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#does not give a shit about player safety
hockeyandpens · 3 months
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In an actual functional world THIS would be more than enough to fire Gary Bettman effective immediately, and never allow him near professional hockey ever again. That son of a bitch has done irreparable damage to the NHL in so many ways it's actually impressive. He does not give a shit about the players, the fans or anything other than money. Truly one of the most despicable motherfuckers in the history of the sport.
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jollyfunvoid · 3 months
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Bucci gang headcanons
Bruno Bucciarati
-Wes Andersson fan (his comfort movie is Grandhotel Budapest)
-fave era is roaring 20s (aesthetic & music wise)
-listens to electro swing, swing, jazz and blues
-has a very strong sweet tooth. His cravings are so extreme he is able to eat whole giant chocolate on one go and not gain a single kilogram. His favorite ice cream is stracciatella and his go to dessert is tiramisu. If you wanna bribe him, use sweets
-loves Golden Girls (Sofia is his favorite character)
-hardcore Eurovision fan, always prepares for the Eurovision weeks in advance, it's like a holiday for him
-brings small camera with him everywhere he goes, gets very emotional and sentimental when taking pictures, loves to keep all the memories
-shares an old record player with Abbacchio, they collects vinyl records together
-in charge of shared Netflix and Disney+ account
-has an ornamental lower back tattoo which matches the one he has on his chest. Has a lot of tattoos all over his body in general
-is very good at sailing and has a captain's licence. As a kid he used to be obsessed with pirates, he still lowkey fantasizes about life at sea
-surprisingly a very good dancer and hella skilled belly dancer. He is also very flexible
-Caterina Caselli number 1 fan
-drinks a lot of coffee, never starts a day without a cup of cappuccino
-obsessed with candles
-as a kid he used to build wooden ship models with his dad. Now as an adult he still does it sometimes, when he is not too busy
-bought himself a sewing machine because he is really into fashion and wanted to start making his own clothes. Isn't very good at it tho, his sewing skills are poor, so he always ends up zipping everything up with his stand and then acts like that's how the "sewn" piece is supposed to look like
-has a sweet melodic laugh
-extremely flirty, he is a snarky little shit who loves to tease others
-"Oh my god look at the sky! The colors are so beautifl!" *takes a picture* "And the clouds? Wow!" *takes another picture* "Guys, come look at the sunset!" *takes 20 more pictures*
-has a very low alcohol tolerance (3 glasses in and he is under the table)
-although he seems like a very well put together person, he is very messy and tends to misplace things, especially when he creates extra storage with zippers he can't find anything. He calls it "organized chaos"
-can easily sneak up on others, he just silently spawns out of nowhere. Is it his natural ability or is Sticky Fingers involved? No one knows
-is able to talk his way out of anything, uses his charm to his advantage a lot. Also the master of puppy eyes
-suffers from PTSD because of the attack on his father, that's why he always sleeps with a knife under his pillow. Everytime he hears noises in the middle on the night he gets paranoid that someone is hiding in or sneaking into his home with the intention of harming him and his love ones. When the panic attacks hit him really hard, he irrationally makes extra safety precautions, such as blocking doors with furniture or leaving the lights on. Also has trouble sleeping in unknown places because he feels vulnerable and exposed to potential dangers, he is always in a state of high alert.
-his favorite season is winter, he enjoys Christmas the most because he loves giving presents and being with his family. He definitely plays an old Ella Fitgerald vinyl records during Christmas time
Leone Abbacchio
-tea lover, his favorite is earl grey
-doesn't like sweets, however he enjoys dried fruit (especially figs)
-Narancia is his favorite kid
-movies enthusiast, has seen sooo many movies and is the biggest critic. He has a Letterboxd account where he writes reviews. Loves watching old horror movies the most because of the gothic aesthetic, but DC movies have a very special place in his heart
-hardcore Depeche Mode, Calabrese and London After Midnight fan
-goes jogging every morning
-after getting sober he tries to look after his diet more, thanks to Bruno
-knows a lot about occult stuff
-secretly watches RuPaul's drag race with Trish
-owns a motorcycle
-named his stand after Bruno's favorite music genre to honor everything Bruno has done for him
-takes very cold and brisk showers
-taught all the boys how to drive
-thanks to Mista he became a huge Gorillaz fan
-since Moody Blues doesn't have lips, she communicates with him via symbols on her digital forehead screen
-never puts down his headphones
-has a playlist for literally any occasion. Tends to gatekeep music, you have to be very special if he shows you his playlists. Has made a playlist for each member of the Bucci gang, the only one who knows is Bruno (Leone created him multiple playlists, they even have a shared one, which they play when they are alone)
-his skin is very prone to bruising
-Moody Blues also allows him to see fragments of the past when he touches various items, he is able to sense the overall vibe and emotions of their owner and the situation they were in while using the item.
-his clothes may be dark, but I know for a fact his socks and underwear are colorful af, wild patterns all over
-his favorite season is autumn, he loves rainy and foggy weather
-the biggest prankster of the group. Everyone thinks either Narancia or Mista are always responsible for the pranks, but it is actually Leone. No one ever suspects him, because he doesn't look like the type of guy who would enjoy such childish things. And thanks to his stoic appearance he always gets away with it.
-true crime podcast listener. Him and Fugo share this passion and often discuss their favorite podcast shows. Sometimes they watch detective movies together and bet on who will solve the mystery first
Pannacotta Fugo
-reads a lot of crime novels in his free time, always comes up with his own theories and tries to solve the case before the detective (got mistaken only once and couldn't get over it for a long time). His favorite author is Sebastian Fitzek
-loves watching cartoons and animated movies, because he didn't get to enjoy them as a child
-hates horror movies because of loud jumpscares, but doesn't mind gore
-drinking green tea helps him to calm down
-gets sunburnt easily
-either never gets ill, or is sick for several weeks straight
-developed not only respiratory, but also digestive problems because of Purpe Haze and feels nauseous a lot (also throws up very often)
-uses make up to cover his facial scars
-his skin is extremely dry
-has a very light sleep, he finds it extremely difficult to share room with others during missions (he is only able to fall asleep with either Bruno or Giorno because they are not noisy sleepers like the others)
-Sheila, Murolo and him have regular sleepovers and movie marathons. They also cook dinner together
-his favorite bands are System of a Down, Slipknot, Bad Omens and Motionless in White
-can't go on rides in amusement parks because he gets sick
-him and Abbacchio visit rage rooms regularly
-always carries a book with him
-chews a lot of bubblegum to release his anger
-everytime the gang travels abroad he is the one who has to translate everything since he knows many foreign languages. He speaks english, french, russian, spanish and norwegian fluently, his pronunciation is so spot on you could barely tell he is not a native speaker. Doesn't have an accent at all. Also knows basics of sign language and cyrillic alphabet. He uses these skills often in Italy too, when he gets approached by strangers on the streets he pretends he is a confused tourist who doesn't undertand italian
-gets overstimulated easily, he is especially sensitive to noises (suffers from misophonia)
-bites ice cream and ice
-"the book was better than the movie" type of person
-picky eater, very cautious with unfamiliar food
-takes extremely hot showers. Whenever he is in the bathroom it ends up looking like a sauna in there. Also the gang has an unwritten rule that if they share a room during a mission, Fugo can use the bathroom first because he hates feeling dirty and has to use the shower immediately, otherwise he will be grumpy and won't shut up about it
-has a nasty skin picking habit, which results in him picking patches of dry skin and scabbed-over cuts and scratches (many of his injuries never fully heal because of this)
-never leaves the house without a hand sanitizer
-fidgets with his hands a lot when he is anxious
-goes to bed first and also wakes up the first
Narancia Ghirga
-vegetarian
-convinced Abbacchio to watch Brooklyn 99 with him (although Leone didn't like it at first, they now binge watch it together). They also watched Breaking Bad and What We Do In The Shadows
-has heterochromia
-thinks Orange Capri Sun is the supreme flavor and refuses to drink any other flavor
-created a shared playlist for the squad, he blasts it everytime the gang travels somewhere (it mostly consist of EDM, trap, phonk and rap)
-always beats everyone in Just Dance game sessions
-wears mismatched socks
-somewhat good at drawing, has a very unique cartoon caricature-like style
-hardcore Marvel fan (loves Guardians of the Galaxy the most), argues with Abbacchio a lot because he likes DC
-Mista, Trish and him had a podcast at some point
-his favorite candy is Kinder Surprise
-makes paper airplanes when bored
-bites people he love
-cries when animal dies in a movie
-suffers from seasonal allergy
-sleeps with tiny Creeper and Enderman Minecraft plushies, he takes them everywhere and even made them an instagram account, where he shares random pictures of them. When someone from the gang goes on a separate mission, he gives one plushie to the group or the individual, so they wouldn't feel lonely. And they also take pictures of the plusie and send them to Narancia.
-speaking of Minecraft, he manages a server where the gang plays together. He even created custom skins for everyone which look like their stands. Since he is the only one without humanoid stand, his skin is Mr. Smith, the pilot or Aerosmith. He wears a jacket with a picture of his stand in the back
-he is afraid of doctors and doesn't like hospitals. Everytime he gets sick or injured, he gets very anxious about his health. He hates dentists the most.
-loves when Fugo reads to him because he has a very smooth audio-book-like voice when he is calm
-experimented with different hair dyes couple of times, Trish and Abbacchio helped him
-die hard South Park fan, quotes the show on daily basis
-steals everyone's clothes. Can't find a shirt? Narancia is wearing it. Your hoodie is missing? It's in Narancia's closet
-has sticky notes all over his room, because if he doesn't have something written down, he will most likely forget it
-surprisingly very strong, the only person from the gang he is not able to lift up is Leone
Giorno Giovanna
-his emotions effect his powers (different flowers grow around him or from his hair when he gets excited, angry or scared), however he manages to control and hide it well
-master builder in The Sims game; doesn't care about the gameplay as such, he just enjoys building the houses and spends hours decorating them. Fugo loves to join his gaming sessions, but he on the other hand doesn't care about the houses or decorations, his goal is to always kill as many sims as possible (he loves to play around with various gruesome mods, which Giorno secretly enjoys watching)
-walking cottage core moodboard aesthetic
-goes on a picnic at least 2 times a week. In general preferst to eat ouside, terrace or garden are his favorite places
-has a very complex skincare routine
-heist movies enthusiast
-Trish got him into astrology and tarot cards
-loves theatre and poetry, even tried to write some poems himself
-writes official Passione documents on typewriter
-installed beehives in the Passione mansion gardens and makes his own honey
-collects dried flowers
-is the best liar in the group
-a bug magnet, there is always some type of insect crawling on his clothes
-him and Fugo have library & bookshop dates, they also visit museums together and exchange random facts about nature. Nerds in love, what can I say
-caramel is his favorite ice cream and dessert toping
-has a small floral tattoo on his wrist
-autistic
-loves taking bubble baths
-takes part in any bet without hesitation, no matter how absurd it is
-very bad dancer, has no rythm, but he is the best singer from the group, his voice is angelic
-very rough driver; hits the breaks hard, pumps up the gas fast and does very sharp turns. Also drives hella fast
-learned how to differentiate the steps of other people (especially the fellow teammates, since they live together). This is an old habit from his childhood.
