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#the second half of the game is still great tho
smilesrobotlover · 4 months
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Gosh I LOVE how soft Linebeck gets towards the end he’s so sweet
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rubys-domain · 9 months
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i'm so glad there's a weekly boss i can use him to fight, as underbuilt as he is rn
#⇢₊˚⊹ 🩷∥ruby∥yo,ide yo !!#i let baizhu borrow layla's tenacity set cuz i just have way more hp on it#and the deepwood 4pc effect is irrelevant in this team#(ignore bennett's hp i was dumb and took a big hit right before i finished scaraboss off)#i /can/ use him to fight andrius and dvalin#but i really don't need any more drops from them. i farmed them to death cuz they were the only weeklies i could beat for a long time#i guess i could try using him against azhdaha like i did on the alt#azhdaha always makes me nervous tho#i also don't need that many childe drops. the only characters that use childe drops that i care about are albedo and zhongli#fighting the shogun with him is a living hell cuz she moves so much and i suck at this game#apep too but doubly so because of the second phase that really needs aoe. which lyney isn't great at#also bringing bennett to fight apep doesn't feel very good#my cyno hyperbloom team feels so much like a cheat code#i fight half of the weekly bosses with cyno-baizhu-xingqiu + appropriate flex for each#chongyun for shogun shield breaking,kazuha for apep second phase grouping,fischl for particles#i really owe so much to cyno man#even though his build honestly still kinda sucks,him and his hyperbloom team make literally all the content clearable#anyway back to lyney#i can't wait to get him on marechaussee and not have to worry about crit rate for once in my life#but giving him song of stillness is my number one priority rn#and these fucking bosses are giving me neither billet nor dream solvent#i wish farming dendro sigils was an option. but it's literally the last billet the tree gives at lvl 44#my tree is at lvl 22. i would need 770 dendro sigils to get that billet#it would honestly be faster to just get a second dream solvent from weeklies
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waywardsalt · 1 year
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before i actually go through the phantom hourglass manga to critique it i’m going to quickly just toss out a bullet point list of things i actually liked in the ph manga
- i like how the stuff w/ tetra in the first chapter not only sets her up but serves to contrast how she is as a captain vs. how linebeck initially is as a captain. the line ‘as captain, nothing is more important than the lives of my crew’ specifically
- link’s cute. hes just a little guy
- i’m a big fan of the added detail that linebeck tends to stick out his bottom lip. it fits really well with his character. as a smaller side note i like the way his nose is drawn. i just like the shape they went with lol
- the bit with the point card for eddo’s garage that is specifically noted to be Not In The Video Game is good
- for all intents and purposes what is done with the bellumbeck fight is really good
thats it everything else i either feel neutral about or hate/feel frustrated with
#salty talks#bitching about the loz manga#anyways i think its also worth adding some of my personal opinions about ph in general to add some context for my later opinions#i dont like jolene. like to a visceral degree. i dont know why but im physically incapable of enjoying her.#which is bizarre bc like??? i think griffith is a great character i think makima is fascinating. but jolene ph is the one i cannot stand#i hate her because i think she's fucking annoying and isn't justified in half of what she does but like. why the visceral hatred. idk#maybe its a side effect of my rabid linebeck special interest. anyways sorry i think shes awful#in all fairness tho to me shes actually better in the manga#also. i dont actually like fatherly linebeck stuff much and dont read him as being fatherly towards link so i wont talk abt that stuff#uhhh i think linebecks arc in the game is really good and i also think that the normal order of the three final bosses is great#i also think that the second half of the game has some good stuff in it even if it's less plot-heavy compared to the first half#i think that phantom hourglass has genuine unique potential to be fantastic if given an extended adaptation that gives a shit#and that is partially why im going to spend a bit more time on this one#i will also say that despite whatever i say abt this one i do admit that i like and appreciate it. it still has problems tho#why'd they do astrid like that. i dont like manga astrid. i dont like her design or most of her dialogue.#why was she weird to linebeck like that. be nice to him. hes clearly gay#as far as im concerned at least
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pocket-watcher · 12 days
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I saw you were doing requests and I was thinking of a scenario with covert hypnosis but the reader catches on quickly and does their best to resist/escape. I want to fight for my will against the inevitable. If not tho that's cool :)
Hi anon! Here’s something just for all you who love a good struggle…
“Excuse me, do you have a moment?”
The crowded sidewalk didn’t leave much room for you to figure out who had called out, until someone approached you with a clipboard.
You registered they were petitioning or raising money or something and your social anxiety took over.
“Sorry, I’m in a rush.” You said, avoiding eye contact.
“This will only take a second.” They added, as they always do, but you faltered as you noticed no one had signed whatever sheet they had.
And it was three on a Saturday. The heat bore down from the afternoon sun.
Pity.
So, reluctantly, you turned to them, nodding for them to continue.
A surprised smile was on their face.
“R-right. I’m going to read you a passage of a book, and by the end of it could you answer some questions?”
“Okay.”
“Great!” They flipped over their paper and began reading in a much lower tone than they’d previously been speaking in.
“The cave was dark. Deep. Never-ending. She stared and stared but could never find the bottom, no matter how far she looked. But that wouldn’t stop her. She wanted to. Needed to look deeper…”
The slow, winding tone of their voice clued you in. How the voices began to fade away from the busy street around you.
You shook yourself.
Ah.
So that was the game, hmm?
You fiddled with your nails to show your disinterest. How unfazed you were.
Ignoring the growing warmth within you.
They continued.
“She unknowingly was walking into a nest. A creature was watching, waiting. Calling to its prey. She felt compelled to continue. Walking in an almost dream.”
“Are you done yet?” You said, batting your eyelids innocently. They felt heavier, but nothing to worry about.
They licked their teeth and put on a false smile.
“I guess you really are in a hurry, aren’t you? Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon…”
They found their place on the page once more.
“How long had the creature been trapped in that cage with no one to gaze upon its mesmerising features? 10 years? No, 9. 8? 7…” they paused, looking up at you.
Feeling slightly fuzzy from the counting, you picked this moment to start walking away.
Better luck next time.
“H-hey! Wait up!”
Your movements were clumsier than usual, but freedom was just a few steps away if you could lose them…
They followed you through the weaving crowd, still reading to you.
“She was helpless. Walking in circles. Resistance was futile. Her feet felt like lead. The floor of the cave grew muddy. Sticky. Weighing her movements down. She was slowing. Her mind. Her thoughts, slowing.”
You ignored them, pushing through, mumbling half apologies to those you moved past.
They felt faster than you. Lighter than you.
Get out of my head, you thought.
“That’s it, the creature cooed to her. Stay with me. Go on. Give up your fight and stay here forever. Listen to my words. Let them seep into your mind.”
You half faltered, turning and seeing them smile at you.
“N-no. No she didn’t. She made it out of the cave…” you said looking deep into their eyes.
You couldn’t see the sun. You were no longer outside. You were in the deepest, darkest, cave.
The creature stared back from the darkness and spoke.
“Perhaps. But, even if she did, would she ever really stop thinking about what she could’ve had with the creature…?”
You dropped.
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meowsgirldrawing · 1 year
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Obey Me Next Generation Idea(aka-My au)
What about poly Au with the bros? I assume with demon culture, MC having kids and the bros all being the dad wouldn't be too surprising as I think monogamous relationships are seen just the same as polyamorous. Like neither really matter honestly in a "oh this is a big deal/drama!" Sense.
Plus its the 7 lords, they can do whatever the fuck they want
I know MC is mostly human but I think having kids is still possible as they got magic plus their pacts with the bros might make them stronger. Plus, historically, woman have been able to have multiple pregnancies, like more than 4 at least, so still- not impossible.
Just let me have my next gen shenanigans
ONTO THE KIDS PLEASE AND THANK YOU
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Varya (1st Born) (she/her)-25
Daughter of Mammon
Is more demon than human, possibly the most demon out of the kids.
Holds a very smiley but deadly aura around her.
Seems the opposite of Mammon in behavior but you can tell by her subtle acts towards her family, shes his kid alright.
Is the type of person to shake a person's hand but hold a knife in the other.
"Looks like a cinnamon roll, can kill you"
Lights up at the mentions of crocheting, dogs, and weird but oddly alluring creatures around Devildom.
She does have a small habit of gambling when out with Mammon, but is actually able to keep her wins because no one expects it through her gold-winning smile.
Mess with her family and its on sight.
Lilith the 2nd (3rd born-1st triplet) (she/her)-21
I headcannon Lucifer to at least be the only one to name their daughter after their sister. Not to replace, never, but to honor her.
Is in a strange middle between Half demon-mostly demon
Sweetheart by default
That big sister you can always talk to and she wont judge.
Will make passive agressive remarks when peeved off.
Definitely denies acting like Lucifer yet can do the stance-arms crossed and glare- exactly like him.
Even does the whole hand chest like him too. Shocked look and all.
Calls all the brothers papa but Lucifer father, not as a distance way but thats just how she's always been.
Theatre kid- almost always lead.
Anna from Frozen vibes at times.
Hopeless romantic too.
Basically Lucifer if he actually showed more emotions.
Daddy's girl 100%
May or may not be in a secret relationship with Diavolo's heir👀
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Rhomb(2nd Born) (he/him)-23
Son of Leviathan
Named after the Loch ness Monster
A nice balance between human and demon
But has "mutations" that make him have scaly patches on his body, his tail out almost 24/7, and bad eyesight.
Stern attitude most of the time.
Big bro protector
Tallest of all the kids
Softer on the younger kids but will smack a bitch if they act up.
Cant play video games much cause eyes so turns to more physical games that include puzzles.
Likes games with strategy to follow like War tanks, or chess. Is the type to make a DnD game the best cause he makes amazing stories too despite not reading much.
Likes mystery shows too and tries to figure it out before the answer is revealed, could go on rants about why. Gets it right 11/10 times.
If Leviathan wasnt his biological dad, people would believe he was Satan's kid.
Doesnt like cats tho.
Quinn (4th Born- 2nd Triplet) (He/they/doesnt care) (21)
Asmo just thought Quinn was a pretty name so picked it lol.
Also a nice balance between human/demon. Tho his wings stay out constantly.
Very much vibes from that yellow bird in Rio.
Laid back personality but is an outgoing dude.
Also very protective of their siblings, and will not hesitate to cut a bitch.
Isnt as flamboyant as Asmo but does have a just as great fashion sense.
Has a hard time dating as people automatically assume hes just like Asmo so will try to date him for that reason only.
Love his dad but hates the reputation he gets because of being said son.
So he resorts to just sticking to his siblings or the few friends he trusts.
Besides MC, is the second most popular face to pop up on Asmo's Devilgram
Fucking adores axolotls for no particular reason, just loves them to no end which Asmo makes sure to get many axolotl themed plushes, shirts, etc. for him.
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Libbey(Liberty) (5th Born- 3rd triplet)(she/her)-21
Another balance between human/demon, maybe a tad more on the demon side.
Tho, also has "mutations" like very enhanced hearing.
Bookworm to the max
Loves reading dramas and fantasies, but seems to enjoy multiseries more than stand alone.
Very quiet and shy kid of the group.
Sometimes cant even talk so signs instead because earaches or headaches.
Likes cats but perfers reptiles more.
Has a small turtle in her room from the human realm, set it up beside her bed and everything. Their name is Casey after one of her favorite human novels she read.
But despite all this, isnt called the daughter of wrath just for nothing beside biology reasons.
Is like Satan 2.0 when pissed, she wont yell or scream but you can just tell from the drop of room temperature and the subtle tilt of her head.
Her eyes glow an electric green when shes pissed.
Had more anger issues when younger, but cause Satan knew how to handle his better now, taught her how to aswell.
Satan is probably the main one to understand her issues with such a problem, despite being more mellowed out now that shes older.
