put anything out on my own so I figured I should start as small as possible. Unfortunately, three months quickly turned into six months, and finally into a year and three months.

I, along with the help of Kyle Preston and Simon Ferrari, finally managed to get the game out onto the Apple App Store in July of 2015. For most of the game’s development I had zero clue as to how the game would be received since it was this weird procedural, interactive art thing. Prune has far exceeded any of the modest expectations I had for it. On release it garnered Apple's Editors' Choice award and more recently has been named TIME Magazine's Game of the Year for 2015 as well as Apple’s iPad Game of the Year.

I wanted to write this postmortem for a couple reasons. First, I’ve been reading postmortems for a while now, starting with classic issues of Game Developer magazine, so it feels almost like a rite of passage when you finally get to write your own (as cheesy as that sounds). But more importantly, having read so many, I know it can be tempting to not exactly give the whole truth, to sugar coat things, to TED-ify the long arduous development into Five Easy to Digest Takeaways. And as a reader, especially as a young, thirsty game designer, it can be easy to convince yourself that if you just “do these five things, and avoid these five other things” you’ll be well on your way to your very own Notch house.

Just pick the exact right platform (Ouya obviously), iterate-iterate-iterate, and find the “fun”, all the while avoiding nasty things like feature creep and you’re set!!

So with all of that in mind I’m going to try my best not to candy-coat the development of Prune. I want to try and illuminate some of the less talked-about aspects of indie game development, especially as it relates to success. Obviously game development is an incredibly messy and complex process and a single write-up is never going to paint a fully accurate picture, but hopefully it will help paint a slightly more honest one.

1. White Moves First

Privilege is something that’s really easy to take for granted and of all the postmortems I’ve read over the years I don’t ever remember seeing it mentioned. Yet, more than an original game idea, more than streamlined design, more than any other thing I feel that privilege was the key contributor to Prune’s success.

It’s impossible for me to fully acknowledge everything that was on my side, but here’s a start:

I was born male, middle-class, and white. My dad was a computer programmer and we had a computer in the house from an early age. Since I was a boy growing up in the 80s and 90s videogames were this socially accepted thing for me. Being middle-class gave me the free-time to dabble in computers from an early. It gave me the luxury of taking part in the Quake mod community and eventually led to me getting my foot in the door in the AAA game industry.

Being fortunate enough to work in the game industry gave me a huge advantage. I may not have known much of anything when I started back in 2006, but seven years later I had an Education in game design, in the game production process, in how to make an interactive experience worth having. It also allowed me to make friends and connections that proved crucial later on. I’m truly not saying any of this to boast, but to simply point out the huge amount of privilege I had on my side when I decided to quit my job and go indie in the fall of 2013.

Even upon going indie I still took so much for granted. I was incredibly lucky to have time and money to burn (more on that below). Oh, and did I mention I live in the US? Turns out being near critical developer events like GDC is a pretty big deal, not to mention that whole speaking English thing. Indie developers in other countries have a much tougher time breaking through and we in the US get this free ticket to a ton more coverage and press.

Looking at Prune’s success in a vacuum is just seeing the palm tree and cute little mound of sand peeking above the water and ignoring the mountain of privilege that built to that island. It’s ignoring the years of repeated failure I was allowed to have suspended over a safety net built and subsidized by my starting position in life.

If you’re reading this and you are in a minority or marginalized position, then you’re well aware of the uphill battle you face. Please, please don’t be discouraged by all of this. New organizations are popping up more and more lately to help address the issue. There’s Girls Who Code, Dames Making Games, and Different Games to name a few. Plus the IGDA has long advocated for inclusivity and even the ESA is trying to help. I, and I’m sure many other indies, would love to help out, so please don’t hesitate to reach out.

2. Have a Lot of Time/Money (Preferably Both)

The hopefully not-so-big secret is that becoming a “successful” indie (usually defined as financially sustainable) takes a whole lot of time. A recent Gamasutra article concludes that it tends to take two to three years to sustainability while I’ve heard some indies estimate the average to be as much as five years. And all of this is assuming that you’re even lucky enough to become sustainable at all.