-he walks very quietly, others barely notice when he walks into a room or when he leaves
-hates the smell of cigarettes
-others think he has a very odd music taste, because he will be singing a song from a Disney movie and within a couple of minutes you can catch him vibing to Banshee. He is forbidden to play his music in the car because it consist of all kinds of genres it makes it almost uncomfortable to listen to. His fellow gang members say his playlists are inconsistent, but they just make sense to Giorno.
-speaking of music, he is a huge fan of Hozier, Die Antwoord, Ghostemane and Little Big
-very creative, his hobbies include all kinds of crafty ativities, such as sewing, embroidering, pottery making, felting, knitting, soap making, candle making…. you name it, if he can create something, he will. And he is very good at it
-extremely fascinated by venomous animals and poisonous plants. The deadlier the better. His obsession with killer plants led to him nicknaming Fugo "his aconito", because he associates the aconite flower with his stand (it disables nerves, lowers blood pressure, and can stop the heart, plus it's purple). His other favorite flowers associated with Fugo and Purple Haze are Nightshade, Love in a mist, Spider lily and Morning glory
-zones out a lot
-sleeps with dozens of pillows, when he sleeps he is literally burried under them
-when he gets overwhelmed he lights up an incense stick and it calms him down. He is very fond of nice smells.
Guido Mista
-enjoys shitty movies, especially buddy commedies and low budget rom coms. Abbacchio hates when Mista picks films for the movie nights. Bruno on the other hand loves it
-Adam Sandler number 1 fan
-signed up for an archery course, also tried to use crossbow at some point
-can fall asleep anywhere, snores very loud
-likes the weirdest food combinations (like ice cream and pickles and stuff), the type of person who eats fries with McFlurry
-kills bugs with Nerf guns, Giorno hates it
-plays airsoft and paintball in free time
-enjoys camping, rockclimbing and rafting. Outdoor activities are his thing
-hella superstitious, made up various rituals he repeats in order to avoid bad luck
-very religious, always says a prayer before every mission
-reggaeton is his favorite type of music
-idk why but him having diabetes makes so much sence, since Pistols have to eat regularly to keep his energy and sugar lvl. stable
-mayo is his go to dressing with everything (fries, hot dog, nachos...)
-him and Narancia have 1am fast food trips
-makes silly bets with others and always challenges them to do something stupid for money, Giorno is always the first one to participate
-the best hugger
-big brother energy, everytime the other teammates screw something up and are afraid to tell Bucciarati or Abbacchio, they go to Mista for advice. He is extremely responsible and can always keep his head clear in stressful situations
-claims to hate drama but is always down to listen to some fresh tea
-loves watching cooking competitions. He is always judging the contestants harder than Gordon Ramsay ever could, Abbacchio occasionally joins him because he finds it amusing
-whenever someone tells him "I love you" he replies "Ditto", referencing one of his favorite movies (Ghost, 1990)
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dragon--sage · 3 months
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i am once again thinking about the responses astarion approves of, when you approach the druid at the circus who gives the love trial.
the answers are light, and have truth to them, but they are also very guarded, compared to some of the other ones available. it says he likes when the mc plays with him, the give and take of banter. but it also says that astarion needs to trust that you're not going to just spout off his deepest thoughts and feelings to any random who asks. he needs to feel like he's safe, like his secrets are protected with you.
i think this is the most clear with the last two questions.
tell me, what does he desire more than anything? the druid, zethino, asks.
and you can say me, freedom, revenge, or a nice, tasty rat.
we know from astarion's personal quest that his constant scheming and attempts to seize power are all in a bid to secure his freedom from cazador's influence. and if you want to keep him from ascending, you have to point out that power won't give him the freedom he is seeking. i think you could make the arguement that freedom is something he wants even more than revenge on cazador for everything the vampire did to him. but astarion approves of 'revenge', is delighted when you give this answer.
(edit: i had more debate here but i did find a video of this with all responses, and astarion actually says in response to freedom basically 'you're not wrong, but do we have to tell everyone our business?')
clearly there's a focus on the answer that gives astarion the least exposure, rather than the 'right' one.
same goes for the last question.
fear sits in the soul of all—to tame it, we must name it. astarion—what is his deepest fear?
mc can answer sharp wooden sticks, breaking a nail, forever feeling like a slave to someone else, or most things fear him, actually
even though zethino has just said that you HAVE to name your fears or else they'll swallow you whole, answering the most obvious of these ('forever feeling like a slave to someone else') only brings disapproval from astarion. i chose 'most things fear him, actually' and he liked this answer, and i believe he approves of 'breaking a nail' as well. again, more flippant responses that still have truth to them.
and these answers show him that you see him enough to know that actually naming his deepest fear in this setting would be wildly uncomfortable for him at best and traumatizing at worst.
he's not ready for the world to know him yet, he's still processing two hundred years of 'pure shit'. i think it's super clever and subtle storytelling, and a way to show players that sometimes the 'right' answer isn't actually the one you need to automatically give, just to satisfy the need to be right, and to show other people how well you know astarion. the mc needs to show astarion that they do see him, enough to know how much he values safety and privacy after having it ripped away from him for centuries.
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sarabethsilver · 14 days
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Unpopular opinion: I don't like Jess and Luke's "reconciliation" in S4... because I don't think they actually repaired anything. I think their dynamic in S4 is like every other parent-child dynamic in Gilmore Girls: unable to break their deeply dysfunctional patterns. (Stop reading now if you love their big hug at the end of S4. I don't want to yuck anybody's yum!)
Liz kicks Jess out and sends him to Luke. And without writing a dissertation about how unstable I think their relationship was the entire time Jess lived there, I'll just say: it wasn't awesome. Better than Liz, absolutely, but not great. And honestly, any good Luke did was destroyed when he angrily kicked Jess out in his moment of desperate need. In short: their relationship was badly damaged prior to S4, and true reconciliation would have to involve actual acknowledgement and repair of that damage. But that's not what happened.
I think you have to examine Luke and Jess' relationship in the context of Liz, because she is a key player here. And to be clear: Liz is Jess' Abuser. She gave him a childhood of chaos and neglect, and when he started to act out because of that... she blamed him, kicked him out, and never spoke to him again. It's difficult to explain just how thoroughly that kind of chronic abuse damages kids. Despite that, Luke prioritizes and protects Liz over Jess. I'm not even blaming Luke; this is a common family dynamic around abusive adults. The other adults in the family deny what's happening, because it's too painful to look at directly.
Liz and Jess both return to Stars Hollow in S4. Liz is given a mild side-eye by Luke, but generally she's welcomed. Jess is... not. Luke shouts at him and makes it VERY clear that Jess is not welcome to stay. He refuses to acknowledge or apologize for the fact that he kicked Jess out or stole his car. Luke shows no concern for where Jess has been living, how he's feeling, or if he has any of his basic needs met. The message is clear: you messed up, kid, and it's your own damn fault. Which is exactly what Liz tells him, by the way... Jess' reaction to her abuse is his fault. (This is part of that family dynamic around abuse; it's easier to blame the angry-looking kid than to examine the abusive behaviors of the adult. In therapy, we refer to this labeling of the kid as "bad" as the "Identified Patient." It's not intentional, but it's a way to deny abuse is happening.)
Things gets worse. Every time Jess tries to set a boundary with Liz - refusing to interfere in her relationship, declining her wedding invitation, saying no to walking her down the aisle - he is chastised. Luke yells at him, insults him, and guilts him. (Luke also takes a moment to shit all over Jess' life and call him a drug dealer. He doesn't give that label to Liz, the actual addict, he gives it to the Identified Patient.) So Jess, who has been totally alone for a year, does what any abused and neglected kid would do: he follows directions in an attempt to gain acceptance.
After a moment of Luke seeming to blame Jess for getting assaulted by his stepfather (again: Identified Patient), Luke makes a glib comment about Jess "hating" Liz. He doesn't want to understand how Jess feels about Liz, though, because that would be too painful to hear. The only thing Luke knows how to do is appease Liz and maintain the appearance of having a happy family. And Jess having a negative feeling about Liz interferes with that. So the message is clear: act happy or just get out of here.
So Jess stops trying to set boundaries or express his feelings. He shuts up, pastes a smile on his face, and dutifully walks his Abuser down the aisle. It's then - and ONLY then - that Luke gives him kindness. That's not reconciliation. That's Luke, unintentionally giving Jess the message that his feelings, boundaries, and safety are secondary to Liz's whims. It's easier to play Happy Family than to actually examine Liz's abuse, Luke's ignoring of that abuse, and do the hard work of repairing.
I see Luke's hug - and his "I'm here Jess, I'm always here" - and it rings hollow for me. Luke has done none of the repair work that would be necessary for a statement like that to carry weight. Nor has he "been there" for Jess at all in the past year. He's plainly prioritized Liz, Jess' Abuser, instead of protecting his nephew, the Identified Patient.
And I don't even blame Luke for that. Luke was deeply entrenched in his own dysfunctional family role. He's been Liz's caretaker for his entire adult life, and he seems to think that he's failing if he doesn't perpetually bail her out of trouble. He can't see past his role of Liz's Enabler and Protector, which is why he could never be an effective guardian to Jess.
S4 doesn't end with Luke and Jess mending fences. It ends with Jess learning that it's his role to shut up and placate Liz, no questions asked. And at the end of all that, Jess goes back to his dirty mattress on the floor and Liz gets to stay in Stars Hollow. Where she is joyfully embraced and fully supported by Luke at every single turn, no matter how many egregious mistakes she makes.
Luke loves Jess, and he does support him in various ways - paying for the car repairs, showing up to Jess' Open House, giving him advice about Rory. There's good stuff there. But it's clear that when push comes to shove, Luke is going to coddle Liz,Jess' Abuser, for the rest of her natural-born life. Jess, the Identified Patient, is on his own.
(By the time we reach AYITL, Jess is also dutifully coddling Liz and bailing her out of trouble. Lesson learned, I guess.)
Luke and Jess love each other, and I wanted a reconciliation for them so badly! But this wasn't it.
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Alphard adopts Regulus AU
WE LOVE AN ECCENTRIC FATHER FIGURE AU. YAS REGULUS GET YO'SELF A PROPER FATHER! read on for wholesome content.