Is definitely a cryer when really angry tho.
Ryder(6th Born) (1st twin)- 19
Ngl, everyone was surprised that they had twins. Including Belphie himself.
But then again, they did have triplets before them so....eh?
Ryder is a tad more human than demon, but still powerful enough to have his own demon form like his older siblings.
His tail is seen smaller than Belphie's, and a bit thinner too.
The sloth genes affact him only so much, making him more likely just want to procrastinate then outright not do anything.
He honestly enjoys the human world more than Devildom, mainly cause everything is less..hectic per say.
Hes the type of brother/older friend that will cover for ya if you have to hide something but will subtly suggest how to fix whatever their doing.
Like one time Quinn came home slightly tipsy and past curfew, and he snuck them into his room. Though he scolded them in the morning, he covered for Quinn at breakfast, saying they ate too much sugar last night, thats why hes queasy and has a headache.
Quinn did fix that habit up quick after Ryder threatened to leave him on his own next time it happened.
Calls everyone bro or dude, no matter their gender.
Gen z vibes too in most areas.
Has a fixation with cow bells for some reason, likes the noise is all he can say.
If he were told what Belphie did to their mom/human parent way before they were born, he says "Cowabummer" while screaming inside.
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River(7th born-2nd twin)(they/them)-19
How is this Belphie's kid?
Too hyper, tad crazy
Probably has ADHD, who knows.
While Ryder is the slightly responsible twin, their the reason why Ryder needs to be said twin.
Their just about the same range of human/demon as Ryder, can have a demon form, but only uses it to fuck with people than to actually be scary with it.
They may have alot of power, but their personality alone can kill people.
Is the type of kid to crawl on the ceiling when they were 2.
Is also the type to hop outta window to get to the lower floor faster. Thank Belphie for their demon powers otherwise we'd have another Lillith situation.
Has scared even Lucifer at one point, has made him yelp out of surprise. Will not go on how, no matter how much Papa Satan and Belphie ask them. Just has a toothy grin when they ask.
When calm, is actually a pretty chill dude. They like odd patterns and get fixated on the most random things.
MC gave them one of those sand timers that you flip to restart and when she came down to tell them food was done about 2 hours later, she found them sitting on the table, holding it while watching the sand go down. They use it now to relax and focus on when overstimultated or just having too much of a fuzzy head.
Has spent nearly a how week with Leviathan because they got hooked on one anime with him. Now has frequent solo movie nights with him cause.
"They're tad confused, but got the spirit"
Literally had to have someone (Rhomb) explain to them what the LGBTQ+ letters meant. Legit thought it was just new alphabet pattern, was still happy to find out what it all means.
If you told them what Belphie did to their mom before they were born, they'd think it as a joke. Dont tell them otherwise or they will cry.
Frankie(8th Born)(She/her)-16
Everyone thought that she would be the biggest child when MC was pregnant with her, since y'know, it was confirmed Beel's kid.
Yeah, she came out small. Like scary small for a baby.
It was then everyone knew she would be the most human. Has a little demon in her, but clearly not enough to have a demon form nor mark.
Lucifer's wallet cried in relief.
She does eat a good bit more than the average human but overall, nothing compared to Beel.
She does adore sweets to the max, especially gummies. Give her some and she'll love you forever.
Sweetest little sunshine in the world, everyone adores her. If they dont, then they will soon.
Shes like Mirabel in encanto, kinda wishes she had more demon powers but is still overall happy with who she is.
When her a Beel are with each other- OH MY DIAVOLO, THE CAVITIES PEOPLE GET- TOO DAMN SWEET AND PURE
Like big papa Beel and his sweet little girl all smiley and pure. Best father-daughter relationship out of all the siblings and fathers.
Shes kinda like pinkie pie from MLP but like more hyper as fuck. Can and will speak so fast when excited that it just comes out as squeaks at that point.
Since her more human side, shes more likely to stay in human world when their mom is on Buisness there, so she has alot of human friends.
Shes in gymnastics, which definitely helps keep her figure more smaller despite all the sweets she eats. Does work out with Beel too.
Mess with her and you have a whole army on yer ass.
"Bounce to the beat of my own drum!"
You can just tell how much I love this dear. HA
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omegalomania · 1 year
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FIRST NIGHT OF TOURDUST AT WRIGLEY
im writing down all the stuff that i remember so i dont forget!! obviously the big ones were GINASFS LIVE?? HELLO??? i was very unspoiled for the setlist so every song was a huge shock
tai as openers got a hUGE response. and it was great!!! im thrilled to report that bilvy is still a whore <3 he was playing submission games with mike and sisky the whole set, did snakes on a plane, doing high kicks and draping himself all over his bandmates as god intended
i mean it probably goes without saying but i need to shoutout the set design for this tour. oh my god it was SO beautiful. there were no big screens behind them, instead there was a big round screen mounted over the stage and it would play funky videos during all the songs. one half of the stage was this gorgeous blue wrought-iron looking thing with stars and monsters and a clock. the other side was glowing gold, so it was like a night/day dichotomy
there were big red curtains behind the guys and they would sweep shut for a few songs and when they opened again there'd be a new setpiece behind them. like a physical setpiece!! the first one was an anchor, the second was A MOVING DOGGIE HEAD, the third was a huge tree with owl eyes. they were fucking gorgeous
the pink seashell monologue played w/o any instrumentals before love from the other side kicked in
joe has a new guitar! it's like...green and super detailed, it's seriously so fucking fancy i need hq pictures of that thing stat
joe vocals were SUPER LOUD AND PROMINENT my god it was a blessing
patrick was KILLING it the whole concert. i was floored. fob songs are NOT EASY TO SING esp love from the other side but he was impeccable pretty much the whole night
he did fumble the lyrics to centuries tho dlfdjkjf looked like something was up with his soundboard around that time
they hit us with a triple-punch of chicago is so two years ago, calm before the storm, and then where is your boy, all in a row. patrick talked a little bit before where is your boy to be like "yeah so this was forever ago...i was jogging..." and pete chimes in "imagine us jogging"
patrick also talked a bit before they rolled the piano out. he was like "hi guys!! :)" and talked about how the set design was all pete's idea and it was super fucking fancy and he was floored by it. he said that pete suggested he play piano and then was like "ugh i dunno im not GREAT at that" (you fucking liar) and then that led up to the medley that closed with don't stop believing and the rest of the band joined in and AGHHH
i was not prepared to hear headfirst slide and disloyal order in the same night.
i was not prepared to hear HEAVEN IOWA that night. of all the stardust songs i did NOT EXPECT THAT ONE
for those who were involved in the stardust project, it went off really well the first night! i got my pink seashell and during fake out i looked behind me and the whole stadium was lit up pink! after it was over, pete was like "wow that looked amazing guys" so the band definitely noticed!
pete did the baby annihilation monologue live! he seemed kind of nervous he had his hoodie pulled up and everything but he delivered it very different from the studio version and when it was over he pulled a big black curtain over himself and then disappeared when it fell
save rock and roll live is always a treat but my god when the camera pulled back and i saw that all four members of fall out boy were smiling while they sang OH NOOO WE WON'T GO. my god. my heart.
they did not do a proper encore because they didnt want to tread into curfew, so we did not get a picture with them
OKAY THATS ALL I CAN REMEMBER FOR NOW. ILL ADD TO THIS IF I REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE <3 THIS WAS A STELLAR START THANK YOU FALL OUT BOY I LOVE YOU FALL OUT BOY
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ganondoodle · 1 year
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i know i said i wouldnt be ranting about totk anymore, but i realized i didnt really count the sage dungeons as story (dont ask me why) so i thought im gonna write a better summarized version of my opinion about totk (i have around 60% of the game, all lightroots, not yet all shrines (missing like .. 20 or so, know the reward), not all krogs (dont know the reward), not all mayoi (half know the reward?) )
(in no particular order)
good stuff (in my opinion)
the. MUSIC! god the music is good, it was good in botw too but now with much more different bosses it really is probably one of my fav soundtracks of all time (most fav are all three phases of the end fight, the pre-fight to that, the build up one before all of those, Frosgeira (wind tempel boss) the glorious mASTER KOGA and more tbh)
the build up and end boss fight(s) are fantastic, i dont think im ever not gonna have my heart racing when approaching it (despite now skipping almost the entire way bc i set a teleport thing right before it) just bc the build up is so well made and the music(again) is such a banger and the fight(s) itself is so fun too, tbh i keep wanting to play it just bc its so fun
i LOVE how many themes play into the music (endfight alone had so many layers, fav probably is ganondorfs classic theme and calamity ganons both in the same piece among much more, and daruks theme in the fire temple)
(edit) YOU. CAN. TOUCH. DA. DRAGONS!!!!
ganondorf
ganondorfs design (x3)
ganondorfs weapon designs
ganondorfs voice (japanese)
everyone elses voice (japanese)
all voices (german)
thE YIGA!!! i love everythign about them and am so happy they got to be more than just some mini mission
(edit) also the fact that they get zonau tech to work without any special ghost powers is so ????
(edit) koga can summon and use zonau tech unlimited?? hes so cool
NO stealth mission!! (as far as im aware)
bosses are very different from each other
main dungeons are not too short and not too long and mostly fun (mostly bc i personally didnt like the gerudo one), i love that you can still somewhat cheese them and do them your way
sages felt like they got a bit more involved
(edit) you gotta do more stuff before getting to the actual dungeons and i really like that, feels less like a fetch quest but that you are actually helping
(edit) each sage is actually there in the dungeon and is required for it, which is great!
each settlement saw a much bigger danger/change (tho that has more impact if you have played botw) and its problems felt much more real
shrines are well varied tho i think overall a little easy (only got stuck on two so far and later solved them easily bc when i first started them i was tired and exhausted, no brain left lol)
NPCs felt less flat + more bigger sidequests that felt like they had more impact
cool new monsters + designs
the underground was pretty appropiately creepy
the sages abilities are neat
you can refight bosses!!