The main reason it takes so long is because you need plenty of time to fail a lot. For me, first there was the last 15 or so years of stumbling my way through how to even make game experiences, then upon going indie there was six months of prototyping questionable game ideas, and finally with Prune I spent another six months lost, prototyping everything I could think of.

Having the luxury of time allowed me to eventually find the soul of the game.

Six months in, I basically had a full game, with over 60 levels (more levels than I eventually shipped with). But I wasn’t happy with it. Playtests showed the game was clinical and frustrating. After talking to some friends, I worked up the courage to essentially reboot the game.

I stripped things down to a bare minimum: just a tree, sunlight, and shadow. I also had been thinking for a while about how to make pruning more expressive. Up until now, pruning was a wholly subtractive process. Trees were these static structures that could be cut away but that was it. This was limiting and was one of the reasons I had to rely on a bunch of other mechanics to bolster the game.

Instead, what if I made pruning both a subtractive and additive process? By imbuing the tree with a sense of “conserved growth potential,” I could get a much wider, more dynamic range of expression from the tree.

Old vs New

Of course, this wasn’t as easy as flipping a switch in code. I had to completely rewrite how the trees grew in the game, and it took me several tries over a couple months’ time to get it right. But it finally felt like I had found Prune’s soul. If I had had tighter constraints on my time, the game likely would not have found nearly the success that it did.

I’m extremely fortunate to have had all of this time and runway to experiment. Growing up middle-class put me at an advantage from the start. Add to this living in the Midwest, being lucky enough to not have any student loans, and being a generally frugal person. Combine all this with the money from my AAA job and it meant that I had way more time than I deserved to get the necessary failures out of the way and have a chance at success.

3. Don’t Listen to Advice (Including Mine)

The indie scene is in no shortage of handing out advice, that’s for sure. There’s plenty of advice on which platform to bring your game to, how best to market your game, how to monetize it, etc. Of course, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with advice, as long as you temper it appropriately and realize that it might be tied to a specific time and/or place. Videogames as an art form is moving so fast that the sage advice you hear at the beginning of developing your game may be completely null and void a year or two later when you finish.

The first piece of advice I heard upon going indie back in late 2013 was, whatever you do, don’t go mobile! Mobile is an unhealthy marketplace, a hopeless wasteland where your game will go to die. The PC/Steam was where any smart indie should bring their game. Make a good game on PC and you’re pretty much guaranteed success, is what they said.

So I actually listened to this advice and probably would have followed through with it were it not for stumbling upon Prune. Of course, now it’s 2016 and the so-called indiepocalypse is a thing and PC is not at all the safe bet it once was. Here’s the funny thing about advice—if you’re hearing it then EVERYBODY ELSE is also listening to this advice. Any proclamation that doing X is a guarantee for success is a lie and is going to be this incredibly fragile thing.

Another commandment I failed to follow was if you go mobile then you HAVE to go free-to-play. Premium mobile games are dead! It may be true that going F2P can increase your revenue by 10X or whatever, but F2P certainly wasn’t right for me (I can’t stand it) and I wasn’t necessarily interested in maximizing the game’s revenue. It also turns out that there are a lot of mobile players who are thirsty for quality experiences and are willing to pay a fair price for that. My point isn’t that F2P sucks and you should definitely go “premium”, but that you should listen to your heart. Do what’s right for you.

4. Finding a Creneau

Now that I’ve finished telling you to never listen to any advice I’m going to dispense some advice! First, some background: I’m the type of person who always wants new experiences, new and different ways to do things. This can sometimes drive my wife crazy when I refuse to watch a good movie again if I’ve seen it in the last ten years or so. But it turns out this is a pretty useful trait to have when you’re an indie since you’re naturally drawn to want to try things that nobody has done before.