I imagine Sirius running away and Alphard getting wind of this. Instead of remaining in the shadows, he reaches out. He's never been close to any of his siblings' children and Sirius Black only manages to evoke a blurry memory of a little boy who used to strut around in family galas. Shrill voice often attracting the ire of his parents. Alphard thinks the boy had a shadow — so much smaller than Sirius. But with Sirius barely striking up an image in his mind, the other remains an elusive memory.
But just before he leaves, Sirius is all like "I have a brother. He's not bad like them but he thinks he can't leave."
AND IT'S ALPHARD WHO REACHES OUT TO REGULUS. I have so many thoughts. Let's go!
Because Sirius isn't enough. Sirius has an entire village behind him, pulling him out of his family and just ONE person who he may think of as a reason to stay.
Regulus has an entire village pulling him back and one person who he can think of as a reason to leave for. Regulus who has been soooooo isolated from anyone else whose family IS his end all be all. If Regulus leaves, he practically has no one. The Potters have never been his people he doesn't know them. And Sirius can't POSSIBLY keep him safe in Hogwarts. Regulus has no adult support.
But imagine A RELATIVE, A BLACK coming up to him and slowly working him out of that stupid fucking house! AN ADULT who can pull him out of Hogwarts! AN ADULT who can give him a home!! Because as much as the brothers want to make it work, Regulus needs someone who can provide not just emotional support but also both financial security AND SAFETY.
Regulus just needed an adult, I think. Well, nope. He needed a lot of things. Because that's what it takes to get out of an abusive (already cult-ish) family. A lot.
But Alphard. Alphard could've been a key player.
Alphard could be this eccentric father figure to Regulus. A man, who for Regulus, gave Sirius a shit ton of money, listened to his brother, and reached out to take him away.
Alphard, knowing how Regulus couldn't possibly be safe in Slytherin anymore — takes him out of Hogwarts and enrols him to Beauxbatons. And he becomes much more annoyingly French. And during the summer Alphard will tease him about his French accent that increasingly colors his English. Beauxbatons helps with Regulus' indoctrinated and learned bigotry even though it's hard the first few months. But there's no Slytherin house to hide behind anymore. People don't tolerate it there. However, just as much as it's a steep learning curve, learning to unlearn his upbringing, it's just as easy to keep on growing out of it, too. He breaks free from a manipulative echo chamber.
Alphard does more than help with this. They'll have conversations that end up with Regulus shedding tears of frustration because it's hard to unlearn the way you've been taught to see the world since childhood... usually under threat of punishment. Sometimes, his eyes will fill with tears of guilt and embarrassment, often when revelations are met, and he looks back at what he's said and done. But he's only 13/14. He improves so much because he cares. He was taught wrong. Alphard makes sure his boy gets all the same love, care, and comfort no matter how their conversations end.
And Sirius will visit... Sometimes... And it'll be a gradual rekindling of their frayed relationship. Alphard plays mediator. For the first time, in his life, Regulus has an adult who's on HIS SIDE.
Alphard may or may not be a little cuckoo but in the most endearing way. Rivaled by how much this drives Regulus crazy. Like. He doesn't like trousers. So, he wears his boxers around the house and Regulus has to scream at him to knock it off and, "Please, there are things your nephew shouldn't have to see! Nephews shouldn't be subjected to the sight of uncles in their underpants!"
And Alphard will gleefully reply, "Oh dear, Reggie boy, you've yet to understand what true liberation feels like!" he'll meet his boy's eyes and say, "Thinkers. Eccentrics. Free people, like us? We have souls that yearn for expression that make us feel alive." Alphard will make a show of gesturing to his legs and add, "But trousers? Why they limit the mind! They suffocate! They contain! They most certainly do not express." And before Regulus can open his mouth to retaliate, "Most importantly, I find them uncomfortable."
Alphard will play the piano in the middle of the night when he can't sleep. And this keeps Regulus up 😅 so he, in turn, becomes a coffee gremlin. Sometimes, Regulus will sit beside him and play along. Their first composition is titled, "Yearning for a blue, blue, sky"
They have their uncle and nephew days filled with cringe activities that Alphard wants to do.
• build a cottage together (Alphard sprains his ankle)
• go camping but with muggle equipment only (Regulus DESPISES THIS because he doesn't like getting sweaty. He also doesn't like labor. So, he secretly starts a fire with an incendio when he thinks Alphard isn't looking. Alphard saw, of course. He hides both their wands away until the trip is over. But UH OH! he forgets where he put them, so they look for them FOR HOURS. By the time they find their wands Regulus is so cross with him. Won't even look at him. He's so mad.)
• write letters to each other (Regulus is bad at articulating feelings with an adult so he draws Alphard little doodles in his card instead and his uncle lets this slide. Regulus isn't good at drawing, so they don't look nice at all but this is still easier than telling an adult how he feels. One time they do letters again, Regulus is angry — so he draws Alphard a squiggly mess of an angry black blob.)
• try muggle divination (a magic 8ball)
Regulus learns what unconditional love looks like. Regulus comes to understand what true safety feels like. Regulus comes to terms with what it means to be human and make mistakes. Regulus learns to shed transactional intimacy and support because Alphard, time and time again, has shown up to pick him up — and offer him an unquestioned space in his life and in his heart.
Regulus heals.
And Alphard? He learns to live for someone else. He learns that he too, just like his nephew, had lived a life so bereft of love and compassion. Alphard is forced out his self-hating spirals because caring for his nephew has taken up all his time. He mends his boy's broken heart and unwittingly mends his, too. His house becomes a home. With him, is a French-speaking, twig of a boy with a very short temper. Regulus has become the closest thing he'll have to a son and the thought makes him very happy. Regulus who cares for him, returns his compassion, with a silent, focused energy. Regulus who makes him lists. Regulus who brews potions for his arthritis. Regulus, who buys him his first cane. Regulus, who wordlessly opens all the jars that need to be opened. Regulus who sits and plays piano with him.
*hello, hello! i can't help but write about our favorite boy, Regulus Black, all the time :/ I'm a Black Brothers enthusiast and will rave about them, ALL THE TIME. I write about them too! Click here for more of my stuff: beep boop i bring you reggie feels
PLEASE consider giving me a reblog if you enjoyed this :3 of you did, then someone else might like it too! this gets my writing to people who may like the things i write ~
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princelylove · 5 months
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The Father.
Synopsis: A character study on Bruno Bucciarati. 
Warning: pet names used in italian are masculine, general yandere behavior, nsfw implication at the end but no real nsfw, referenced violence
Bruno is not really naturally the fatherly type, but he chooses the responsibility anyway. He hides that he smokes, doesn’t eat until everyone else has, and very rarely slacks off. Although he’s serious about work and his family, he tends to be playful and lighthearted. It’s rare to see Bruno in a bad mood. He’s a family man. Loves the holidays, always hosts. Wants to be called papa or dad- Bruno’s secretly hoping that one day someone will slip and call him ‘Daddy,’ how delusional. He took the responsibility from his own father for his health and safety when he was little and didn’t really blink, but who takes care of Bruno? No one! Because providers don’t need to be babied, obviously, and that’s exactly what he is. The provider. The man of the house. 
His favorite albums from Miles Davis are Agharta and Bitches Brew, which are jazz-fusion, avant-garde jazz, funk rock, and jazz-rock. I tend to think of jazz as slow, easy listening, but it’s wild, it’s experimental, it’s everything Bruno doesn’t allow himself to be in favor of keeping his perfect family fantasy safe and sound.  The Bucciarati household is always loud- whether that be from Narancia and Pannacotta “playing,” in Bruno’s words, or from the little record player that lives in the living room. He offered to buy Pannacotta some vinyl records, but he never took him up on it. It’s a bit of a sore subject. The bookcase has a cardboard box in it filled to the brim with albums from Miles Davis, Sade, Frank Sinatra, Tupac, and his darling’s alleged music taste- he guessed based off of what was in your room. How did he get in your room? Don’t be silly, he never said he was in your room. 
Bruno takes up two personas in order to maintain his fantasies, his passione one and his fatherly one, and flips back and forth depending on what’s going to work best. It’s rare to see Bruno just… being himself. He’s obsessed with how things are supposed to be- he wants what he never had. A big, happy family. 
His passione one is where he gets his sadism out of his system, where he tells himself he’s just doing whatever it takes to keep his family safe and sound and not thoroughly enjoying beating the shit out of whoever Polpo tells him to. He grabs your wrists too tightly when moving you out of his way, gets a little too loud with you, sometimes. He doesn’t hit his darling normally- no, that’s not what a good husband would do- but sometimes you just make comments that burrow themselves under his skin, and he can’t help but react. 
He doesn’t shy away when he does it, either. He always doubles down, giving you that firm tone he gives Narancia when he slacks off on important jobs, or how he would talk to someone while working a typical repo job. It’s like you’re talking to someone else- he doesn’t even bother to fake his normal smile. 
“Watch how you talk to me before you lose the ability to speak at all.”
It’s short and sweet. Nothing more needs to be said. 
He holds his head in his hands, later, thinking about how badly he just set himself back. At least he has the courtesy to open a window to let the smoke pour out. 
He doesn’t like smelling like cigarettes.
He isn’t really meant to be a father. He doesn’t really know how, but he’s trying to. He’s not meant to be a husband, either, with the way he treats his spouse, lately. But he’ll smile, and take that gentle tone, because he must. The world may be cruel, but he must not be. He has to work to not have that type of reaction when you speak to him so harshly. Maybe if he were a better man.
His cheeks hurt from smiling too much. He’s trained himself so that his smile would always reach his eyes- he even trained his relaxed face to be a more palatable version of his actual relaxed face. You won’t open up to him if he scowls at you, or glares at you instead of looks. He wants everyone to think he’s gentle- he wants to be the father that everyone always comes back to visit once they’re all grown up. A better version of his father, who Bruno would argue was perfect, for what he had. 
His darling is meant to be his spouse- his other half. He longs for someone he can shower with pet names, someone who will melt into his hands, someone who appreciates just how much effort he puts into everything. It’s rare that Bruno can fully relax- there’s always something to be done, whether that be at home, or by Polpo’s order. 
But… He doesn’t truly trust his darling. He loves to micromanage, and it makes him anxious to think about you holding something sharp or standing on something unstable. Please just let him reach whatever it is you need for him- his stand can bring things down if it’s also out of his reach. 
Why do you want to drive? He knows how to drive. Why did you bring your wallet? Of course he’s going to pay for you- he asked you out, didn’t he? Oh, let's not cut up your own snack, you could hurt yourself… Bruno is begging to be needed. He finds his identity in being the man of the house- the provider, the father, the husband, but you just aren’t giving it to him, and it's driving him up the wall. 