stable points system is a neat way to encourage you using them
weapon fusing is neat
(edit) the forest of the krogs being corrupted like that is both creepy and a neat nod to oot
(edit) the vai gerudo outfit being gone!! (one) evil has been defeated
(edit) the health bar going so far off the middle in ganondorfs second phase is honestly just funny hnjdfdjk unfortunate that you only need the master sword and with a few perfect dodges his health melts like butter in the summer
(edit) the music when dragondorf transforms sounds so sad .. its probably meant as a oh no world is actually ending sad but i like to think of it as a oh god what did he do to himself sad
the scene where rauru seals ganondorf kinda fruity
(graphic, animations and the overall world is still fantastic)
bad stuff (in my opinion)
everything zonau they feel forced into every bit of the world and its history (i know them being somewhat alien is intentional but not like that) it feels crammed into places they werent before and shouldnt be and it makes it all feel very artificial
the glyphs/dragon tears/memories really ruined alot for me, while it gave you insight as to what happened, it felt like it showed you too much and too little at the same time and i think it would have worked better if it was all in text for once if even at all, so the past stil stayed a mystery and youd be left wondering
timetravel .. really wasnt necessary and felt more like an excuse to get rid of zelda + make her the poor little sacrificial girl again + and to make her turning into a dragon as tragic as possible, like nothing but a stepping stone to the big reveal tm
shiekah tech being not just fully irrelevant but practically erased, wiped off the world (i know about the literally last guardian parts in hateno, it feels more like an oversight tbh, purah technically using it ... tho i dont think she ever calls it that, the purah pad is jsut the sheikah stone but worse), there being no good explanation, no remains, nothing as to why it would suddendly stop working and why even the titans and ESPEICALLY the shrine of life would be destroyed, if anything why wouldnt you enshrine it as a memento to history it was such a focus in botw and so well integrated into the world that it being fully gone, not even old overgrown, or visibly reused to build homes etc., or remains of how they built the og shrines in the underground feels like a HUGE missed opportunity (seriously it would have been so easy to make the ancient shiekah base their tech on old zonau tech, without stealign the gocus but buildign a connection)
all of the continuity problems, totk feels like botw didnt happen and the excuse of 'they didnt want to confuse new players' doesnt make a lick of sense in my eyes bc; its supposed to be a sequel, if you want it to be a standalone game then dont call it a sequel- if you start to play a game with the sequel instead of the first part its your own damn fault if you get confused; if anything, it would have been a good opportuntiy to make people interested in botw so theyd buy and play that one too
ganondorfs character is very flat, you basically get to know nothing about him (yuno even calls that out midgame but its never elaborated upon nhgfrdfhkk)
the zonau and their kingdom of hyrule is presented as this so perfectly good thing to such a degree it turns creepy, the end cutscene with mineru going poof was kinda uncomfy to watch tbh
the reward for all shrines being essentially a reveal as to who the hero in the tapestry was and it being, of course, some weird half zonau is the lamest answer to a mystery i didnt want an anwser too, it doesnt feel like it came naturally either (again my point of the zonau being forced into everything)
the shrines (zonau) feel so much more unnatural than the shiekah shrines, alien in a bad way and not in a good way + really are like a bad reskin of them, their sudden appearance and use is so much less logical
back in botw i was doubtful of if the shiekah tech wasnt going to far too modern tech and cause it all to feel like a bad mix of modern tech and medival fantasy, but they balanced it perfectly (tho the eponator zero was very much the limit imo) but the zonau tech .... oversteps that line i think, it really does feel, more than anything else, that it was just bc they wanted the stuff to be in there bc it might be fun to play around with, im not against that kind of stuff mind you im all for fun, but it feels a little like they thought of a box with endless stuff to play with first and a zelda game second (if you get what i mean)
quite a few quests or things in the game seem like they are more and then end in a dead end (the worst of all is impa saying she wants to go research what could help zelda turn back, and i was excited and convinced that shed give me a quest to find some mcguffin that would do that after i beat ganon but there wasnt anything you could actually do; less bad one but disappointing nonetheless the dongos were mentioned and treated like this big awesome thing from alot of NPCs all around the map and then when you find them they are bascially just gem vending maschines)
the way zelda turns back and link gets his arm back is incredibly unsatisfying, none of them even have something like a scar, or mark from it all, zelda spent thousands of years as a dragon (a transformation that was said to cost your soul but i guess that wasnt true) and link had his arm bascially eaten by miasma and he gets it back like it was never lost, zelda returns all intact as if nothing happened, getting blasted by some magic tm by two ghosts that were supposed to be long gone is the solution to all problems!!
(edit) link losing an arm wouldnt just be super intersting but also lend itself well to lead up into the next game where his prothesis is the focus and source of abilities
(edit) zelda got done so dirty, instead of her actual interests and character to shine she just gets shoved into yet another crisis surrounded by strangers in a world that looks like hers but isnt, and all she does is beg the ancient sages to swear to help link and sacrifice herself again (can you call that fridging? bc she sure feels like she got fridged) i like zelda and i dont like how much i didnt care about her and tbh im angry at the game for that
(edit) both link and zelda not even slightly changing in the years btween botw and totk kinda boring, like a haircut can only do so much
(edit) sonia really is the wife that dies to make husband sad thing isnt she? i get that gan had to get his hands on an enigma stone but i feel like there had been better ways to do that, the fact that she dies that easily is almost funny honestly, why does ganondorf even have weapons when he can just one punch people to death (tho i find it funny to imagine he can literally just kill people in one punch but hes too prideful to do it most of the time so he always uses weapons to look more cool)
(edit) so many new characters that you barely get to see or interact with, i really ... couldnt get myself to care much
(edit) zonau tech being so irrelevant to the games story while its also the focus is .. weird, its really just play doh for the players and nothing else honestly
(edit) monsters mining sonanium feels strange bc ... they dont do anything with it? the best thing i can think of is that they were told to do that so link cant .. upgrade his battery thignies? but then again you could just destroy the mines and remaining constructs to stop it .... also you really dont need anything zonau tech related to beat gan?
(edit) ganondorf beign so utterly uninterested in their tech is weird considering how he dealt with shiekah tech (and we KNOW it can get corrupted) he should be a tech nerd tbh
my twitch VoD of the first time beating the game getting muted at the credits despite me talking over it
nitpicks (in my opninion)
(edit) ganondorf should have a bit more of a boar inspired design, as treat, i think
(edit) the enigma stone wandering back to ganondorfs forehead even after transforming is? weird? i guess an excuse for da epic last stabby but still? (how cool would it have been to have to plunge into his mouth and break it there or something)
(edit) the underground gets a lil old after a while, the fact that its pretty much the same everywhere aside from some .. very strange flowing magma is a lil boring
(edit) ganondorf could have gone way more crazy with abilities and all that, imagine hed spwan multiple miasma arms on himself when you get him to a certain level of health
(edit) i miss unique weapons, there arent even normal axes around anymore, everything is about fusing really, i miss the cool shiekah tech weapons
(edit) the forest of the krogs being largely irrelevant is kinda weird
(edit) mineru being the sage of spirit still is kinda meh, the robot is neat but i thought tauro or purah would be the surprise sage tbh
(edit) the bosses were a little easy (i did boldo gohma rather early and did it without even getting hit)
you cant talk to koga normally :(
you cant find koga again after the last fight :(
you cant refight him (to my knowledge) :(
i find it very strange that yuno seemingly lost daruk shield, despite him having inhereted it in botw
the sage powers are not .. very great integrated, while its fun to haven them run around and help you fight, to actually use their powers you have to chase after them, something that in the heat of a battle is very annoying to do, constantly activating the wrong on or them losing their charge up when they get knocked over is like trying to herd a wild pack of geese while a three headed dragon is shotting laserbeams at you
some widlife just disappearing all of the sudden is very strange (like the rhino in hebra)
some new houses or settlements would have been cool, that the material things at the sides of roads are really only for you to play around with and not to build anything that lasts
you cant fight ganondorf (non dragon, even the dragon is locked to that evening sky) in the sunlight, night or rain, i would have loved to fight him at various times of day
their refusal to show any kind of blood is honestly turnign serious scenes into very awkward ones, sonia just getting punched and she dies with not even like, losing some spit from the force or something, or the fact when you defeat ganondorfs second phase he acts mortally wounded but doesnt even look scratched is just :/
amiibo stuff while neat being included its really mostly just bloating your inventory, if i wanted 5 vaguely different link outfits then i would have gotten the amiibo for it
why hide the -now-totally-not-phantom-ganon-armor- behind such a long questline and then .. have that NOT be upgradable
they put in a house building thingy and then not let you have a roof or a tree or something :(
at some point stable points jsut get you more and more of those free staying over night tickets that i maybe used .. once at the very start and now its just accumulating in my inventory
only one new horse coat pattern :(
satori now only being a thingy that shows you caves is kinda boring, i loved the mystery around it in botw (additionally, that it shows you caves you have completed already kinda sucks)
the end of the shrines isnt that cool anymore, speaking to a mummified monk that gives you essentially his last remains of life energy is so much cooler than a statue of the oh so awesome god king and his wife
the many references and reuse of old names is neat but together with timetravel etc. it easily leads to confusing and fighting among fans for who is more 'right' and its just .. tiring
(edit) considering how much of the advertising was about the sky islands i wished there were more and bigger ones, the underground (that was a little one sided after a while, it all looking the same rly) could have been alot smaller if the sky was bigger instead
(edit) i wished there was more of a sense of .. lost life in the ruins you find, from all races, the ancient ruins are jsut some bridged and ceremonial stuff and i wished there were more like .. houses, like people actually lived there and it not being all around beign a platform for you
(edit) the fact that the half zonau hero exists mean either rauru and sonia had kids but those were clearly not important enough to ever show nor mention, or there were other mixing of them before they all mysteriously died out the fact that the ancient hero was half zonau means their genes survided till then but somehow it never came up? the tapestry still exists and impa and purah say like its a well known fact that the hero looked like that (not at all close to any modern species) when you talk to them while wearing it (the fact that the hero armor thingy is very reminiscemt of ganondorf is like some backtreading bc we were theorizing about the hero having been ganondorf once and they wanted to stop that .. but the more funny thing is the HC of its a descdendet of rauru and ganondorf nhjdfknhdgkfnhkfd) (edit to add to the HC; the game being a big battle about child support is funnier than it should be idk if nintendo knew what they were doing adding details like that)
all in all it just feels like missed opportunities, lost potential, and more a game build around some game mechanics they really wanted to get into than telling a neat story, espeically so bc they called it a sequel, most of my complaints wouldnt be there if it was some alternate thing instead
i probably forgot stuff but if i think of more i will add them later with a little note that it was added in an edit (sidenote, i find it funny how much more nuance that whole conflict would get if rauru and ganondorf were bitter exes bfdrjfbdfndk)
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canirove · 4 months
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My neighbour Rúben | Chapter 6
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"Can I have a cookie?"
"Julia, those are for the half-time."
"But I'm hungry now... And look, they are coming!" she said, pointing at the pitch. "Where is Rúben?"
"Wait until they get a bit closer.”
"Oh, I see him! Rúben!" she screamed, waving both her hands while jumping. We were sitting in the same place I was at the Emirates, close to the tunnel and the bench, and it was impossible for most players to not see the crazy kid screaming and waving. One of Rúben's teammates noticed her, turning to tell him something while nodding towards where she was. When he looked up and saw Julia, he waved back, a big smile on his face. And when he saw me... When he same me he winked. He winked at me. What?
"He saw us!" Julia said, jumping in front of me and not letting me see if he did anything else. Though it probably was for the best, because I'm sure I was looking at him with my mouth wide open.
"He saw us, yes" I replied, trying to look like a normal person again.
"Do you think he will score a goal?"
"Scoring isn't his job, he is a defender."
"I think he will score" Julia said, sitting down while humming something. 
The first half was a bit boring, but Julia's constant comments and questions kept me entertained. Me, and the people around us. 
The second half was more of the same until minute 85. City had a corner, there was a bit of chaos on the area, and goal. 
"Oh my god, Julia!" I said, getting up. "Rúben scored!"
"He did!" the man sitting next to us said, picking up Julia so she was able to see what was going on on the pitch.
"I knew it!" she said, clapping like crazy.
As City players moved to their side of the pitch, Rúben came closer to where we were, Guardiola giving him orders while he just smiled at us. And as he was leaving...
"Look, he sent us a kiss!" Julia laughed. 
"Lucky you" the man said as he put her down, his eyes fixed on me. Great. Now this man believed Rúben was sending me a kiss. But was he? Nah. It was for Julia.
After the game we waited for him to drive us home. He had texted me the day before offering to do it and I hadn't been able to say no. He had even come over to pick Julia's car seat. 
"Rúben!" she screamed when she saw him, jumping into his arms. "I knew you would score today!"
"You were my lucky charm" he said picking her up and throwing her in the air, making her giggle.
"I wouldn't shake her too much if I were you. She ate a lot during half-time."
"But I'm still hungry" she said once she was on Rúben's arms again. Lucky her. 
"Where do you want to go for dinner to celebrate?" he asked.
"McDonald's!"
"Julia, I don't think he is allowed to eat there."
"Why not?" she asked with a confused look.
"It's just one day, I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" I asked him.
"I am. You can put that eyebrow down" he replied with a teasing smile. 
━━━━━━❃━━━━━━
"I told you she would be dead by the moment we got home" Rúben said after we put Julia to bed. She had fallen asleep in his car and he had to carry her in his arms, all while I tried to make sure she didn’t drool all over his jacket. I didn’t blame her, tho.