As it also turns out, there have been entire business and marketing books written on the subject. Crazy, huh? I would have never sought one of these out on my own but, upon going indie, a friend suggested I read the book, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, and it did a great job of explaining what was already deep inside me. It’s not a revolutionary concept but it explained how to find a creneau. That’s fancy French for a hole, or pivot, in which to get a foothold to position yourself with respect to the competition. If that sounds too business-y, think of it more as what makes your game special? What’s the one thing you’ll focus on that is going to make it stand out against all the others?

This was exactly my approach with Prune. The App Store is crowded with cutesy match-3s, zombie tower defense games, and infinite runners so why do anything remotely close to any of these when I could instead go the complete opposite direction? One of the clearest ways to see this is in the art direction for the game. Rather than finding an artist and commissioning elaborate, hand-drawn or 3D modeled assets I chose to embrace my limitations and make something procedural that didn’t look quite like anything else I was seeing on mobile.

5. Have a Lot of Luck

This postmortem wouldn’t feel complete without mentioning the L word: luck. Luck tends to be a big part of any success and it’s not something I want to discount. I’ve already mentioned a few things but just to drill home the point here is a non-comprehensive list of times when luck was on my side:

Lucky that I even saw my friend’s tweet to begin with

Lucky that I had time and money to burn, finding the game’s soul

Lucky that I happened to have an iPad to test on (I don’t own a smartphone)

Lucky that I had a family to support me while working from home (to keep me sane)

Lucky that I met Kyle Preston and that he was able to contribute his amazing talents to score the music in the game

Lucky that well-respected, successful indies would take the time to help me find the game’s soul and build up my confidence

Lucky, when black smoke started billowing out of my computer, that it was only my spare hard drive

Lucky that I was introduced to Apple contacts from a friend

Lucky that Apple happened to love this particular game

Lucky that I didn’t go up against Angry Birds 2 which released the following week

Et cetera, et cetera

And who knows how much luck I’m not even accounting for! Please don’t take this as me saying “hey guys and gals, just be lucky like meee!” Again, it comes from a place of trying to be sincere.

There are, of course, ways to increase your chances of being “lucky.” The usual advice is to open yourself up more, to try and make more connections with people. I pushed myself to do this. I went to local events. I shared the game with people. I kept a devlog. One example of how it paid off was that I got to meet Kyle, my eventual composer, through TIGSource where I had posted my devlog.

But luck is also a messy, tangled web of systems that are ultimately out of our control. To me it seems wise to acknowledge that luck exists and do our best to influence it. But at the end of the day, we also need to remember that luck, of the out-of-our-control variety, is still a considerable factor for any success or failure.

1. Getting Lost in the Wilderness

The initial prototype for the game was finished in only a couple evenings. It was clear this would be a game with procedural trees growing in real time and the player’s main verb would be cutting branches away. Oh, and remember: it would be finished in a couple months!

My next step was to explore the design space. I had heard repeatedly over the years from wise, successful indies that the key to a great game is to fully explore the design space around your game idea. I’d heard it described as this vast undiscovered wilderness. Some game idea design spaces will prove to be rich and fertile with gold nuggets lying everywhere, while others would be barren wastelands.

The problem is that I misinterpreted this advice to mean I should just start prototyping anything and everything related to the broad topic of trees. I didn’t know what my design space really was, I had no focus.

My initial focus (basically everything)

I spent the next six months prototyping all kinds of things--shield power-ups, infinite fractal trees, tree planets, weird inverted trees, and countless game modes like 2-player coop, FRENZY!, and endless modes.

This all had a time cost and a mental cost. I started to become overwhelmed with the possibility space, lost in the wilderness. In retrospect I should have focused in on the heart and soul of the game. Pruning as player expression was the most interesting part of the game and I should have been searching in that much more constrained space from the beginning.

Where I *should* have focused

2. Worry About Every Little Thing

I don’t want to belabor this point since others have talked about it at length, but I definitely have a bit of a perfectionist streak running through me. This is a common trait with game developers and can often be good for ensuring things that really matter to the project are just right. But when the things you’re fretting over don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things you just end up wasting a lot of time.