It’s suffocating. It’s patronizing. You can shave by yourself, you’re not a child. You know how to take something out of the oven- you’re not going to use your bare hand to touch the metal that was just sitting at 177 degrees celsius.
A little note sits on your nightstand. It’s meant to be a bonding exercise, as he leaves a new one every morning, but you don’t speak italian. Bruno’s handwriting is neat and bubbly- why he put so much effort into making it legible but not in a language you understand is beyond you. 
‘Amore mio -
Sono innamorato di te. Non aprire la porta a nessuno.
Avete mangiato qualcosa? 
Tuo marito.’
You’re left to sit and stare at it, if you’d like, or get on with the chores you know you have to do before Bruno gets back.
It’s little moments of peace- of genuine privacy- like these that keep you going. You’ve been getting up earlier for this exact purpose. Bruno would really rather you sleep the entire morning away and wake up to him coming home in the afternoon, arms open and smiling, calling his name, maybe saying something like “Come back to bed, my love.” … but it’s healthier for you to be up during the day, getting some sun from the open windows, and engage your mind with some tasks that aren’t instant-pleasure based.
But sleeping in a little bit isn’t a crime. You’re welcome to sleep until Narancia gets up- he needs you to walk him through the steps of making breakfast, again. Don’t worry. You won’t be touching the stove, or using a knife. Just guide him through it verbally, and comfort him if it fails.
It eats Bruno alive when you don’t immediately greet him at the door.
He sighs a bit at the snack you brought him. The bowl makes a clack sound as you set it down on his desk. You took such care in peeling and slicing some apples for him, he should be grateful. 
“Bello. What’s this for? I’d rather you not use the peeler unsupervised.”
“Wasn’t. Narancia was watching.” 
Bruno bites his lip a bit, but is quick to fix his face. He smiles at you oh-so-lovingly. “I didn’t know he was warming up to you, amore. Did something happen?” His hand reaches for the bowl, his wrist sits on the old wood of his desk, and his fingers tap the brim ever so lightly. He’s debating eating it to ‘please’ you or not, debating if he can hide his distaste for the fruit from his almost-spouse. So close.
“No.” Your answer is simple. It’s behaving without submitting. He wants the full story. Wants to know why his son is hovering over his darling- if this wasn’t done by a peeler, and actually done by the small pocket knife he trusted his son to have around you- 
“Perhaps it’s the exposure to you, then.” He really does it. He pops one of the smaller slices into his mouth, and chews. His shoe makes a distinct tap as he bounces his knee under his desk. As much as he adores you, his fondness for apples is like his fondness for the boss.
You hum at his act of ‘love,’ and wait for him to finish chewing, and actually swallow. When he notices your stare, he opens his mouth to display that he actually did.
“See? There’s no need to fuss, I’m not having issues with eating. I eat very well, actually.”
Of course his mind jumps to you being concerned for him. When you don’t respond, he sighs a little bit, and stands.
“Amore, is there something you want to talk about? I’m open to your worries. That’s what I’m here for.”
The clack of his shoes don’t comfort you. 
His outstretched hand doesn’t ease your worries.
His voice doesn’t soothe you.
“I love you, tesoro mio.” His lips graze your cheek, “I wish you wouldn’t look at me like I’m going to eat you.”
His hand rests on your waist, pulling you in closer.
“Unless you’d like me to.”
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anim-ttrpgs · 9 months
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What makes this game unique from other mystery games?
Eureka has plenty that makes it stand out, from its tactical approach to combat, to its approach to the supernatural and non-restrictive character creation, but the thing that makes its investigation stand out from that of other investigation games is probably the Eureka! mechanic and its overall approach to failed investigation rolls*.
*An “investigation roll” in Eureka is any skill roll used to investigate, there is no “Investigate” skill, every investigation roll will use the skill on the character sheet that is most relevant to whatever evidence the investigator is investigating. So, in a way, every skill is the "investigation skill". For instance, you would use the Firearms skill to try and guess what calibre of bullet left these bullet holes, even though that is also the skill that is used for your accuracy when shooting guns, and how quickly you can reload.
Now, we don’t want to make a blanket statement because our dev team has not played every investigative TTRPG, but in the ones we have played, there have been a couple of consistent hang-ups. In Call of Cthulhu for example, when you miss a clue due to a bad roll, you’re just shit outta luck. This isn’t to say that Call of Cthulhu is a bad game, Eureka actually takes a lot of influence from certain parts of it, but sometimes a single bad roll at a crucial time can grind the adventure to a halt.
The Eureka! mechanic is (one of) our answers to this problem.
As the investigators fail investigation rolls*, they accumulate Investigation Points. (They actually accumulate Investigation Points even if they succeed, but you get way more of them for Failures). When a standard investigator accumulates 15 Investigation Points, they gain 1 Eureka! and their Investigation Points reset to 0. More powerful supernatural characters must accumulate more than 15 points before they get a Eureka!, but that’s a different post.
A Eureka! is a valuable resource that can be spent on a couple of different benefits, and one of those is to retroactively turn a single previous Failed investigation roll* into a Full Success, giving that investigator all the information they would have figured out if they had succeeded in the first place. This can be a significant mystery un-stumper when the party is stuck at a dead end, without the GM needed to artificially give them a hint—it’s not a free pity clue, they earned it by being thorough investigators up to this point even if they got some bad rolls.
This can act as a sort of “rubber band” mechanic, only springing the investigators forwards if they fall far enough behind to need it, so to speak, and only on their own terms, so they don’t feel like the GM just gave them the answer because they suck too much.
This doesn’t mean that Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is an easy game for babies where the players never have to worry about failure, however. You only get 1 Eureka! for about every 5 Failures, and its combat can be pretty hardcore. Like Call of Cthulhu, the investigators are mostly just normal people with no special resistances to knives or bullets. If you shoot them once or twice, they die, and there’s no coming back. Not only does this fragility encourage a generally more investigative approach to dealing with threats, it can also be used to reward good mystery solving up to the point of the final confrontation. The Eureka! mechanic rewards investigators who have not needed to spend their Eureka!s on gaining epiphanies from previously failed rolls by the fact that they can also be spent to throw an extra die into a combat roll—or any other life-or-death roll, such as leaping to safety from a burning building or a Stealth roll when hiding from dozens of armed goons. 3D6 (dropping the lowest) can give a crucial boost to that one 2D6 roll that your character has to stake his life on.
Now, you don’t have to play a fragile normal human investigator, you have the option to play as a more robust investigator, like a vampire for instance, who can easily shrug off most forms of physical damage so long as they don’t overdo it all in one place and take some time to regenerate in between bouts of getting shot, but what those kinds of investigators gain in toughness and supernatural powers, they pay for with supernatural weaknesses. The vampire in the party may laugh in the face of small arms fire, but get knocked down a few pegs when faced with her greatest challenge yet: Figuring out how to get a direct and in-no-uncertain-terms invitation into the house without saying “I am a vampire, the owner has to invite me in.”
And no, she can’t just ask the rest of the party for help, if they find out she’s a real vampire, that’s nine-times-out-of-ten going to be much more shocking than whatever evidence they were going to find out inside, and possibly even implicate her in several other, much more gruesome murders that nobody ever managed to solve..
The Eureka! mechanic is also used in Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy’s équivalent to ‘leveling up’. At the end of an adventure, investigators can spend 2 Eureka!s to add 1 skill point to a skill. Eureka!s disappear after the mystery is solved, so you might as well use them if you have any left over, but if you’re saving them up by choosing not to spend them in a moment of real danger, that’s a bit of a risk, and could cost the investigator their life.
This also works as a bit of a “rubber band”, as investigators who increase their skills will fail less rolls, and thus gain fewer Eureka!s, slowing down their level-ups each time so they don’t shoot ahead of everybody else in the party without having to have a scaling system for experience points.
(Leveling up is an optional rule, however, and it is one that we in our group actually much prefer to play without, because we prefer more episodic or one-shot adventures where we frequently swap characters each time. Because skills have limits to how high they can go, a ‘level 0’ investigator can actually be just as capable as a ‘level 10’ investigator at any given thing, the ‘level 10’ investigator will just be good at more things.)
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shuttershocky · 1 year
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AK CN just announced this. Holy shit this is huge
(Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/arknights/comments/11zeg46/cn_headhunting_rule_adjustment/)
There's actually even way more info than that, but let's talk about what it all means as simply as we can.
There is now a new pity rule in standard headhunting - For all new banners with a solo 6 star operator that isn't limited, there is now a pity like with limited banners. After 150 rolls if you still dont get the desired operator, the next one will be guaranteed to be the 6 star. This is in ADDITION to the pity mechanic of every roll after 50 rolls of not getting a 6 star giving you +2% to your odds. This means in the absolute worst case scenario, where you roll a spook at the 150th roll and then have the worst luck possible, it will take you a maximum of 250 rolls to guarantee the rateup operator. Again, this is absolute worst case scenario where you are literally losing vs several 90+% odds in a row.
All the Year 1 6 and 5 star operators can't spook you anymore - Say goodbye to a random Silverash reminding you that Mlynar will never love you the way he can, every single Year 1 6 star and 5 star is out of the standard headhunting. This is in fact, a good thing: less operators on a banner means its harder to spook you, and almost all the Year 1 operators are available completely for free via the Recruitment system. If you really want the Year 1s (lets say, you're targeting Shamare for the Tequila trading post), there is a new rotating banner that only holds the Year 1 operators. Just beware that pulling in this Core banner does not give you green and yellow certificates for duplicates. You still should spam Recruitment to get duplicates, because Core banner pulls get you blue certificates that go into buying more Core banner tickets. This means all resources that you get from the Core Banner, all go back to the Core Banner.
Thorns and Mountain are now able to be Starter 6 stars - No explanation needed, these fuckers will carry all new players so hard this might genuinely affect how they learn strategy. Lmao.
The Gold Certificate Shop now has a wider selection - Operators on rateup on the Core banners also appear in the Gold certificate shop for a direct purchase, just the same as the standard banner. If you've got the certs, you have double the choices now in the shop!
Overall, I would say these are good changes, though they may make the gacha /look/ more intimidating to new players who won't immediately understand the difference.
It's easier now to get the operators you want, you will have more choices in the shop, there is a new safety net in the standard headhunting banners, and blue headhunting tickets also happen to be discounted at 30% off
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Very nice
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Text
lasertag
pairing: reyna x reader
prompt: inspired by that post about your oto going lasertagging (i've seen it on my timeline at some point but i'm to lazy to look for it)
word count: ~1300
warning: not proofread, sry
A/N: i've never played lasertag so think of the game they're playing as less of a lasertag game and more of a vp training session with fake guns
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"Shit"
You quickly slung the weapon over your back, barely dodging the fire coming your way as you ran for cover behind the next wall, sliding the last meters to safety on your knees.