"She now wants to play football too."
"City has a girls’ team."
"And so does United."
"Again, that eyebrow..." he said, pointing at my face.
"It just happens, I have no control over it.” Which was the truth. And today it was even more free than usual for some reason. "Anyway, you probably want to go home and rest."
"I was actually hoping we could spend some time alone and chat… Get to know each other a bit more. You know a lot about me and I barely know anything about you.”
“I just know about your career.”
“That already is a lot more than what I know about you.”
"But are you sure you don't prefer going home and rest?" I asked.
"It takes me hours to fall sleep after a game. I'll be fine."
"Ok then... Beer? Or is that too much sinning today?" I knew I was lifting my eyebrow again. His smile was saying it all. What was happening to me?
"I can sin a bit more if you are the one asking."
And I giggled. That was my answer. A stupid giggle before I hid myself behind the fridge's door, all the confidence I had found throughout the day, gone.
━━━━━━❃━━━━━━
"Can you sin a third time?" I said, showing him my empty bottle. "I'm asking very nicely." And I was a bit tipsy, that too. I usually only drink one, but we started talking, having a good time, and…
"Just because it's you."
"To your goal" I said when I made it back with our beers.
"To my goal. Again" he said, taking the bottle and drinking. He had said he didn’t drink either, but he looked more sober than me. Though I guess that with his size, he needed more alcohol to start feeling something. 
"What are you thinking about?" he asked after a few minutes in silence.
"You don't want to know" I said, taking another sip. 
"Were you thinking about me?"
"I was. But it wasn't anything like that.”
"Like what?"
"Naughty."
"Naughty" he snorts. 
"What?"
"Naughty" he repeated, trying to sound as British as he could and laughing again. Maybe he was a bit tipsy after all. 
"It is just a word" I said, also laughing.
"One that you use with kids, not adults."
"I work with a kid, I must be careful with my language."
"But I am not a kid."
"Are you not?" I said, this time being fully aware of my eyebrow lifting.
"Do you want me to show you?" Rúben said, suddenly getting too serious, slowly leaning towards me. 
"I..." But before I could add anything else, we heard a scream.
"Julia" we said at the same time, running towards her room. 
"What is it? What happened?" 
"Tuve... una... pesadilla” she said between sobs when I sat next to her on the bed. She had had a nightmare.
"Do you want some water?"
"Sí."
"I'll go get it" Rúben said from the door.
"Do you want to tell me about the nightmare?" I asked her while we waited. She just said no with her head, hugging me tighter.
"Feeling better?" Rúben asked her after she drank some water.
"Yes." If her English was back, that definitely meant she was feeling better. "But can you stay with me? I don't want to sleep alone. Rúben can stay too."
"I don't think the three of us can fit on your bed, Julia" he chuckled.
"But if we squeeze a little bit..."
"Rúben has to rest after today's game and he can't do it in such a small bed."
"Yeah... He needs a big bed like yours."
"For example." I didn't look at him, but I was certain he was smirking when he said that. 
"Can I get a good night kiss before you leave?" Julia asked him.
"Anything for you, Queen Elsa" he smiled.
━━━━━━❃━━━━━━
"Thank you for today" I said as I walked Rúben to the door, Julia waiting for me in her room.
"Did you have fun?"
"I did, yes."
"So did I” he replied.
And then, the awkward silence came. 
"I better go, Julia is waiting for me.”
“Yes, of course. Good night, princess Anna" he said, leaning forward and kissing my cheek.
"Good night” I muttered, feeling my face burning where his lips had been.
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inevitably-johnlocked · 2 months
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Hello Steph!!! I was wondering if you or your wonderful followers have recs for me. I'm looking for fanfics with a deep study of Sherlock character. His past, his behaviour etc. Maybe without ships? But I'm ok with johnlock tho. Thanks ❤️
Hey Nonny!! *HUGS*
OOOF Most of my fic recs are Johnlock stories, so I do apologize for that... I DO have a list I put together for "Introspection" type fics, which are essentially character studies or either character so I can use your ask for that list, but I think you'll also find some stuff you'll like on these lists:
POV Sherlock 1st & 2nd Person
POV Sherlock 3rd Person Pt. 1: Fluff
POV Sherlock 3rd Person Pt 2: Hurt/Comfort & Whump
POV Sherlock 3rd Person Pt 3: Angst/Angsty Fluff or BAMF Fics
Fics in “Sherlock’s Voice”
If anyone has something more catering to Nonny's request, please do, but for now, let's see these Introspection fics!
INTROSPECTION / CHARACTER STUDIES
The Moment When by drekadair (K, 509 w., 1 Ch. || TGG Fic, Friendship, First Person POV Sherlock, Introspection, Worried Sherlock) – Sherlock sees John in the pool, and doubts. Set during the end of "The Great Game." (FFNet)
The Hollow Man by HHarris (G, 639 w., 1 Ch. || John’s Chair, Introspection, Sherlock’s Big Feelings™, Post TRF, Angst, Emotional Turmoil, POV Sherlock, Pining / Sad Sherlock) – Still reeling from the apparent loss of his one and only friend, Sherlock returns to 221B for the first time after the events of The Reichenbach Fall.
Five Seconds by xXLadyLovelaceXx (K+, 658 w., 1 Ch. || TGG Pool Scene, Friendship, Introspection) – In the half-second before Sherlock shoots the jacket, John notices something. (FFNet)
Back in the Saddle by grannysknitting (M, 1,577 w., 1 Ch. || Post TGG AU, Donovan POV, Observation / Introspection, Protective Sherlock, Injured John, Case-ish Fic) – Their first return to solving crime after the pool and the explosion. (FFNet)
Upon This Throne by ifonlynotnever (T, 1,773 w., 1 Ch. || Pre-TRF, Angst, Romance, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Introspection, Imagery, Pining Sherlock, Drug Use, Passage of Time) – Inside Sherlock's mind is a Palace. Inside the Palace are many rooms. Within the largest room is the Throne. Upon the Throne sits the King. (FFNet)
Love and Bombs by Spark Writer (T, 1,780 w., 1 Ch. || Post S3, Romance, Angst, Pining Sherlock, 1st Person POV Sherlock, Introspection, Ambiguous Ending) – Love and bombs aren't all that different, John. In the end, they're almost indistinguishable. (FFNet)
You Can Imagine The Christmas Dinners by johnsarmylady (T, 1,780 w., 1 Ch. || Friendship, Family, Introspection, Fluff, Post-ASIP) – Set the morning after a Study in Pink, John sits and contemplates Mycroft's words. (FFNet)
Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil by PipMer (T, 1,895 w., 1 Ch. || Alternate Universe || Deaf John, Mute Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, Romance, Fluff and Angst, Character Study, Morse Code, Love Confessions) – John is deaf. Sherlock is mute. There are no two people more suited for each other.
Spectrum of Mourning at the Funeral of a Solitary Man by TheBookshelfDweller (T, 1,956 w., 1 Ch. || Angst, Grief, Friendship, Sherlock First Person POV, Introspection) – Because each kind of love produces its own kind of grief, a long-ignored voice tells the story of five mourners of Sherlock Holmes, a man who in the end, was all but solitary. (FFNet)
The Lie-In by KendylGirl (M, 2,000 w., 1 Ch. || POV Sherlock 1st Person,  Bed Sharing, Fluff, True Love, Introspection) – Five months after his return, John and Sherlock spend a day in bed. Part 2 of When to Let Go
Study in John by chappysmom (K+, 2,158 w., 1 Ch. || Post-ASiP, POV John, Introspection, Friendship, Nightmares, Caring Sherlock, John’s Limp) – After the events of "A Study in Pink," John lies on the couch in Baker Street and thinks about the whirlwind events of the day. What is he getting himself into? (FFNet)
Coming Full Circle by KCS (K+, 2,358 w., 1 Ch. || Alternate TGG, Friendship, Drama, Violence/Death References, Drugging/Poisoning, Kidnapping, BAMF John, Moriarty POV, Introspection) – Moriarty had John for almost six hours between his abduction and the showdown at the pool - more than enough time to implement a Plan B for his escape should Sherlock call his bluff with the fake bomb vest. (FFNet)
It's All Fine by AkoyaMizuno (T, 2,459 w., 3 Ch. || Post-TGG, Introspection, Mild Angst, Friendship) – Sherlock never asked what happened in the hours between John being kidnapped and the events at the pool. It occurs to him, days after the fact, that he probably should have. (FFNet)
Overture by Kate_Lear (M, 4,435 w., 1 Ch. || First Kiss / Time, Friends to Lovers, Angry John, Introspection, Developing Relationship, Embarrassed / Insecure Sherlock, Morning After, Bed Sharing, Cuddles / Limpet Sherlock) – A short snippet on how John and Sherlock might have got together.
Days Go By by Hummingbird1759(T, 4,454 w., 6 Ch. || Angst, Friendship, Post-TRF, Introspection) – The characters' lives go on after the Fall... sort of. (FFNet)
When Your Belly's in the Trench by Morgan_Stuart (T, 4,743 w., 1 Ch. || PTSD, Character Study, Rescue, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Torture, Trauma, Danger, Drama, Kidnapping/Captivity) – The next time that door opens, John Watson will kill the person on the other side.
Applied Linguistics by what_alchemy (M, 4,837 w., 1 Ch. || Possessive / Anxious Sherlock, Introspection, Bed Sharing, Past John Whump, Est. Rel., Marriage Proposal, Sherlock Loves John So Much, Word Play) – “He wants to shake John by the shoulders, wants to open his mouth and swallow John whole. Wants to marry him.” Sherlock searches for the right words.
Bound Into the Fire by Tara Laurel (T, 6,672 w., 5 Ch. || TEH, Suspense, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Bonfire Scene, John Whump, Mary is Nice) – "John sometimes compared Sherlock Holmes to the flaming beast in his mind...Not such a bad way to go, John mused. Being consumed by Sherlock. Dying in his fire. No. This was different. He was burning alive. Not figuratively. Not some flowery metaphor. Burning." There was no two minute stay of execution. "Amazing how fire exposes our priorities." (FFNet)
Victim, Bait, Hero, Friend by KimberlyTheOwl (T, 7,887 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TGG Epilogue, Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Past Kidnapping / Torture / Implied Rape, Panic Attacks, Worried / Possessive Sherlock, Lestrade is a Good Friend) – Some insights into why John was perfectly willing to throw everything away for a chance to kill Moriarty at the pool. Trauma, ugliness, and finally healing. Some nice supporting work by Lestrade as well. (FFNet)
A Friend Indeed by Sanru (K+, 8,190 w., 1 Ch. || Missing John, Friendship, Drama, Introspection, Possessive Sherlock, Worried Sherlock) – Something has gone terribly wrong with a supposedly simple case. John Watson is missing. While the search for him is proving to be fruitless, it has made Sherlock realize that having an emotional attachment to someone may have its disadvantages but he liked being able to call John his friend. Now if only he could find out what happened to him... (FFNet)
The Skin Over My Heart by standbygo (E, 8,849 w., 1 Ch. || Post-Hiatus, Fake Relationship, Case Fic, Dog Tags, Military, Homophobia, Gay Bashing, POV First Person Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss / Time, Declarations of Love, Undercover, Haircuts, Flashbacks, Touching, Pining Sherlock, Hospitalization, Metaphors, Introspection, Hand Jobs, On the Couch, John’s Past, Angst with Happy Ending) – Sherlock and John are still trying to adjust to Sherlock's return from his hiatus when John's friend Bill Murray brings them a case. Someone is targeting the LGBTQA+ members of Bill's unit. John and Sherlock go undercover at the unit, but when they end up having to flirt to flush out the suspect, Sherlock realizes he's in over his head.