I would waste hours of my time tweaking the look of a soon-to-be-cut mechanic, days of my time picking the exact right font, and weeks or months of my time deliberating over decisions such as how to represent the score in game.

Even up until the end of the project I maintained a hotlist of must-do items before shipping the game. These were “super important” things like ensuring certain branches in certain levels didn’t look too thin when curving a particular way, or certain pipes at the end of the game not having proper collision. Well guess what? I shipped the game having never addressed a huge chunk of these “critical” issues and even now, half a year after release and I *still* haven’t managed to get to them and nobody has noticed! The point is, our time as developers is incredibly precious, it’s limited. I should have asked myself more often than I did, what’s most important and what will nobody ever care about?

3. Be Really Bad at Scheduling

If there was an award for being the worst at scheduling I’m pretty sure it would have my name on it. Remember how I mentioned that my initial goal was to finish and release the entire game in two to three months? That’s a bit of a lie. In actuality I was hoping to “game jam” it and have it out in a month. But I’d heard enough times that you should double or triple your initial estimate so that’s why I picked two to three months. It’s hard to explain just how bad I was at accurately forecasting how long things would take me and actually sticking to a schedule.

Here’s how it would generally go down. I would first make a crude schedule, not based on anything reasonable or sane but based on what I delusionally wanted to get done. I would give myself a fraction of the time actually needed to accomplish the remaining tasks. And then I would let this schedule sit in a dark corner of my hard drive for a while and get to working on stuff. Then one day I’d happen to unearth the schedule and look at the calendar and realize it was now 45 days later and I hadn’t even finished half the tasks on my list.

I did this over and over again during the development of Prune, partly because I didn’t know what game I was making and partly because I had completely unrealistic expectations. After a while it started to become a boy-who-cried-wolf situation where I felt like I couldn’t even trust myself at all any more. The only thing that saved me was finally realizing that I could use external deadlines, such as awards submissions, to force myself to focus and make hard decisions.

4. Struggling to See the Light

Searching for my game’s soul, spending too much time on dumb things, and constantly being over schedule all led to some really low, discouraging times for me. I constantly questioned whether this was the right project to be working on or whether I was just wasting my time. I considered just cutting my losses and releasing the game as-is several times since I figured the game would probably never make back the little bit of money I put into it. I questioned whether I was even cut out to be “indie,” to work on my own game.

Even though going solo was the right decision and is how I work best, toiling away alone for over a year was hard on my emotional well-being. It may not sound like a lot, especially when some indies endure three or more years of this, but for me it felt like an eternity at times. I’m fortunate that I had my wife and two boys to keep me in balance—I at least had an escape at the end of each day, somebody to talk to.

I went on a lot of walks during dev. Often it would let me distance myself from a problem just enough to let me think clearly about it. But at the lowest points I walked to distance myself from the game, to distance myself from my self.

Of course, all of this that I’m describing develops into this vicious downward spiral wherein you get discouraged and stop doing any productive work on the game, which in turn discourages you further, causing you to lose more calendar time, ad infinitum.

This is something that isn’t talked about as much as it should be in the indie scene. So often we only pay attention to results. Was the game a hit? Was it successful? Did it pay off the dev costs? We sweep under the rug the process, the struggle, the emotional drain. In the future I need to focus more on my creative process and direct more of my attention to my mental health before it gets too late.

Even though I struggled and made a whole lot of mistakes, I’m still really proud of Prune. My goals for going indie were to live modestly, work on new and interesting games, and make just enough money to get by. As my first project, Prune has done all of this and more.

One of the best parts about the experience has been the player reception. I didn’t make the game for gamers—there’s plenty of options out there for them—but for anyone. My heart has been warmed over and over again upon receiving touching emails from old ladies who have never played a video game in their life. I’m humbled that my tiny game has resonated with so many people and am incredibly grateful that I’ll be able to continue on this journey going forward.

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