You looked for any sign that you had been hit, but luckily came up empty. Taking your rifle, you peeked out into the open, scanning your surroundings for your opponent. Darkness enveloped the room, making it hard to see clearly. Only a faint movement of shadows on the other side gave away your enemy's position.
Taking aim, you waited for a clear shot, finger hovering over the trigger. You hit Phoenix square in the chest, bullseye. The Brit scowled, as the light on his vest turned red and bells rang out, signaling his 'death'. You couldn't surpress the satisfied smile as your friend stomped away in anger, muttering under his breath.
You took cover again, finger moving to your earpiece.
"KJ, how does it look on your end?", you asked, aware that with Phoenix out of the game, there was only one enemy player left.
But having a two versus one advantage meant nothing when the one you were up against was Reyna.
"I lost sight of her, but she was somewhere around-"
The comms cut off suddenly and you sighed when the death chime sounded once more. At least you had a vague idea where Killjoy had been before she was eliminated. That should help you track down the Mexican.
With everything on the line, you kept your weapon ready, not daring to sling it over your back for more mobility. You knew Reyna's combat style well. She was quick, merciless, and precise. Your only hope was to find her first and take her by surprise.
As silently as you could, you walked through the maze of the lasertag arena, retracing the route that KJ had taken, your eyes peeled for any movement in the shadows, ears listening for any sound that could give your opposition away.
However, the thing with Reyna was, she was not only quick and accurate but could also be silent if she wanted to be. You didnt even realize she was approaching, until you felt the barrel of her weapon press into your back, freezing you in place.
"Hello, darling", she whispered smugly into your ear followed by a throaty chuckle that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Your grip on your gun slackened until it hang loosely at your side. She already had you at gunpoint, the game was over.
"Reyna", you acknowledged quietly, heart beating out of your chest. Slowly, you turned around to face her, hands raised in surrender. The end of her gun came to rest on the marker on your chest. All, she would have to do was pull the trigger.
Her magenta eyes were glowing, making you wonder, like so many times before, whether she could actually see in the dark. Kind of like a cat or an owl. It wouldnt surprise you. Pretty much everything about her has been adapted for battle, why not her sight?
Even in the dim light of the arena you could see her raise an eyebrow at your quick surrender.
"Giving up so easily? You could at least attempt to fight me."
You offered her as genuine a smile as you could manage, given the disappointment of your imminent defeat.
"I know when I'm beaten. Im just glad it's you and not Phoenix. I couldn't take all the gloating."
"Oh, I plan to gloat alright, dont you worry", Reyna informed you, pursing her lips in thought, "But I dont think I'll let you off so quickly."
You frowned as she pressed the barrel more firmly to your chest with an almost predatory smile, prompting you to take a couple of steps backwards.
"What, why-"
Reyna shushed you, clicking her tongue in disapproval, eyes flashing with mischief.
"No questions. Just do what I say."
Hard to argue with that when you are at gunpoint. Besides, you were, admittedly, curious about what she had planned. Slowly she forced you backwards into a secluded corner, hidden from prying eyes by tall walls. She nodded to your gun next.
"Put that away. I dont want you to try anything."
Slowly but purposefully you took your gun and put it on the floor, sending it skitting to the other side with a firm and well-placed kick. Reyna's stance relaxed slightly, weapon lowering for the first time. It's not like she needed it now. You posed no threat at all, unarmed and backed into a corner as you were.
Weirdly enough the absence of the gun barrel made you more nervous. Without something separating you, the closeness of the other woman became all too apparent to you. There was no denying the attraction you felt for her under normal circumstances. But while you were usually able to ignore the butterflies in your stomach or the way your pulse quickened, there was no dismissing them this time, nothing to distract yourself with, nowhere to escape.
You swallowed agains the lump in your throat, failing to keep your eyes from staring at her lips as she came even closer, caging you in by placing her hands on the wall behind your head.
"What now?" , you asked, sounding almost out of breath. You forced your eyes to meet hers and she smirked, leaning close.
"Now, I think I deserve a reward for winning, don't I?"
Obviously, you agreed. You eagerly met her halfway, lips crashing together with raw passion, sending a jolt of electricity through your body. Reyna pushed against you until your bodies were pressed flushed against one another, your back hitting the wall with a soft thud. Her hands were in your hair in an instant, making you let out a moan that you'd be embarassed about later. You move your hands to rest on her hips, needing an anchoring point.
Reyna dominated the kiss and you had absolutely no objections to that. After the first frantic moments had passed, she angled your head in a way that allowed her to ease you into a slower, surprisingly tender kiss. One of her hands moved to cup your face, thumb caressing your cheek in a gesture that made your heart skip a beat.
Once the need for air became impossible to ignore, she pulled away, resting her forehead against yours. Your eyes were still closed, breath mingling with hers as you tried to savour the moment, lips tingling pleasantly.
Reyna used your distractedness and turned her attention to your neck, lips tracing a path all the way down to your pulse point. Your grip on her hips tightened, pulling her body even more into yours. You could feel the way her lips pulled into a smirk, satisfied with your reaction.
"I hate to cut this short, cariño", she murmured in between kisses, pulling away from your neck, much to your chagrin. If possible, her eyes were shining even more brightly than before, and even the tattos on her arms were shimmering magenta. She looked mesmerising and the sight of her was a little too distracting, you almost missed her next words completely.
"But sadly, the other's are waiting."
Her gun fired and the bell signaled your defeat to your teammates waiting outside, but you were still too lightheaded from the makeout session to care. Seeing, the state you were in, Reyna smiled more softly, pressing a lingering kiss to your lips before detantljng herself from you.
"We can continue this later, if you like", she offered picking up your gun and holding it out to you. You take it slowly, clearing your throat.
"I would- I'd like that a lot."
"Good", she grinned, matching the one on your face, "Now come, it's time to gloat."
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faint-kitten · 3 months
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So about Solid Snake being in Fortnite...
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by Faint_Kitten
I got into Fortnite in December 2023 for the first time. I just unlocked Snake and I have so many thoughts on it I can't completely break them all down. But I think I've done my best.
But the #1 thing I think I want everyone to know is: Despite shaving off his ass. Despite being artistically bankrupt and pushed out by Konami and Epic as a means to make money and promote the MGS Vol 2 collection.
Despite artistically, and Narratively being antithetical to Metal Gear Solid…
Snake being in Fortnite feels mechanically and tonally consistent with his legacy.
There is so much inherent "Kojima" in Metal Gear Solid. This weird blend of hyper realism, mixed with anime siliness, mixed with philosophy mixed with trying way too hard to be sombre while also mechanically being silly and then you spin around three times to puke, or Johnny does a big poop fart and all of it adds to the weird just Kojima-esque nature of the series. It extends to the love, the fandom and the humor around Metal Gear Solid. So many memes around Snake, between fan art, in jokes, and original Animations and gifs that it doesn't feel THAT weird to see him do like a...Naruto Run emote. So much of Metal Gear Solid* was a very serious drama taking place in a game that mechanically is silly and lets you do goofy shit and has elaborate bro fist handshakes played deadly serious. And Fortnite is a game where you have these characters doing goofy shit that doesn't mesh with who they are or the universe they came from all the fucking time.
You also have to realize the Battle Royale mode has big locations full of NPC's and Bosses you can kill for loot.
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The "narrative" as it is of Fortnite Chapter 5: Season 1 is (near as I can tell) that Peely the Banana has been kidnapped by the Society (who serve as the current skins for this season and AI controlled bosses and NPC's on locations of the map.) And the map is littered with their fortresses with Jonesy (I guess the main character?) Going up against them to get his friend back. Which means there are a handful of locations in the current Fortnite Map that are just Boss bases. These are bunkers, and huge mansions and little outposts that you have to be careful around because once they know you're there they will just start spawning endless enemies to try and kill you, and the attention WILL draw enemy players. So you're shooting out cameras for XP and to keep them from beeping, avoiding turrets to keep from alerting guards and keep them from chewing up your health.
Guards already had the "?" and "!" system for showing if they detected you, despite having no inherent stealth mechanics in the game or any intention of introducing MGS. They didn't do this FOR an MGS tie in. There are recruitable companions and they can't speak so a way for players and enemies to detect if their companion "senses" an enemy player is to use the "?" and "!" system. While it doesn't mean that much without him. This is very clearly taken from Metal Gear, and as a result the alert system feels very natural around Snake.
In game modes where you have teams of two three or Four players, you get downed like Gears of War or Apex, and have to be revived. You can crawl and move. But players who are on their feet can pick you up and sling you over their back, or even yeet you to safety.
Enemy Players can do this too.
When I play Team modes by myself (I am alone, everyone else is in a team) I frequently pick enemies who wandered off of their pack and pick them off, tossing them somewhere their team mates can't get to or won't find them specifically to draw them in to their rescue.
Additionally there IS wildlife to hunt: Chickens, Frogs and Fish which give you medium effect healing items.
The game has items you can put on to "disguise yourself" like bushes, or snowmen during christmas that work EXACTLY like the card board boxes in MGS (though it's debatable if players are convinced by anything but the bush)
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All of this was going on BEFORE Snake was unlockable. (I don't know if the camera's and bosses stuff existed before this season)
Which means that MECHANICALLY. Snake doesn't feel out of place at all in Fortnite.
It's super weird when a Xenomorph, or Spiderman, or a Ninja Turtle, or Goku, or a teen from My hero Academia, or Eleven from stranger things comes in and starts mowing people down with an assault rifle. The disconnect is part of the charm for better or worse, and it's both amusing and horrifyingly upsetting when you think about these characters sold as nothing but IP to get rich off of being so taken out of context from their character's intended art, themes and meaning.
It's just weird to see bright bubbly Mina from My Hero shooting people dead. Spiderman doesn't kill people, that's the Punisher, it's fucking weird to have Spiderman just gunning people down, if you get my gist.
It's super fucking weird to see these characters handle a fire arm and move around in a shooter. They feel less like themselves and more like what they are: A skin of a popular thing, plugged into a world to please fans and rake in money. It's fucking weird to see Spider-man holding a firearm.
It is NOT weird to watch Solid Snake do it. As a result of this, Snake kind of slips into the absurd world of Fortnite rather well.
It feels kind of cool strip snake of all like falling trail effects and just watch him super-hero sky dive toward a giant compound full of NPC's and land on the roof (It looks cooler in the dead of night but I didn't get a screenshot of it)
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It's not weird to experience Snake in Fortnite's world handling Fortnite's mechanics. Because so many of the mechanics and the tone feels distinctly normal for Metal Gear Solid. This is not the first time Snake has been pawned out as a mascott to other properties.