Illogical, even. by magikspell (E, 9,119 w., 1 Ch. || Grey-Ace Sherlock, Character Study, Growing Up, Victor Trevor, Romance, First Time/Kiss, Sherlock-centric) – Five reasons Sherlock never believed in love and one reason he does now.
A Is For Aftermath by ElvendorkInfinity (T, 10,567 w., 1 Ch. || Injury / Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Pre-Slash/Bromance/Platonics, Hallucinations, Introspection, Insecure / Worried John, Big Brother Mycroft, Alternating POV, Anxious Sherlock, Self-Deprecating, Mildly Possessive Sherlock, 3G Moment) – John is still hallucinating, Sherlock cannot sleep, and Lestrade has a new case for them. But will life at 221B ever be able to return to normal? Epilogue to M is for Moriarty. (FFNet)
Always the sun by Rose de Sharon (K+, 12,377 w., 3 Ch. || Song Fic, Alternate Post-TGG, Friendship/Bromance, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection / Reflection, Injury Recovery, Obsessive / Protective Sherlock, Nightmares, John’s Past, Bed Sharing / Cuddles) – Sherlock ponders about how much his life has changed since John has become his flatmate. (FFNet)
To be loved by Strange_johnlock (E, 12,436 w., 8 Ch. || Post S3, Established Relationship, First Person POV Sherlock, Pet Names, Soft Sherlock, Mild ADHD, Protective John, Captain Watson, Body Appreciation, Bottomlock, Rough Sex, Travelling for Holidays, Introspection, Sherlock Loves John So Much It Hurts) – John is so deeply integrated into the work, both as my conductor of light, and as a great shot with a vicious right hook who tackles men -and women- no matter their size all in my defense. He protects me with all he can without question, and this loyalty is surely more than I deserve. Or: Sherlock is counting his blessings.
holding steady by darcylindbergh (E, 12,724 w., 4 Ch. || Post S4, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Growing Old, Gone Fishing, Mood without Plot, Soft Sherlock, Caring Sherlock, POV John Third Person, Anxious Sherlock, First Kiss / Time, Touching, Feeling Old, Sherlock Worship, Crying Sherlock, Cuddles, Comforting, Introspection, Retirement, Hand Holding, Forehead Kisses, Caring John, Bed Sharing, Emotional Love Making) – Sitting on a thick wool blanket at the end of a rickety dock side-by-side, legs dangling over the edge, a styrofoam container of wet, dark dirt between them, they’re fishing. John knows what this is about. This is about finally figuring it out.
The Velveteen Doctor by Lantean_Drift (M, 12,815 w., 1 Ch. || Angst, Dev. Rel., Introspection, Mild Whump, Taking Care of Each Other) – A series of events that show John just how real he has become to Sherlock – like a bright, brilliant flash of colour in an otherwise greyscale world.
Pattern Behaviour by SilentAuror (E, 14,835 w., 1 Ch. || POV First Person Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Introspection, Stroppy Sherlock, Light Humour, Friendship, John Takes Care of Sherlock, First Kiss/Time, Wall Kisses, Fluffy Angst, Happy Ending) – Sherlock doesn't even know why he resents John's dates so much. Until the day he does know. Slight angst, unrequited feelings (but don't let that scare you off!)
Hope for Heroes by Richefic (K+, 16,887 w., 5 Ch. || Post-TGG Fic, Introspection / Flashbacks, Friendship/Epic Bromance, Hurt/Comfort, Worried/Anxious Sherlock, Sherlock Admires John, BAMF John, John Deduces, Fancy Party, John’s Self Esteem, Domestics) – In the final moments of "The Great Game" Holmes hopes he will have the chance to tell his flatmate that he was wrong. Heroes do exist after all and the one in front of him is called Dr John Watson. (FFNet)
And A Doctor by stillwaters01(T, 24,962 w., 6 Ch. || Five and One, BAMF John, Hurt/Comfort, Doctor John, Friendship, Character Study) – It was only when people actually saw John working as a physician that they began to understand: that it wasn’t just about bullets and IEDs and trauma care under fire. That “doctor” actually covered a pretty wide field. And that John was bloody good at covering ground. 5 times Dr. Watson treated others and 1 time he treated himself.
A Quiet Life by DiscordantWords (M, 25,176 w., 6 Ch. || Post S4, Retirement, POV Sherlock, Awkwardness, Established Relationship, Family Dynamics, Minor Character Death, Questionable Parenting Choices, Non-Linear Narrative, 20 Year Old Rosie, Meddling Mycroft, Pining Sherlock, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Angst, Sherlock Whump) – There had been three days of silence and a funeral. Sherlock had the terrible feeling that whatever happened next would depend, entirely, on him.
How To Unfold a Heart by elwinglyre (E, 25,477 w., 7 Ch. || Post S4 Fix It, BAMF John, Mentioned Eurus, POV First Person Sherlock, Case Fic, Fluff, Slow Burn, Topping from the Bottom, 3 Yr Old Rosie, Introspection, Sexual Fantasies, John Worship, Ogling, Hand Holding, Kidnapping, Domesticity, Sherlock Whump, First Kiss/Time, Doctor John, Caring John, Soft Sherlock, Sensuality, Touching, Crying, Love Confessions, Anxious Sherlock, Rimming, Toplock, Fingering, Bossy Bottom John) – To Sherlock’s dismay, John’s return to Baker Street with Rosie is only temporary. Sherlock’s daily visits to Regent Park with John and Rosie illuminate his lost childhood memories and missed opportunities. But with each trip to the park, Sherlock also feels a growing sense of hope. That is until the past horrors return unexpectedly in a cryptic note folded in the shape of a heart. To decipher the message, Sherlock must uncover the nature of the hearts around him, including his own.
To Mend Icarus by AlessNox (T, 28,347 w., 14 Ch. || Post-TRF / Pre-S3 Divergence, BAMF John, Anger, Fighting, Sex, Bed Sharing, Stalking, Case Fic, John’s Past, Introspection, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Crime, Mythology, Darkness) – After a case lands John Watson in court, he tells Sherlock that he is leaving. Not understanding why, Sherlock decides that the only way to learn the truth is to investigate his flatmate, Dr. John Watson. Sherlock finds that coming back is not enough to fix all of the damage that he caused by leaving. A post Reichenbach, post reunion re-discovery fic.
Another Auld Lang Syne by DiscordantWords (M, 30,234 w., 31 Ch. || Post S4, Mutual Pining, Alternating POV, Introspection, Parentlock, Christmas, New Year’s, First Kiss, Past Drug Use, Angst with Happy Ending, Drinking, Sherlock Whump) – There had been years of missed chances.
Lucifer's Gardens by ampersand_ch (E, 32,679 w., 12 Ch. || GERMAN VERSION|| Romance, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Murder, Poison / Drugging, Mystery, John Undercover, Academic Club, Therapy, Rituals, Jungian Archetypes, Doctors & Physicians, Grief/Mourning, Esotericism, Hospitals, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, John Falls In Love With Another Man, Jealous Sherlock, Crying, Doctor John, Hand Holding, First Kiss/Time, Mysticism, Hugging, Touching) – John goes undercover for an investigation as a favour to Lestrade in a village in Suffolk. The events surrounding the case awaken deep-seated fears in Sherlock. While John begins to come to a realisation of what he needs in Lucifer's Gardens, Sherlock tries to find a way to reach John – in more ways than one.
There's Someone On Your Shoulder by halloa_what_is_this (NR, 41,215 w., 6 Ch. || Pining Sherlock, Introspection, Daydreams, Sherlock Loves John So Much it Hurts) – Sherlock trips and falls head over heels in love, makes a lot of lists and stares, stares, stares.
Triage by scullyseviltwin (E, 51,612 w., 14 Ch. || Character Injury, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Sherlock POV, Toplock) – Sherlock’s mind goes exceedingly, devastatingly quiet and gray-blank. When he speaks it’s through a thick haze, it’s through molasses, he’s so disconnected from the words that it may as well be the unconscious shooter speaking.
Spare Parts by Raina_at (E, 63,497 w., 10 Ch. || 24th Century / Futurism AU || Post TRF, Pre-TRF Relationship, Case Fic, Mutual Pining, Estrangement, Reconciliation, Science Fiction, Reunion, Nightmares, Angry John, Cybernetic John, Emotional Discussions / Heart to Heart, POV John, Scars, Past Drug Use, Forehead Touching, Emotional Lovemaking, Kissing, Apologies, Kidnapping, Rescue Mission, BAMF John, Bed Sharing, Top Sherlock) – Two years ago, Sherlock Holmes jumped off the roof of New London Hospital. Two months ago, he walked into John's clinic as if no time had passed at all. John hasn't seen him since. But then Sherlock knocks on John's door with a case he can't say no to, and while figuring out why the biggest manufacturer or synthetic limbs in the System is going after veterans, they also need to find out whether there's a way to fix what's broken between them. Part 1 of Realigning Gravity
Drawn to Stars by Silvergirl (E, 109,272 w., 60 Ch. || S4 Compliant to TLD / TFP Doesn’t Exist, Sherlock’s Italian Adventure, Sherlock/OC and Johnlock, Jealous John, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, First Kiss/Time, Idiots in Love, 3 Part Story, Slow Burn, Inexperienced Sherlock, Bottom Sherlock, Introspection, Multiple Alternating First and Third Person POV, Separation and Reconciliation, Emotional Love Making, Love Confessions via Letters, Angst with Happy Ending) – After the Culverton Smith case Sherlock is clean, working, and looking for a romantic partner—since John has told him that’s what he needs. Shame John didn’t mention he was interested in that role himself, before Sherlock went off to Rome with a gorgeous Italian copper to try to fall in love and become a complete human being.  Part 1 of the Drawn to Stars series
Against the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (E, 151,714 w., 20 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Hiatus Fic, POV First Person Sherlock, Present Tense, First Kiss/Time, Big Brother Mycroft, Escaping from Capture, Soft Sherlock, Toplock, Insecurity, Infidelity, Travelling, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Depression, Fantasies, Yearning for the Past, PTSD Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation) – Sherlock has been away from London for nine hundred and twelve days and counting, and has no idea what sort of reception to expect when he finally returns. 
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ckret2 · 5 months
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As someone with a shakey grasp on what “the truth” means, would the Truth Teeth work on Bill, if they had survived the bottomless pit?
Would he agree to wear them if it meant ford was willing to have a conversation
They'd work on Bill. The truth teeth seem to get people to say things that even they themselves might not realize. So anything Bill "knows on some level" but refuses to consciously acknowledge is fair game for the truth teeth. And most of the time, Bill doesn't actually forget the truth, he just buries it so deep he never has to think about it again—but it's still there.
In cases where he's denied something for so long he has lost track of the truth, if he's asked about it with the teeth in, 9 times out of 10 he'd say "I don't know." He has an easier time forgetting the truth than believing the lie.
In situations where he's convinced himself a lie is true, he'd share the lie. The truth teeth don't magically know the truth, they can only make the wearer share what they think is true.
So asking him a question might not get you the truth—but you'd learn what Bill himself genuinely believes is the truth.
Due to who he is as a person I think the truth teeth would have an odd effect on him. It might take several seconds for him to answer questions—he's made his own memories so convoluted that it takes some digging to disentangle the truth from the stories and justifications.
Some of his answers would scare him. Most truths he buries are things he doesn't want to be true, and he believes saying something out loud makes it a little more true, so being forced to state the truth reinforces and strengthens the shitty reality he's trying to alter. He takes the idea of self-fulfilling prophecies to a mind-boggling extreme.
And with great effort, he might temporarily dodge telling the truth by avoiding answering a question correctly. For instance, if somebody asked Bill right now whether he'd really intended to kill Mabel, he'd say "lmao no, of course not, it was a big ruse!" With the truth teeth in, he'd say "I want to believe I wouldn't have killed her. I wouldn't now." True, but doesn't answer the question. Prod again and he'll have to say "Yes, I meant to."