It's weird as hell to watch Kratos blow a car up with a rocket launcher. That is not a part of his world, you see. It's NOT weird to watch Snake fire an RPG at anything. It's not weird to watch Snake do a bulk of the things he can do in Fortnite.
It's not weird to watch Snake run around a forest and shoot a frog or hunt a chicken for it's meat because we've played Snake Eater
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It's not weird to hide in a bush as Snake:
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It's not weird to watch snake shoot someone or Reload a fire-arm. The Snowy Mountains bases, the outposts, the big mansions and small cities the open world all feel like places Snake has been at home in, from Shadow Moses, to the Middle East, it's not unusual to see Snake* surrounded by girders and steps and concrete and cabins and tents and forrests etc. It's not weird to watch Snake pick someone up who's downed and carry them over his shoulder, or chuck them into a closet: We've seen this in MGS V: The Phantom Pain. Metal Gear Solid kind of invented a lot of these mechanics.
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There isn't that much about Snake in the following footage seems out of place for Metal Gear Solid:
Snake doesn't feel out of place in fortnite. It might feel sacriligious for the biggest thing in gaming adding snake (with no cheeks I might add) to it's roster to be eyerolling or cringe. But Snake doesn't feel "too good" for fortnite. But he also doesn't feel like a total shill in fortnite either. A lot of the gear and missions and challengees to unlock him felt like a someone was asked to put together activities at a Metal Gear Solid themed birthday party (Use hiding spots. Shoot out 2 cameras. Fire an RPG, shoot silenced weapons, uses the disguise mechanics, travel in the disguise items. hack Trains or Vaults) the Emote could have easily been just the alert noise over Snake's head, but they put it on a freaking stick, Wile E Coyote style.
There's a weird Fortnite blend of "Lets make something as cheaply as possible in some places and yet give some things the love and attention that comes from making 5billion in revenue a year affords you." that shows up in everything they do. And they clearly put a lot more effort into this promotion than they did the Family guy stuff (not that I care one way or the other about Family guy I'm just calling it like I see it.) To be honest Snake has been shilled out to so many other games for cross promotion over the years this is hardly his first.
Snake has been blended with many things like Ape Escape, Smash Bros, and Monster Hunter. Seeing him along other games and even other characteres not of MGS's worldbuilding doesn't feel that odd. Snake has kind of left his "world" behind many times. Which is...kind of in keeping with Snake being this cipher? This character the player slips on. Snake is a character an icon but he's also this THING puppeted by us. A lot of games work to break this illusion to make us forget we're not Kratos, or We're not Nathan Drake but ever since Metal Gear Solid 1 Kojima's writing has been pretty clear there's "something" that drives snake. Not motivationally, but literally piloting him giving him what he needed to succeed (us). To put it simply. Snake has always been a bit Meta as a character. And it's hard to see liscenced characters (sold for up to 15 dollars a pop) as themselves when we're piloting them telling them to drink slurp juice out of jars, or swing a pickaxe or or sing "The Real Slim Shady" or do cutesy Jpop dances. All of this is to say, having played MGS 1 through TPP: nothing about this gameplay feels that out of character for Metal Gear aside from the cartoony art style. The look and feel of Fortnite naturally lends itself to having Snake as a Playable character in it. Narratively, Thematically, Fortnite is almost antithetical to Metal Gear Solid. But tonally, and mechanically, it feels in keeping with the series.
Part of this is just the fact that Kojima's games have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to what you can do in gameplay and so many of these things were adopted by gaming later that slotting Snake back into mechanics his games inspired just doesn't feel disjointed. So many games have copied Metal Gear Solid over the years and became main stream. MGS has also had it's own unique air owing to both Kojima's own unique style and the weirdness/humor brought about as the game tries very seriously to balance it's story and themes against poop jokes, and mechanics that are often very silly but very fun and a total detachment from the poe faced somberness snake goes for or is possibly trying to mock. This, overall is a chunk of what makes metal gear feel like metal gear. The mechanics of Fortnite feel eerily comparable to the mechanics of later Metal Gear games (especially MGS V) .
And the tonal disconnect between what Metal Gear games are doing as a plot, and the inherent nonsense the mechanics provide contrasting it, have always been a part of MGS and it's charm, and that's kind of what makes Fortnite the thing it is today? You have a very serious plot about war and the military and a gravely voiced man and then in the corner a Vampire man does a big dance, and large bi-pedal mechs moo like cows. It's why any time any popular thing is announced in fortnite it kind of becomes a joke. Very serious Rapper Eminem is in Fortnite, and has his personal OC Slim Shady as a playable skin, and he's shoving his hand in Pinata's and chugging slurp juice, it's kind of weird to see someone who takes themself so seriously dancing at the whims of whoever controls him. But that's been a core part of Metal Gear and the Metal Gear Solid Franchise, and the fandom forever. I dunno. I'm not trying to defend the fact that Fortnite is a center for companies to strip their IP of all love and meaning and sell it to us as pure nostalgia and profit. I'm just trying to say I was surprised by how weirdly normal (and to be honest kind fun) it felt to run around RPing Solid Snake in fortnite and I've been at it all day. As someone who originally didn't care one way or the other, and felt kind of cynical about such a beloved character being absorbed into this mess: I'm kinda glad he's here now.
*I know Snake and Big Boss (and by extension Venom/Punished Snake/Boss) are all different characters. But for the sake of this discussion I dipped in and out of talking about Solid Snake and "Snake" (any) as a whole in Metal Gear as a whole
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its 6am and I'm complaining myself through the ending of purgatory k? This is just the bitching not a full balanced analysis, bits I genuinely enjoyed are missing so it looks like I have a worse opinion than I did, its below a cut because a lot of people don't want that and that's absolutely good. I'm just processing through.
I think purgatory ending feels bad because we were promised by the way it was advertised and treated the end of the arc, and what we got was another fucking mid point instead. A mid point which after this going on for so long nobody really wanted. Setting up new project cool! But it felt miserable to watch the end. Probably could have been helped if the CCs had more info on a meta level - just the timescales and that this wasn't actually the end of the arc - so they could pace themselves and us better. The eggs missing has gone on for far too long, we've been given far too little to work with, and it's just not fun viewing any more. Which is why my engagement is so dependent on the next little while.
That, plus getting to the boat on foot was impossible without near perfection - something they were never going to all have. I like giving qMaxo his big sendoff with the nuke which solves nothing! But people who were legitimately trying to escape (Cellbit, Tina, off the top of my head - Cellbit just legit got lost in the underground. He said after he decided to stay but like... really? We'll have to wait and see next time he plays qsmp. If nothing else he legit had shit to do planned, and I feel like he would discuss it more with Roier if he was going to perma-kill Cellbit as that's massive to put on someone else's character. Pretty sure ccCellbit was just teasing like he fucking does but we'll see. Also changes what Maxo did if any of them die to it /significantly/. I'll be genuinely worried for ccMaxo if his characters actually pretty neat death arc resulted in a fan favourite character permadying in a game without permadeath) should have had a legit chance to do so. If they were supposed to be able to. I really hope the admins smooth that bit over one way or another, because it just made shit feel extremely bad. Kinda expect the /actual/ ruling to be if one person made it they all did, but dear god they needed to tell the players that immediately after or whatever if so. Failing that you could maybe have the others in the Nether or something, but youd need to coordinate everyone who didn't make it and that'd just suck logistically. The sensible answer is if one person got there they all did because this isn't a high legality sort of game. For players.
Like the other eggs were probably kidnapped by something and reported out? And I'm betting on black concrete plot as that's the plot actually associated with them disappearing in the first place, but for all it's cool moments up until then it just... dropped the ball. Tbh the entire thing with the eggs being involved was a massive ball drop which lead to /one/ cool conversation but otherwise just made everything infinitely less enjoyable.
Poor BBH. Like cc wise. He's one of a whole lot of them who have horrific rp safety practices, but also there's not really anyone to teach them that and that's nothing to punish someone for. Hope it gets hashed out with him. All of them but especially him.
Having players of another project as "advertising" for a new project without them knowing more in advance tastes kinda shitty. Very shitty. We'll see how tied it ends up being but that's just not comfy.
Quackity saying about big stuff planned is absolute ass. Like legitimately and out of character the CCs genuinely need a break for a bit you can't just throw them back into heavy stuff immediately. They need space to breath oc and find their footing ic. Most of them have streamed far more than usual this fortnight, and even for those who do stream daily usually it's been intense. You can say if its hurting them they can just take a break but you cannot convince me they can when their literal irl incomes depend on this. Some more than others, but they do.
Also like the tension just genuinely doesn't hold that long. Most of what I run is combat heavy fantasy events, but I've done horror too. And a big bit of running horror events is studying how pacing and tension works, especially over an extended period (horror events locally tend to be multi-day). You /can/ change the usual layout, but you have to know your fucking shit and be really careful if you do, and the admins and Quackity just don't seem to - as a collective whole, some individuals may - have the experience necessary to fuck with the formula. Like. I'm burnt out, the players are ooc burnt out, the fandom generally seems burnt out - not giving the players a win here was already a mistake, but the tension /has/ snapped. Too many people are too burnt out from playing more than usual and all that, under very high stakes circumstances, for very little reward. There needs to be a break where players who do other stuff can play other stuff and players who don't can take the time to find their footing again. Tension levels are not sustainable and they broke them open. If they hadn't revealed the eggs you could have stretched it another few days, but they did. At which point losing the eggs again is genuinely so fucking unsatisfying. They could have only been shown the winning egg. Like sure fuck with people, that's what's going on IC and OC maybe it was supposed to be reassurance, but it just ended up feeling ghoulish. It was so obviously playing on feelings it just fell flat for me. Not even the fun playing with feelings, just a fuck you.
Also communication has been fucking atrocious. Yes keep twists in the bag, I can see arguments for all plot points, but the players needed to know the timescale, the fact it was a PvP not a lore event, and that this wasn't the end of the eggs missing arc rather an interlude waaaaaaaaaaay earlier. Like they found out as these things became obvious, but given the time commitment it demanded they needed to know like weeks before it started. As soon as it was announced. We can tall all we like about trusting the admins, but the admins have got to fucking trust their players to still make good viewing times even if not everything is a complete surprise. It fucked over Cellbit and Roier and their murder plot planning, it fucked over a lot of people ooc and their streaming schedules and their ability to do actual life things. Forever when given the Judas plot should have been told in advance when it would be activatable. The players - not the characters or the audience, the players - should have known it was 15 days, PvP, only 1 egg was on the cards for now, that the chance to save the others will come later (I have no doubt it will), and that they would need to escape fast at the end. Not the why, not the how, not the plot, but you need to know the fucking stakes.