You could barely convince Bill to put in the truth teeth to save his own damn life, much less to have a conversation with fucking Ford. Bill's got plenty of friends on Earth who are much nicer to him and wouldn't make such a cruel demand! (He's got three friends on Earth.) (Two, two friends.) (Okay, fine, one and a half friends.) What could possibly come of a conversation with Ford that's worth such a high cost as the unadulterated truth?
Anyway, the mere demand shows SUCH a lack of trust (Bill's sliding right past the fact that Bill's the one who lost Ford's trust), and Ford really needs to learn to trust more! (Aaand sliding past the fact that Bill is the reason Ford has trust issues.) Hey, you want to get truth teeth involved, how about Ford wear them, huh? Bill wants to hear all the nice things Ford's thinking about him but refuses to share while he pretends to hate him. (If Ford wore truth teeth, he would not share nice things.)
There is gonna be a plot where, due to The Usual Gravity Falls Nonsense, Bill is put in a position where he has to be honest. It won't be truth teeth tho.
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aimwigs · 3 months
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hey I've been listening to the yard for about a year and a half and I want to get more into it ifywim do I just start watching old vods to catch up or is there any content u can recommend as a baseline must-watch
this is by no means a comprehensive list because i've only really been watching the yard since dec 2022 and my 2021 stint in lud viewing was brief and casual (didn't know what i had) but it is a fucking long list so i'll keep it under the cut. included stuff that maybe i wouldn't classify as a must watch but i wanted to include it so you can pick and choose what interests you
PODCASTS - I know for a fact there are other podcast appearances out there that I don't know of but here are a few:
the yard x wine about it - it's just the four of them and qt which means good times! this is an essential imo
there are a few eps of fear& that they appear on! specifically rec the ep with nick and aiden and the ep with ludwig and aiden. there are also a few eps with ludwig and slime (not at the same time) if you're interested in those
i've watched aiden on three different interview podcasts all are worth a watch to me: karat interview, across the bar, and good griefed (audio a little scuffed on this one but it's cute)
fucking loved nick's ep of across the bar because his outlook on creativity is super relatable to me. he also did something with safety third that i've been meaning to watch but haven't yet!
VIDEOS AND STREAMS - there's a lot here but i'll try to describe what's what
mogul money ft the yard - this is the full vod, there's also a cut down video. extremely fun watch
nick was also on mogul money live (first game specifically) and he and aiden appear in the bts video a little bit
qt posted vlogs from italy! they're all fun watches and there's some good moments. one, two, three, four
qt and aiden halloween gingerbread house video. ludwig and aiden kiss in this one. i think the full vod is in god's hands unfortunately
qt and aiden make shit in an ezbake oven and make the guys eat it. fun little video. idk if the vod is out there somewhere or not
there's a cut down version of this too but the full stream of qt having all the guys do a gingerbread house competition is very peak
lud did a shit load of taste test videos with the guys for a slim jim sponsor. this might not be all of them but here are the ones i cold find off rip (fruit, cheese, chocolate, water, steak)
ludwig has done a shitload of ylyl streams with slime that you can find and honestly i have a horrible mediashare allergy so i haven't watched a lot of them but i have watched the one they did with aiden and the one with everyone but idk where the full vod is for the latter
from ludwig's fortnite mondays, there was a week where slime and nick played with jerma and sapnap. idk if any of the others posted the vod but here's sapnap's
the subathon has a shitload of stuff that i can't even begin to link but if you want the experience of the dcom series without subbing to tier 2 they watched the truman show starting about an hour thirty into this vod, tho it takes a hot minute to get everything lined up with the time stamps
halloween po unboxing where them + qt dress up as characters from scooby doo. nick looks frankly obscene as velma this is a great vod
how many flashlights does it take to cook an egg is exactly what it sounds like. it's lud slime and nick ft a little bit of yingo
they play the family feud game together in these two vods: just them and against miz/otk (can't stand miz but it was still good)
RECENT STUFF - aka stuff you probably know about or have seen because you've been around a year and a half but i figured i'd include them anyway since they happened off the pod
two months ago they all played fortnite on lud's stream and it was awesome
both the show matches of the ludwig tarik invitationals are worth watching if you're into valo! the first one is team mogul v otv and they're split up in the second. if the timestamps are broken it's 2h30 in both vods
the rivals 2 tournament is fun! i don't understand shit about fighting games but i love to see the boys play
cdawgva ski vod with lud and aiden from the japan trip! there's also a cut down version of youtube but i found it a fun watch
recency bias alert: they all played in creator dodgeball
the qt and aiden winter cocktail tierlist stream was so good like genuinely a stream of all time to me. ludwig hangs around for parts of it
the yard doing the dougdoug fast food challenge is a MUST WATCH! they celebrate and they suffer what could be more beautiful
otv's fear pong video with them is so fucking good. SO GOOD!
and finally i guess i should mention beerio because it just happened LOL
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mukky-world · 2 months
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hi mukky!! i hope you don't mind asks i just found your website, and... it's so cool.... it's like you opened a whole new world for me a whole website dedicated to your art, tweaking every single thing to your liking, creating your own online world (and hence the name mukky's world).... that's so beautiful and i can't imagine why people stopped doing that. we HAVE to bring the trend back i still haven't looked at other websites you have put links to, this is honestly one of the first times i'm personally visiting a place on the internet like this one, but those buttons are very very tempting..... i was looking around your site for like half an hour if not longer, and i felt like a little kid in a toy store, or even more like a teenager in a stationery shop, running from shelf to shelf and picking up every single item with excitement glimmering in the eyes, everything is just so cool and pretty and amazing and i dont know the right adjectives to describe this experience😭 your art. your art is so precious. i think i can look at each piece for hours, it's all very expressive and honest and puts some positivity in my soul.... absolutely gorgeous and i think i accidentally got very invested into the anti-gravity racing lore.... the concept of unimaginably fast sky racing on a sort or racing-spaceship machines is amazing, has to be a separate game or a show!!! hard to pick my favorite team, but it's probably between sky labs and la rapid, tho polycarbonate is also a strong competitor anyway, i could probably say much more, but this is already a lot for a single ask, so i'll stop here. thank you so much for making a website, i can't wait to see what else you're going to do with it!! (and a possible second site? your youtube channel???? honestly baffled with your seemingly unending creativity) with best regards, blooky <з
I... I don't know what to say... it means so much to read this, I am so very greatful to hear the joy you get out of my work. This is why I make art, thank you for the very kind words!!! I will work hard to continue bringing this kind of joy into the world!!! :3 <3 <3 <3 <3
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lostinwoso · 2 years
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If you are allowing for requests could you do a Mapi Leon x reader one where the reader gets hurt in the World Cup finals and her team loses so Mapi has to comfort her for both?
Always By Your Side (Mapi Leon x Reader)
A/N: Second fic ever so don’t expect too much. Also turned out way longer than planned but I hope u like it anyway. Have a great day!
The moment you dreamed of is finally here, all the hard work and training paid off.
Here you stand on the field where the World Cup Final will begin in just a few seconds.
And that's exactly what brings you out of your thoughts, the referee blows the whistle and with that you quickly focus on the game.
____________________
It's half-time and the score is still 0-0.
A bit frustrated, you make your way across the pitch towards the tunnel and that's when your eyes meet the ones of your girlfriend Mapi.
You knew she was gonna be here but seeing her and her also wearing your jersey makes you forget about the frustration you just felt seconds before.
With a light smile on your face you go into the break.
____________________
The game is still open, with a tied score of 1-1 and 10 minutes left it's starting to get rougher on the field.
Subtle or not so subtle shoves here and there and rather dangerous tackles makes it seems like as if its just a question of time until someone gets hurt.
Making a run with the ball down the field you try to look for an open player to pass the ball to but before you even have the chance to do that, you suddenly fall down and all you can feel is pain in your ankle.
Laying on the floor clutching your ankle you immediately know that there is no chance of you being able to continue playing.
So you're not surprised when the stretcher is brought out and you are being carried of the field with the sounds of claps around the stadium.
____________________
After being brought off the field and directly into the hospital for scans you helplessly had to watch your team lose on the little TV in the corner of the room.
But you did not cry there, not wanting to seem weak around the nurses and doctors.
As soon as you were brought to your hotel room and being left alone with your confirmed broken ankle, you let your tears fall feeling way too many things at once.
Scared of your career due to the injury.
Disappointed for not winning the final.
And ashamed for letting your team, fans and family down.
Hearing someone knocking on your door breaks you out of your thoughts.
But you do nothing, hoping they get the message and leave you alone.
That flies out of the window tho when you hear the knocking again and a familiar voice call out your name "Y/N? It's me love, could you please open the door?"
With a sigh you manage to sit up grab your crutches and make your way to open the door for your girlfriend.
As soon as the door is open you are being engulfed in a tight hug "I'm so sorry bebe, you deserved so much more" she whispers softly in your ear.
Not being able to say anything you just let them tears fall again, which makes her carry you carefully back into your hotel room and lay you down on the bed.
She immediatley pulls you into her and whispers reassuring words in hope to calm you down.
____________________
After calming down and just enjoying each others presence she starts talking "I know you're disappointed but i'm sure you will come back stronger from this and that's when you will win the world cup" she takes a small break before continuing "unless it's against Spain of course" she says and you can hear the smile in her voice.
Pulling yourself a bit away from here you give her a look in which she just gives you a big smile before she starts laughing.
Hearing your favourite sound you can't help but start laughing as well.
"There is my favourite sound!" she happily exclaims and pulls you into another tight hug.
After calming down again and her noticing that the events are slowly creeping up on you and you're about to fall asleep she whispers again "We get through this together, the injury, the loss, you will always have me here by your side no matter what" pressing a kiss to your forehead you sleepily answer a simple "Te amo" which she immediatley returns and thats when sleep takes over you.
You know that the injury and loss will keep your mind busy for a while but with your girlfriend Mapi by your side you are sure you can take on everything.
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lastoneout · 4 months
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hi idk if you're a huge kalos fan but how are you feeling about the direct
I haven't watched it yet, but ngl Kalos wasn't my favorite OR my least favorite pokemon game, I was pretty neutral on it overall. My main complaint was how annoying the map was to traverse before you got fly, but aside from that it was fine, introduced some cool pokemon and had a decent plot. Tbh for the next Legends game I would have preferred Jhoto, but eh. It's not a huge deal to me.
My real issue is that it's a little hard to get excited about it when I know how bad crunch is at Game Freak and that despite saying they were reevaluating their tight release cycle bcs like, ScarVi was borderline unplayable at launch and Arceus got abandoned the second they were done with it despite being the most popular game in years....I just have no faith that this game will be good, or at least it won't be anywhere near as good as it has the potential to be :/
I hope I'm proven wrong tho, and I don't think it's wrong to be excited about the game, something something no ethical consumption and I'd be a major hypocrite if I told people to drop any game company that has bad practices bcs almost all of them do, I just can't get hype. I was really, really hoping Game Freak would slow the hell down and stop making new games for a couple of years, put all of their focus on gen 10 and release that maybe in 2026 or 2027, but nope gotta make that money even if the games we release are falling apart at the seams and our devs are working on two or three projects at once.
And like, given the current trend in decreasing quality I'm genuinely unsure if the game is even going to be functional enough to be worth playing, especially since I figure to hit a 2025 release they probably started working on this right after Arceus came out, and there has simply not been enough time to make this game good. Plus there were a lot of points in ScarVi where I legit just wanted to put the game down and stop playing entirely bcs the graphics and glitches and framerate drops started to make me annoyed and dizzy, and once I was done with the main story I lost like all motivation to keep playing(I like finishing my dex, I did it in Sw/Sh and Let's Go and have almost done it in BDSP and Arceus, but I don't care about ScarVi's dex at all), and I haven't even bought the DLC yet. Tbh I'm probably not even gonna pre-order this, I'm waiting till it's out to decide if I want to buy it or not.
Anyway sorry to be a buzzkill, I don't fault anyone for being excited, I've loved Pokemon for more than half my life, it helped me meet my fiancé, it really means so SO much to me, so I get it, but like....I think I love the series too much to get excited for this. Seeing what Pokemon is turning into is just...painful and sad. I hope y'all enjoy it tho, and who knows, I could be wrong, maybe it will be fantastic and super polished and we can all breathe a sigh of relief bcs they got their shit together! That would be nice.
Edit: I do want to say I'm glad it has been 3 years instead of the usual 2, and I'm VERY glad they didn't announce gen 10, but unless the scope of this game is narrow as fuck and they also don't release until like November-December 2025 AND this team was NOT the same team who worked on ScarVi's DLC that is still not enough time to make a game with the scope they've been establishing as their new baseline. TOTK took SIX years to finish. Elden Ring's DLC was built on top of an existing game and it still took TWO whole years just to make it. Most open-world games take a really, really long time. Adding an extra year is great, but they need to be taking a lot longer than that between games. This is a step in the right direction, but it's not enough to inspire confidence.
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captainschaos · 8 months
Text
dreaded grin, cold light
wrote this fic for @k-asternix for the @mcyt-halloween gift exchange!! it was a little out of my comfort zone since I really only watch mumbo/scar/grian through life series, but I decided to go for it anyway and had a blast :] a little platonic soulmate action with some spooks on the side, hope you enjoy!
(also worth noting, this will likely be part 1 of 2 for your gift!! unofficially since I don't think it will be done by tomorrow, but I do have a second piece in the works and can tag you when I post that too ^_^)
word count: 3851 This will likely be posted to ao3 too! I'm new over there tho so wanna make sure I get all the parts right before I put it up, will edit to link that here when I do ---/---/---
The atmosphere of the Deep Frost Citadel has always made Mumbo feel at least a little on edge. Sure, he often felt such glee here too, laughing with the other hermits outside the dungeon door, smiling and barely containing their excitement as they all wait for their turn to run the game, but there’s also… an unease. It is not hidden that the Citadel is a hostile place, with its spines and glaring eyes abounding in the crevices of its stonework walls, but it’s deeper. Maybe it’s just the chill that always makes it a bit uncomfortable to sit in one place for too long inside it. Maybe it’s the groans that come from deep in the place’s belly where the dungeon churns with hunger. But no matter how much he loves Decked Out, and how often he will always return to this place with joy, Mumbo just can’t seem to shake the underlying twist at the pinprick in the center of his belly that something is not quite right here. 
But still, it’s a place he loves, and he loves being with his friends here. So right now, he sits with Grian in their shared room, listening as Grian goes through his deck. 
“I mean, I’ve just about got all the commons covered, so I get to get into the fun stuff now, y’know?”
“Mhm,” Mumbo hums in response, smiling down at his own small deck he’s shuffling through while he listens to Grian. 
“I’m just not sure…” Grian sighs, though Mumbo can hear that it’s a playful kind of half-feigned irritation. “It’s nice to be able to choose, but now I have to make decisions, which-”
Grian’s words are cut off, and Mumbo glances up quickly as he hears the feathers of his wings rustle slightly. The harpy’s wings and shoulders are tensed for only a fraction of a moment as Mumbo looks at him, but he quickly shakes it out and picks up another of his cards. 
“Are, uh- you alright, Grian?”
“Oh, yeah.” He shoots Mumbo a reassuring grin. “Scar just tripped over a berry bush I think. He’s running the dungeon right now.” 
“Oh, uhm… Right.” 
Of course. Ever since Double Life, Scar and Grian have had a soullink which lets them feel the other’s pain. There had been signs they were soulmates for a while before that, but it was that iteration of the great death games that had cemented it in a way that was unignorable. Mumbo sometimes wishes he had been there, wonders who he might have been matched with, but it is what it is. He and Grian are soulmates too, even if they don’t share this. 
Less than a minute passes before Grian hisses with a shallow gasp of pain again, and this time Mumbo catches the momentary glow of the pale, spiked halo that signs the action of his soullink. It’s silvery, like the vex magics that line Scar’s smile, but with a bronze undertone that complements Grian’s dusty-brown hair and feathering. It almost looks thorned. Certainly painful. 
Even before Mumbo can say anything, Grian laughs about it. “Scar’s just fallen off something, the idiot. He’s not going to be able to take a hit from a ravager, I can tell you that much.” 
“Sounds like Scar,” Mumbo says with a half a chuckle in response. But it’s hard to cover up the unease he’s feeling. 
It’s always hard to watch though. Seeing Grian in pain, when there’s nothing to do about it… it makes Mumbo’s stomach twist. But there’s an element of love in it, and Grian always says it’s fine, not to worry, and always laughs and shakes his head affectionately after he winces. So as Scar continues his run through the depths of the dungeon, Mumbo watches and listens, biting his tongue, as Grian narrates each unfortunate twist of the vex’s journey. When Grian grabs his arm and announces Scar must have healed up, because that couldn’t have been anything but a ravager bite, Mumbo’s insides twist in knots. The Citadel feels colder than ever around him when Grian shakes out another berry prick, but there’s an affectionate smile that Mumbo just can’t quite understand. There’s an unsettling feeling of watching through a window that shouldn’t be there while Grian narrates with uncanny specificity as Scar trips and fights through the dungeon, a journey that should be known only to the stomach of Decked Out, but has wormed its way through the soullink to Grian and now squirms in Mumbo’s gut. He feels off. So when there’s a shudder, and Grian clutches his chest and his wings spread in automatic response, Mumbo can’t help but jump to his feet and go to his friend. 
“Grian!” 
“I’m fine!” As Mumbo reaches out for his soulmate, Grian’s hand comes up to block him through a flat-palmed gesture, and he shakes out his feathers. “You don’t need to worry, Mumbo, I’ve told you this! It’s all–”
“Well THAT was a nightmare!” Scar says with an enormous smile as saunters up to Grian and Mumbo’s cubby. “All the ravagers in all the wrong places, just awful. I do not recommend trying to get an artifact through there right now.”
“Seemed it, buddy!” Grian says jauntily. He looks at Mumbo with one last look, clearly trying to calm him, but it somehow just makes him feel more queasy when Grian goes back to talking to Scar like it’s all fine. “It was Willy who did you in at the end there, wasn’t it?”
Mumbo knows what just happened though. Scar barely had to feel the dying, the world snatching him up as soon as his soul cried out and shuffling him comfortably back to the bed to respawn. That’s part of how they all set up their respawns, it’s all designed to mitigate the pain. But Grian… 
What did he feel?
Mumbo can’t help but feel sick at the thought of it. 
But deeper down, in a more selfish part of him, he wonders if it’s the fact that he’s the only one who has no way to know that makes him feel sick to the stomach. 
Maybe it’s just the Citadel getting to him. 
Yeah. That must be it. 
---/---/---
Scar hums to himself as he shuffles through a shulker box, pulling out a bundle of pumpkins to set out between himself and Grian. 
“There we go! Where would you like them, buddy-ol-pal?”
“Pretty much everywhere!” the harpy announces giddily. He’s already got rolls of black and orange and green wool streamers wrapped around his arms as he looks up at the entrance of his base with both hands proudly on his hips. The Halloween colors are blooming all around Grian’s base, and with Scar and Mumbo’s help, they’re just coming to pop more and more. 
“You got it!” Scar hefts up a pumpkin under each arm, tutting as the enchantment on his leg braces fizzes under the weight. Not his fault he’s so strong! He taps his foot to realign the runes, and then whistles as he picks a nice spot by the door for these two lovely golden gourds. 
“Hm… do you think that should go a bit higher, Scar?” Grian asks. 
“What should?” Scar responds as he straightens up and brushes the pumpkin-dirt off his hands. He looks over to Grian, then follows the line of where he’s pointing. The harpy’s gesture leads up to where Mumbo stands up in the ring surrounding Grian’s nether portal. A bit precarious, but his elytra is folded snugly against his back, ready to catch him should he fall, and he keeps at least one lanky arm clasped to the stone ring around him at all times. More specifically, Grian is pointing to the enormous fake bat the mustached changeling is holding up, showing where he plans to hang it from the top of the portal. “Oh. Hm hm… probably just a bit! Don’t want it to hit your head if you come rocketing out of there with a piglin on your tail, you know.” 
“Good point. Alright–” 
And with that, Grian locks eyes with Mumbo across the distance, and there’s a glow. Soft and warm, almost violent in hue with the depth of the shade, a red light seems to pool in Grian’s mouth as he looks up at Mumbo, lips parted slightly. The changeling in turn looks back, and even from this far away Scar can see the glow that shows the message has been received, and sure enough he shifts a bit so that he can raise the decoration higher before securing it with string. Scar turns to see Grian blink a few times, and then he gets back to his own work throwing streamers over everything in reach, smiling softly to himself. 
Scar knows, there’s no need to be jealous. Grian and Mumbo have their soulmate bond, and Scar has his own with the harpy, but… he still wonders. He can’t help it, shoving words in different spots to create every configuration of what might pass between them that he can’t hear, through their sharing of thoughts. It is nice that at least there’s the glowing sign when it happens, so he’s not completely left out of the loop, but there’s still… there’s just still some unshakeable feeling about it. Something uneasy. Something that makes the ground feel unstable under Scar, like he doesn’t quite know where to step without falling. It’s silly, he knows. But knowing what he doesn’t know doesn’t seem to help much. 
But nevermind all that! He has pumpkins to throw around after all, and he delights in putting them in as many ledges and nooks as he can reach without Grian being able to. Realistically, the harpy has the wings to reach any of it, but that doesn’t stop Scar from laughing as he has to hop to readjust one of the jack-o-lanterns Scar’s placed a bit askew. But like punctuation throughout this, there are the moments where Grian looks over Scar’s shoulder, and there’s a momentary rush of adrenaline as he wonders if there’s a creeper behind him, and then he sees the glow in Grian’s mouth. 
It casts shadows that seem to accentuate every sharp edge to the harpy’s teeth. 
“Mumbo’s just about done,” Grian says after one of these moments. “You think we’ve done our work here?”
“Oh, for sure!” Scar announces, putting his hands on his hips as he looks over their handiwork. “Looking mighty spooky here, friend. A nice spread of tricks and treats.”
“Perfect. Let’s get out of here and maybe grab a bite to eat then, huh? All this work has certainly got my appetite up.” 
Scar keeps smiling, but as Grian talks, he can’t seem to look anywhere but at his teeth. There’s a pinch in his stomach. 
“Sounds good.”
---/---/---
Mumbo sits alone in his vault, at a desk he tends to keep reserved for redstone planning. There are sketches laid out in front of him, pages and pages of blueprints that are more like redprints with the lines of redstone scrawled across them, but none of them are right. His head is in his hands, his changeling claws just barely pressing into his scalp as more of a grounding pressure than anything, but there is something bothering him. 
And the maddening thing is, he doesn’t know what. 
It’s an aching, something that he keeps thinking is hunger, but he’s been eating. Golden carrots at first, he always keeps a bundle of them at his desk for this purpose, but they didn’t help. He snapped his teeth through piece after piece of the clicking-crunching things, the sound of them breaking rattling like brittle bones, but they seemed to glide right past the sensation rolling in his gut. After biting through a handful of them, he thought maybe he was just having a different craving, so he went to find some steak, but that did little besides give a new ripping instead of the crunching. He even tried golden apples as his desperation grew, but he almost felt he was being taunted. He was hungry, and yet eating did nothing to help him. 