Like okay let's look at shit I run a sec. Its nor perfect, but we've been building on a 20+ year tradition of larp in the same place and learning from what does and doesnt work. Info players have in advance:
date and time. for things run for and at the university, dates generally are announced start of the year, and which system will be which day is the start of every term. For events for the uni but at an unusual place or time (often an IC dinner party or similar), 3 weeks in advance. For stuff not associated with the university (I help with fewer of these, as far fewer happen and theyte the ones i can still play with my disability)... well, they tend to be multi day in a hired venue and players pay a lot of money to be there, so its usually about a year and a half in advance. The stuff below about pitches are for saturday ones - paid for multi day events all that info is announced at least a year in advance, and for single day non-university ones at least 6 months. But like qsmp is a constantly running thing so the university stuff is a fairer comparison.
Every event has a "pitch". This goes up the Tuesday before for Saturday events - theres a couple of different teams running different genres but same place same time theres a larp every termtime saturday just 9/30 are run by my team. The pitch will contain the information the characters know going into a mission or social or whatever. If theres a twist the twist isn't mentioned, ofc, just the initial setup. Then, there's an out of character section, with stuff like date and time and reminders to weather weather appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes.
If the event is /not/ in the format players expect, in the out of character info including things like the time, we say that. We run combat heavy stuff. If it's purely social, we say so. If it'll be more Freeform than usual, we say so. If the party is getting split we - you guessed it - say so.
Our events have different levels of IC rewards. The basic reward can always be assumed (3 gold, iirc). Theres also 4 and 5 gold days. If its not 3 gold, it says so in the pitch, and players know this is a difficulty rstinf system. 3 is normal, 4 is "this is designed to be challenging for late end high xp characters and is likely to kill lower levels", 5 is "we are actively trying to kill someone". Death is always an option, but the ref team don't usually want it.
Sometimes there are RP rewards too. These are not explicately stated, but are alluded to "you will be paid so long as you eliminate the monster. If you capture it and deliver it to the university, however, the chancellor promises an extra something for you" sort of thing. "The Dowager Duchess is well known for rewarding those in her favour. Impress her, and she may do the same for you".
If there's distressing content that isn't covered by genre and game style, we include a warning. Last time was "this session will include horror elements. A list of content warnings is available from any ref on request", and we DMed players we knew have triggers on that list the same day pitch went out to liase with them. Yes even when the trigger is a plot twist or a spoiler because fuck you player safety will always be most important. One which had content warnings but was not horror "this session contains potentially distressing material. A list of content warnings is available from any ref on request".
And like... call me naive but this is the sort of info the players should have? In advance they should have a summary (yes it's also given IC at the start of the event, but it means they can prep properly), dates and times well in advance (so they can prep their lives and other projects), expected rewards (even if vague), and any particularly common triggers (like say a third party intentionally sewing paranoia and fucking with mental health of characters) should have a "theres triggers here please put a message in your help channel for a list". I'd say also some indicator of where on a plot arc something falls.
We dont give this because our pacing plot arc wise is determined by how we run them. Paid events are all always one offs (I run them with a different group of people but same circle) - except when they aren't in which case this is made clear at the pitching stage- and uni ones its dictated by the university schedule - we run nine main events a year, 3 each term. There's a small climax last linear of every term, and a major one at the end of a year. Yearly arcplots do not always exist but when they do they end with the last linear of term. There are some other plots brewing over longer periods - when those come to a head, they will become the main plot for a year and their climaxes run on yearly arcplot rules. It is never the case that all sessions in a year are arcplot related, to give players not interested in a specific thing something to do.
Other things they could probably do with include a safe word and establishing a way for an admin to indicate a fuck up due to glitch or mistake - probably an "ignore me" emote only admins have access to.
This all being said - the admin team want people to have fun and for it to go well, and the medium is much younger than traditional LARP. Information for their specific media does not exist, and while they maybe should look at rp for ideas they probably look at tabletop and don't even consider LARP - let alone larp styles more common in Europe. I can say things all I want, but I'm just a guy over here. The admins are trying their best and do want the best for their players, and will have a plan. It's just infuriating sometimes.
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flaticeball · 1 year
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also like. i know we all complain about the refs all the time. i know complaining about officiating is a stereotype about sports fans and everyone rolls their eyes and sometimes they do get too much flack but- idk if this is just me, but this playoffs - and i mean every series - it really seems like this is some of the worst if not the worst officiating i’ve seen as a hockey fan. there have been so many missed calls in so many games across the matchups and not just missed calls but missed calls that seriously injured players. there has been some extremely violent shit that’s gone completely unpenalized and some severe injuries that got the aggressor handed a mild slap on the wrist. something has to give. i’d say it has to change or someone’s gonna be seriously hurt, but it’s too late for that. we’ve already got concussions, ‘undisclosed injuries,’ a broken neck. what is it gonna take for there to be a reckoning with dops. does someone have to die? is that what it’s gonna cost for the department of fucking player safety to do its job?
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rollforfelicity · 8 months
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On Mind Flayers and Safety Tools
or Why Aren't You Having Fun, You Miserable Fucks
Apparently some assholes read something in a D&D book that was like "hey there's an option in this module that could be upsetting to players, so before you do this, make sure you have consent from players," and got SUPER upset about it, and it's got me thinking about GMing and how I feel about it.
Idk if it's a D&D thing or a dude thing, but there's this narrative about DMs* where they're like, these all powerful gods whose job it is to punish players who "make dumb decisions." When players express preferences, or ask that certain material be off-limits, these guys act like players are trying to cheat their way to "winning the game," by avoiding consequences. They get mad even THINKING about it. They don't want to collaborate on a story, and I don't think they even want to be a glorified referee. They want to be cops. They want to impose their will on the people around them, and they want to be petty, vengeful shits while they do it.
That has not been my experience DMing, nor has it ever been my desire (because I'm not a fucked up dude-monster). GMing is an act of service, one that I love to provide.** I GM because I want my friends to have a fun time, and I want to have a fun time with them. I want to hear their ideas. I want to hold their hands and guide them back to a state of childlike imagination, before they were afraid of looking stupid. I want them to feel safe to explore emotions they push away in day to day life.
When something bad happens to their character, I want it to be the bad thing THEY want it be: the inevitable tragedy we've been foreshadowing since character creation, that fatal foible they've been mentioning all session, the darkness they've been treading further and further into.
People tend to simplify "safety tools" into "don't trigger your players." That's obviously one goal, but my view is that safety tools are a lot more than that, and avoiding triggers is the minimum of what safety should do. I want to know what stories we're tired of telling. I want to know what tropes we dislike. I want to know if a character from someone's backstory is one they'd like to stay alive, or one they want to find dead at the hands of the BBEG. I want to give them the chance to name their own parents and siblings. I want them to decide if the sports team they play on is doing well or not when the story begins.
Even outside the narrative aspect of safety tools, when I stream, I always explicitly tell players "You know your needs more than I do. If you need to get up and get a drink or a snack, or tend to any other need, get up and do it. You don't need to ask for permission." I consider this part of player safety. I want people to be comfortable.
Regardless of your role at the table, if you're playing and you don't give a shit about whether or not everyone at the table is having a good time, I think you're fucking up the most BASIC aspect of what a TTRPG is. It's a game.
It's supposed to be fun.
These asshole DMs are failing TTRPGs at the most basic level. "How am I supposed to punish my players if they say they don't want to get turned into a Mind Flayer?" Why the fuck are you punishing people in a game? When your friends sit down to play Monopoly, do you call dibs on being banker and then say "oh btw if anyone does what I think is a stupid move, I'm going to tase you."
If you want to run a game where you can turn people into a Mind Flayer when they fail a roll, then find a table of people who would enjoy that.*** Some people have genuine fun playing Dark Souls, whereas if I ever played a souls-like game, I would die of frustration. I'm not here to tell you how to have fun. I'm just here to tell you that everyone should be having a good time playing games, whatever that looks like.
*I would usually use the more generic term GM, but this seems to be a specifically DM thing
**This gets into my thoughts comparing different GM styles to different kinds of sex but sadly my brand isn't horny enough for me to write that.
***Honestly a lot of this has sexual parallels but again, I must consider my sexless brand
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sl0t4matt · 4 days
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k. yildiz bf! headcanons
thank you to the person requesting i’ve been meaning to write abt him, he’s so underrated!!!
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❀ bf! kenan, who was your best friend before you even started dating.
❀bf! kenan, who’s family tried to set the both of you up just because they loved you so much.
❀ bf! kenan that you were first sceptical about when he confessed his love for you, since you knew your friend doesn’t do relationships and usually has 5 different situation-ships. you never want to be just an option for him.
❀ “please, y/n just one chance i wouldn’t say this if i didn’t mean it, i would never want to throw our friendship away like that.” the truth was that you also liked him, but you knew you could never get in a serious relationship with him, according to the way he acts.
❀ he had to explain to you somehow that he does means it seriously, so soon enough he brought you to your favourite place. the place you and kenan had been going to since you were younger. the beach. he told you everything. from how he had always loved you but kept denying himself to now. he counts every single thing about you that makes him love you, naming even little things like how your nose would get all scrunched up when you found something cringey.
❀bf! kenan, that has always been the sweetest with kids and loves to play with them.
❀bf! kenan, that would tell you all about the new football players he’s been meeting. you’re so proud of him for making it this far.
❀ bf! kenan, that would call you turkish pet names like: askim, kalbim, güzelim.
❀ bf! kenan, who buys you a ticket for his games wether you ask or not. he just loves having and seeing you there. it also gives him way more of a want to score, knowing you’re there. you don’t exactly mind it, considering you always loved watching football ever since you were younger. (always watching it with you brother and dad) but now you especially do because it’s your boyfriend that’s on the field. of course you’re scared for his safety on every one of his matches but that just goes with it.
❀ bf! kenan, that takes you out out on fancy dinner dates every time he can, treating you like the complete opposite of his pervious situation-ships. of course him paying for the both of you. he thinks no woman should ever have to pay for a date. he’s a big gentleman with you.
❀ bf! kenan, that buys you cute lingerie. if he’s the only one to see it, might as well buy it!
❀ bf! kenan, that you would poke in the ribs and tickle every time you see the opportunity to. he’s the most ticklish person you’ve ever met, that makes it so funny for you doing it.
❀ bf! kenan, who only lets you do his eyebrow-cut because one: he doesn’t trust anyone enough to and two: he once fucked up bad doing it himself when he you weren’t there, so he’s scared to do it again. you never were one to moan about it, though. you knew he was shit at stuff like that.
❀ bf! kenan, who’s love language is kissing your neck, leaving you with loving marks.
❀ bf! kenan, that puts his controller away only for you, no one else. there were days where you would sit on his lap while he played his weekly fifa sessions with his teammates. you would grind your butt on him, teasingly to let him know to stop and he immediately did, almost jumping out of the chair.