And the churning in his stomach is only growing. 
---
Scar sits in one of his many workshops hidden throughout the back areas of Scarland, looking over the plans for the latest and greatest ride to come. Or at least, he’s trying to. At the moment he’s holding his head in his hands, palms pressing into his forehead, the heels of his hands smothering his eyes as he tries to rub away the weight that seems to have settled on his eyelashes. He can hardly even look at his plans, much less process them, as his vexish wings flicker behind him in a visual representation of his struggle to just keep himself upright, as something tugs at him. 
But he has no idea what. 
He’s trying to keep on his smile, despite the fact that there’s no one in the room, just to keep himself sane. It’s solidly into the evening hours on the server, sure, but he’s had plenty of rest. And yet there’s an aching when he peels his eyes open, and it feels like folds of weight have been hung over him to pull him, smother him, to the earth. Every bone in his body feels like a support beam about to snap, and he would swear his spine creaks as he tries to straighten up. It seems like fatigue, but he knows he should be fine. He makes sure he rests, he knows he should be fine, and besides, he even tried sleeping. He laid down in one of the spots he has set up in case of occasions like this, closed his eyes, and… nothing. The silence was maddening. There was nothing to disturb him, and yet, no sleep came. So now he sits here, listening to nothing, looking at nothing, and yet he remains. He feels chained to the ground itself, every movement is a dragging, and yet his mind remains, stagnant and stale in this state. 
And the weight around his neck is only growing. 
---
Mumbo is trying to focus. He is desperately trying to focus. But it feels like something is trying to rip him in two, the way this strange, poltergeist of a hunger is clawing at him. 
Still, nothing is working. Mumbo’s tried potions now, splashing them and drinking, hoping for something to put even just a dent in the hunger tearing at his insides. It did nothing for the aching in his gut, the tightness in the back of his throat, like a hand clenched around his neck. He leans now against the door of his vault, trying to use the coolness of the metal to drag his mind away from it, but there’s no thinking about anything but the hunger. It’s grating at his mind. Panic is starting to form a new core to the grinding in the pit of his stomach. A fear, a wondering- what if this never leaves? What if there’s no answer, what if this is it? He has no idea what’s caused it, so what if there’s no way to end it? There’s a hopelessness beginning to emerge, like an animal crawling out of a cave. He doesn’t want it to be there. But even worse, he’s scared there’s no defeating it. 
His gut drops if he thinks too much about it. 
---
Scar wants to focus. He really, truly wants to focus. But it’s just impossible, it’s impossible! He’s absolutely positive now that there’s nothing he can do about it. 
Nothing has worked. Scar’s flipped on every beacon in the area now, hoping their powers might do something to rejuvenate him, but it did nothing. It had no effect on the horrid grip around his temples, the feeling dragging him toward the floor. His limbs feel like lead, and he now sits in his wheelchair, just trying to ignore the feeling of weight and dulled senses pulling at him. A kind of claustrophobic desperation is welling up at the center of it all. The dread of not knowing how this will end, the panic of having no idea what’s happening to him, the cause of this weariness. He should know how to fix this. He should be able to fix this. But still…
His chest tightens if he thinks too much about it.
---
There has to be a solution. There has to be. 
The changeling just wants to fix this. He just wants to know what’s wrong with him. He just wants to know what this is, haunting the space just under his ribcage. 
It’s consuming him. He hardly even realizes when the hunt carries him out into the night. 
---
There has to be a solution. There has to be. 
The vex just wants to end this. He wants to know what’s happening to him. He just wants to know what this is, consuming the space just behind his eyes. 
It’s haunting him. He hardly even realizes when the need takes him out into the night. 
---
Two figures tumble into opposite sides of an alleyway. Teeth bared, stomachs snarling and snatching, skulls lolling toward the ground, they lock eyes with one another. And in their horrid torments, enveloped in the cold night, something snaps in place. 
---/---/---
Grian happily carries a shulker box full of building materials as he walks down the path toward the shopping district. He knows he could fly, it’d be much faster, but it’s such a nice day! He wanted to enjoy it. 
“G!” a voice calls, and he stops and spins to try and find it. There are no buildings around this part of the path, but he quickly spots two figures not too far off the road, waving to him. He jogs over, and finds Mumbo and Scar laying on a blanket in the grass, side by side in the laziest of friendly ways. 
“Hello, you two! Enjoying the beautiful day, are we?”
“Certainly better than last night was,” Mumbo says with a lighthearted but slightly concerning chuckle. Scar pipes up to help clarify, or at least attempt to, before Grian can say anything concerned though. 
“Oh, don’t worry about that, it’s all fixed up now! And it did us more good than bad, didn’t it?” 
Mumbo laughs again, this time with a bit more vigor. “Very, very true.” 
“Wait- what happened? Everything’s alright?” 
“Yeah, yeah! Here, we can show you,” Scar pipes up again. “Watch this.” 
With that he rolls over a bit to look at Mumbo, who just smiles and keeps still. After a moment of Scar’s concentration, there’s a glow, and Grian looks down to Scar’s hand where the light seems to be cupped in his palm. Matching, Mumbo’s own palms seem to mirror the glow, and Grian would recognize that silverish light anywhere, though this particular iteration seems to have a very slight green undertone, copperish and almost mimicking sunbeams underwater. 
“Soulmates?!” 
“Soulmates!” Mumbo and Scar affirm, in sync, causing a ripple of giggling. 
“Not sure exactly how recently it, y’know, popped up, but yep! And I can use it to tell you that… Mumbo needs to talk to you.”
Grian finally moves to sit, making a spot for himself between his two soulmate’s legs, but leaving the near-touch they have between their shoulders so they can all sit as together as possible. “So the link’s something need related?”
“Yeah, well,” Mumbo begins, somehow managing to twiddle his fingers even with his hands making a pillow under his head, “I think it might have been at least partially shaped by… what we were missing, from our soullinks with you. Not that you aren’t amazing!” Grian nods understandably, waiting for the explanation to finish. “It’s just- Scar and I were both seeing how you connected with the other, and it- it made something to be left out of, I guess? Or maybe just made it easier to notice what we were missing, I’m not sure it just-” 
“We were missing the link to each other,” Scar finishes for Mumbo. A glow fades from his palm again, not as strong as when he was focusing on it, but a sign Mumbo may have been in need of a bit of silver-tongued rescuing. “I had the pain, he had the thoughts, and so we bridged the gap.” 
“Thinking about each other’s pain,” Mumbo says with a grateful smile given to Scar. “That’s the way I’ve been thinking about it, at least.” 
“So… how did you figure this out, exactly?” Grian asks. 
“Oh, ah- well, Scar hadn’t eaten in far too long, and I thought I was getting ripped apart from the inside out!” Mumbo laughs, rolling so his elbow can jab into Scar’s shoulder. 
“Hey! At least I take all the cat-naps a man could need, one of us needed some shut-eye so bad it was driving me up the wall!” 
And at this, Grian laughs. He was asleep plenty early last night, and must have stayed asleep through any inkling of this event. But of course, these two managed to get supernaturally attuned in precisely the right way to bully each other about taking care of themselves. As much focus as Mumbo had on him, he knows Scar and Mumbo have their very own, very unique friendship. And he has no need to be jealous- he knows they love him in equally wonderful ways. 
“Oh, you wonderful idiots! How’d you get that mess sorted out then?” 
“I practically tackled Mumbo into bed of course!” Scar says with his hands thrown in the air. 
“But not before I shoved about a stack of steak into your mouth!” Mumbo shoots back through giggles. 
All three of them are laughing, and Grian pats a hand on each of his soulmates’ nearest knee. “Well, glad you seem in much better spirits now. Can I see the soullink work again?”
“Sure! Here, I’ll give it a go this time.” Mumbo turns to Scar and scrunches up his face comedically as their palms glow once more, and the two barely hold back giggles as their foreheads nearly press together. “Hmm, I think Scar’s hungry. For… Grian brainsss…!” he announces with a punctuating wiggle of his fingers for extra spooky effect. 
“What! No no no, that’s your thing, Mr. I-Am-What-I-Eat!” 
The group collapses into a fit of giggles, and Grian falls onto his chest between his soulmates, wrapping an arm around each in a wonderfully clumsy hug. Scar throws an arm up over Grian’s head to reach around to Mumbo, and the changeling in turn reaches across Grian to playfully swat at Scar’s other hand as he gestures wildly. They remain like that for a while, safe and comfortable in each other’s presence, smiling and talking all too loudly for reasonable interaction. But affection has no need to be reasonable, in the face of unreasonable obstacles, even if those obstacles have been thoroughly overcome. It’s the absurdity that will keep them running strong. It’s the laughter after the dark that will always bring them back to each other. 
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momentomori24 · 8 months
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Ok, ZERO ESCAPE 999. This game was a weird one for me. Definitely great, do not get me wrong--- I LOVE this game to pieces and after finishing this post I will finally start VLR during the weekend (hopefully), and mull over the characterization because what the hell, everyone is absolutely hilarious (Junpei, Snake, Seven and Santa specifically I'm looking at you)--- but it certainly left me with a bunch of questions to which I have no answers. Which makes sense considering the next game will most probably pick up where 999 left off so I won't touch on that too much, but everything really felt like a crazy, confusing, convoluted fever dream. In a good way. But still, very cryptic.
Speaking about fever dreams, June's situation is the most unique circumstance for a character I think I've ever seen. If I have everything correct (and correct me if I'm wrong), she originally died in the present timeline in the incinerator room long ago and somehow the Akane we meet in the Nonary Game exists simultaneously dead and alive at the same time in the aftermath of that event--- so basically Schrödinger's cat. The Nonary Game was set up to make Junpei save the Akane through telekinesis to create either a separate timeline or more likely influence the present one so that she can exist normally. That's why she's doomed to disappear in every ending; Junpei doesn't get to recreate that exact scenario in the incinerator room, so past Akane never reaches him and dies the way she was supposed to, meaning June ceases to exist as a consequence. And the burning fevers she would randomly get are her body reliving the memories being burned in the incinerator room 9 years ago. Did I get that all right? If so, then wow, that's not a twist I saw coming at all. Props to the creator of the game, but also how dare you doom my girl like this.
My biggest question how tho. I know that's not the best question to ask in a game where we are literally on the replica of the titanic, the exact same place where half of the cast along with other kids where brought to almost a decade ago because they were targeted by a supposed medical company and leader of said company is also part of our gang, forced into solving locked rooms while death hangs over their heads until 9 hours are over but our protagonist can turn back time without even knowing it every time things go bad, but still. If it's revealed later on then please don't tell me. If not, go ahead.
This is my second attempt to type this because my first drafts somehow didn't save and I'm too lazy to re-do everything so I'll bullet point:
•What happened to Santa in the true ending? Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think he was present during our car ride. Ace was there, though, despite being taken hostage by him and led away.
•So June is alive, right? Since we rewrote the timeline and helped Akane survive, what happened to her? She vanished on us during our confrontation with Santa, so where did she end up when everything was over?
•Who the hell killed everyone in the other endings? We know Clover goes crazy in one and Ace kills her in another, but what about the rest? We know it's not one of us because every single person we have gets slaughtered in the Sub endings with Junpei last. I did make post about it and I'll stick to what I said, but I guess I'll wait and see if the next game will answer.
•Who is Zero. That's it. I was thinking it was not Santa, to gradually being persuaded into thinking it could be him due to the evidence pointing into direction only for it to have really not him. He is actually more involved than most, but he's not the guy we're looking for (good). Give me answers, game.
Well, rant over for now. I'll probably slightly touch on VLR because I have an assessment to revise for, but I'm excited! I've heard a little about the gameplay and I'm really curious to see how it will pay out.
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