❀ bf kenan, that takes you with him to turkey whenever the world cup starts. not only focussing on his upcoming games but also his girlfriend. he would take you to all different type of places. from the city to the small homey like towns beside the city.
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qrjung · 8 months
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Character headcanons and thoughts: Perkins & Allen
PERKINS
I think he knows androids are sentient but he doesn't really care much. To him, they're a threat to national security and the human race. Androids are a mistake that should have never been created. This could be because of something personal that happened or just something he strongly believes.
Sure, one could argue that Perkins is "following orders" but this one feels like an order he's more than happy to obey. He probably even asked for the case to be assigned to him.
Outside of work, he has kids, he loves them but is terrible at showing it and this has driven a rift between them. I'd say his kids would be teenagers or young adults. They find that he's a bit too obsessive about his job.
He doesn't have a partner though
Perkins is good at his job because his personal philosophy is "at all costs". This ties in with him not caring whether androids are sentient or not; they're a threat and he will get rid of them "at all costs". He's willing to have human casualties if it means the greater human population is safe
Doesn't trust Cyberlife and has never owned an android in his life. Even though he and Cyberlife technically have similar goals tol "destroy Markus, end the revolution", Perkins thinks they shouldn't just stop at ending the revolution. End Cyberlife too and all the mess they keep causing. This strong dislike of Cyberlife has also leaked into why he hates androids.
He doesn't like President Warren either. She's a Cyberlife implant and he doesn't trust her. He doesn't like how much slack she's cutting Cyberlife or how much she lets their shit slide. He also definitely doesn't like how she keeps messing with Russia to get thirium for Cyberlife. But for the deviancy case, their goals happen to align. And she's also technically his boss; not much he can do about that.
He avoids close confrontation. He's more suited to office work or strategizing. He lets other people do the dirty work/field work.
He drinks his coffee black; bitter, just like him.
Perkins' gallery calls him "The Jackal" and explains this;
Nicknamed "The Jackal" due to his icy temperament, lacking sense of humor and his solitary nature, he is hated by most of his colleagues. On the other hand, his superiors consider him a reliable and efficient agent, which leads him to being entrusted with the most delicate of cases which nobody other than him would want.
I don't know if the people who gave him this nickname were trying to be funny or something because Jackal's are usually known for being cunning and mischievous not "lacking sense of humor" but Jackals are scavengers and they feed on carcasses of dead animal. They eat the things that most other animals wouldn't; the same way Perkins takes on cases other people avoid. It's a neat symbolism.
I would have loved to see Perkins in action, doing his job. We never get to see this and I think it undermines his role as the overarching villain. Why am I supposed to be concerned about a bad guy if I don't know how much of a threat he is?
A scenario I keep imagining is him finding Simon before Connor does and somehow Simon doesn't kill himself before he is captured (I know there's no way Simon would allow himself to get captured but shhhh)
Then we get to have an interrogation scene. Imagine he knows androids are just as conscious as humans, he'll treat Simon like any other suspect. Not because he's feeling nice but because he knows Simon is scared and afraid and he'll toy with that and try to drag as much information out of him as possible (because he's an asshole)
This will give us an opportunity to see what Perkins is capable of and it will definitely end badly so the player gets to be even more sad about it.
ALLEN
He doesn't really have an opinion on androids. I think he's pretty neutral and unless an android is getting in the way of him doing his job (see. Connor) or threatening people's safety (see. Daniel) he doesn't care much for them.
Sometimes though, he's unsettled by androids and he becomes unsure if they're actually "alive" or not. Sometimes, they do things. For instance, he always seems disturbed or disappointed if and android kills themselves in front of him (like if Connor jumps of the rooftop or if you fail to save Emma and Daniel jumps with her).
The Daniel case was the first time he encountered a deviant. He kept thinking about it for weeks afterwards.
I think he would be like Hank; he'd need a personal connection with an android and for the android to prove themselves real before he can start to feel strongly about them. Unlike Hank though, he'll never idealize androids or say their "superior to humans" (even if they technically are).
He doesn't have a family or a partner. He has never wanted one and when he was younger he never even considered it. (also; aroace Allen. Change my mind.)
Doesn't trust Cyberlife either. No matter what he feels about androids, he'll always dislike Cyberlife.
He hasn't gotten good sleep in years.
He has a dog. He seems like a dog person.
In terms of his relationship with the other people in the DPD;
He rarely talks with Gavin. When they do happen to be in close proximity with each other, Gavin tries to start up a conversation but he just glares at him until the air becomes awkward and tense and Gavin leaves him alone.
He's known Hank from a distance, even before he became Captain. He's seen Hank go from a decorated officer to a depressed man who can barely keep his job and like most people he pities Hank.
He and Fowler are friends. They give a similar vibe.
Perkins and Allen are ironically the humans we see behave like machines the most. They're always following orders and have missions to accomplish and they believe that's all that matters. Do I think they would be friends? No. Just because Perkins is too anti-social.
But you know who I'd love to see with Perkins? Connor. Imagine them working together guys, just think about it. Especially if it's the machine route. That's two main antagonists teaming up and Markus has to deal with them both.
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apocalypticavolition · 2 months
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Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 43: A Plan
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I've believed in my own lies so strongly I made them come true. I promise that this time I rant much less about the Seanchan. I also promise that this chapter doesn't actually spoil all that much, but it's still spoils a few things for this book and the later The Wheel of Time series as a whole so you shouldn't keep reading unless you're ready for that.
This chapter has the a'dam bracelet as it's all about the plan to get Egwene away from captivity.
Feeling worse than useless, she picked up her skirts and ran, and Egwene’s screams pursued her. She could not make herself stay, and leaving made her feel a coward.
Shame you didn't kill Renna BEFORE she put the bracelet back on!
Nah I'm just messing Min. Shit sucks. This is a terrible way to get a POV section.
She was not accustomed to weeping openly, but then she was not accustomed to feeling so helpless, so useless.
Sadly, Min never does internalize the notion that she may have been a medium fish in Baerlon but that she's krill compared to the world's big players. Even more sadly, the fact that she is comparatively useless as a combatant never stops being relevant in her life. She shoulda pulled a Ty Lee and invented a knife style that just fucks up channelers or something.
“That color becomes you,” Nynaeve continued. “You should have taken up dresses long since. Though I’ve thought of breeches myself since I saw them on you.”
Nynaeve is pretty conservative at times but it's sweet that she's thought about how she has the option to wear pants thanks to Min.
Min hesitated a fraction before saying, “She’s as well as can be expected.” Min could see it all too well, if she told them what was happening to Egwene right that moment. Nynaeve was as likely as not to go storming back in an attempt to stop it.
And she's not even using her seeing powers to predict this future!
‘Give me a damane of my own on my deck,’ he says, ‘and I will sail this instant.’
Domon really does seem to be an incredibly adaptive man and a quick thinker. It's a shame he always stayed pretty background; I wonder what he might have pulled off if he'd had a chance.
“I wish Rand were here.” Elayne sighed, and when they both looked at her, she blushed and quickly added, “Well, he does have a sword. I wish we had somebody with a sword. Ten of them. A hundred.”
Keep it in your dress, Elayne. The adults are talking.
She touched her chest absently, as if feeling something through her coat.
KEEP IT IN YOUR DRESS, NYNAEVE. Good lord how is Min being the reasonable one about boys right now?
I hope one of you can think of something I haven’t; I’ve wracked my brains, and I always stumble when it comes to the a’dam, the leash and collar. Sul’dam don’t like anyone watching too closely when they open them.
General protectiveness of their ability to hold slaves, or furtive, subconscious acknowledgment of the fact that should destroy an empire?
A man’s ring of heavy gold floated above Nynaeve’s head, and above Elayne’s, a red-hot iron and an axe.
Well Nynaeve already has the ring so that's a terrible future vision, and this particular prophecy actually doesn't come true for Elayne because it relates to a cut version of how Rand loses his hand. Let's say it's got something to do with Manetheren and Perrin I guess. Or maybe it's a Fourth Age thing.
Many people had fled here from villages further from the coast. Min saw no point to it—they had leaped from the possibility of a visit from the Seanchan to the certainty of Seanchan all around them—but she had heard what the Seanchan did when they first came to a village, and she could not blame the villagers too much for fearing another appearance.
Safety in numbers and staying inside the region the Seanchan aren't likely to wage war against any time soon.
The inn had been hastily renamed The Three Plum Blossoms, but part of the word “Watcher” still showed through the slapdash paint work on the sign.
Betcha anything that three plum blossoms are an auspicious omen in Seanchan culture and that the innkeeper is already currying some favor.
“It’s all right,” Min told her, taking a place on the end of one of the benches at the table. “He only looks and sounds like a bear.” Elayne sat down on the other end, looking doubtful.
Min is of course pretty used to all sorts from her own inn days, and anyway if there's any omens around Domon they're likely ones that suggest decentness.
I did think I could spin a tale or two and be on my way, but now I think when I no entertain him any longer, it be an even wager whether he do let me go or have my head cut off.
I think Domon probably would be enslaved instead but yeah not a good outcome in any case.
Two gold rings hung on the cord. Min gasped when she saw one—it was the heavy man’s ring she had seen when she read Nynaeve in the street—but she knew it was the other, slighter and made for a woman’s slender finger, that made Domon’s eyes bulge. A serpent biting its own tail.
I told you your prophecy was dumb, Min.
But also damn Nynaeve is reckless and this Aes Sedai impersonation business is going to get so out of hand. Real Aes Sedai lie there though, where she tells him he knows what it means instead of the truth that she's earned the ring but isn't Aes Sedai.
Six damane they did put around her, stepping out of the alleys of a sudden. I did think she would . . . do something—you know what I mean—but. . . . I know nothing of these things. One moment she did look as if she would destroy them all, then a look of horror did come on her face, and she did scream.
Frankly I suspect they were overdoing it with six; the Seanchan have more powerful channelers on average, after all. I wonder if they've noticed it yet.
“Egwene said they have two prisoners,” Min said slowly. “Ryma, a Yellow, and she didn’t know who the other is.” Nynaeve gave her a sharp look, and she fell silent, blushing. From the look on Domon’s face, it had not furthered their cause any to tell him the Seanchan held two Aes Sedai, not just one.
I'm a little surprised Min is naive enough to mention this. You'd think with her life experiences she'd be much more guarded about what information she's willing to share, and with whom.
“With some people,” she said, “you have to be certain. If you show them one glimmer of doubt, they’ll sweep you off in some direction you don’t want to go. Light, but I was afraid he was going to say no. Come, we have plans yet to make. There are still one or two small problems to work out.”
Nynaeve is an icon and we will close out this chapter with a moment of respect for her.
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