#i’ve worked so hard on this its unreal

[povlnfour]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ PADDOCK TO PADDOCK (LN) PART 2

lando norris x fem!horse rider!reader

series masterlist | prev part | next part

mclaren just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri and 206,311 others

mclaren always wanted to see the paddock in its full glory? go behind the scenes with todays special guest, @/yourusername, as she swaps one paddock for another to see a little of what happens on a race day!

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user3 HELLOOOOO WHAT.

user7 WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

user9 lando needs to stay focused :/

user1 stfu

alex_albon @/yourusername this is betrayal i’m disowning u

yourusername noooo dad pls. i’ll come to williams next💙

user7 y/n calling alex and lily mom & dad… she’s just like us for real

landonorris 🧡

liked by yourusername

y/nupdates just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

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y/nupdates y/n today after the race!!! she was seen leaving with teammates lando norris and oscar piastri, and oscar’s girlfriend lily! thank you @/mclaren for taking care of our girl today🧡

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user4 prettiest baby in existence she is GLOWING

user6 can’t believe she’s an f1 fan this feels unreal

mclaren it was our honour🧡

meanwhile, in texts ੈ✩‧₊˚

yourusername just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by landonorris, carlossainz55 and 128,119 others

yourusername back from my adventures into training. qualifications coming up which means extra work for this little (big) man🫣

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user3 BEANIE BOYYYY🥹

user8 you got this y/n/n!!!!

flo_norris_showjumping best of luck for qualifying, let me know how it goes🩷

user2 carlos in the likes again i’m TELLING YOU lando is talking abt y/n to the grid boys

landonorris he’s kind of cute ig

yourusername DOES THIS MEAN YOU’LL MEET HIM

landonorris @/yourusername literally where did i say this

user4 petition for lando to meet mr. bean

f1updates just posted a status ੈ✩‧₊˚

f1updates asked about his growing friendship with showjumper y/n y/l/n, lando said today that the two are ‘just becoming friends’ and ‘don’t have much time to see each other’ now y/n is back in her home county. but sources close to the two say they’ve been facetiming most nights👀

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user10 everyone leave them alone and let them have their private lives challenge

user11 good! lando should be staying focused on getting good face results. he can’t afford this right now.

user9 thank you! i’ve been saying this for ages!

user3 jobless ppl in the comments he’s a grown man and they’re just friends anyway

landonorris just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

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landonorris p2 quali in home race, and some great company. what could be better🧡

👤 tagged yourusername, oscarpiastri

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user7 WHAT HAPPENED TO BEING TOO BUSY TO HANG OUT MR. NORRIS?!

carlossainz55 well done brother❤️

user3 CARLANDO🥹🥹🥹

user1 y’all weren’t apart for very long i see👀

user5 OSCAR IS SO CUTEEE😭

yourusername 🧡 can’t wait to watch tomorrow

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user6 SHES GOING TO THE RACE????

williamsracing just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

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williamsracing just call us mr steal your girl👀 @/mclaren

👤tagged yourusername, lilymhe, zoe_albon

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user5 AHAHHA IM HERE FOR MCLAREN VS WILLIAMS

user1 admin i love u so bad rn😭

mclaren @/yourusername how could you?!

yourusername a rock and a hard place…

alex_albon the BETTER team

user4 y/n, lily and zoe all together🥹🥹🥹

landonorris …

user7 OH HES SNDJSJSJS

user9 you deserve better lando!

user1 @/user9 once again, stfu

yourusername answer my text douchebag

yourusername added to their story ੈ✩‧₊˚

y/nupdates posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

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y/nupdates sending all the luck to @/yourusername and mr. bean today as they compete in the final qualification around for paris 2024!🩷

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user2 good luck y/n🥹🫶

user5 eeee today is the day!!!!!

user12 came for lando, stayed for y/n. good luck hon!

yourusername thank you guys🥹🩷 hope i can make you proud

a/n: i realise this wasn’t v interesting but… attempting a slow ish burn bc i love pining

taglist for the next updates can be found here!

- giselle xx

#🐴 paddock to paddock #f1 x reader #f1 #lando norris x reader #mclaren #lando norris #lando norris smau #lando norris blurb #lando norris scenario #lando norris au #lando norris imagine

[rainyyynightssss]

Omg record of ragnarok, where have you been oh my lord when I’ve been needing some of it abdvducudhrdbxu! But if I may can I ask for Buddha ( how much I love him is just unreal dhtgrhdudh ) and Poseidon where god(dess) reader is fighting but gets badly hurt in the fight?

Record of Ragnarok

Reacting to you getting badly injured in a battle

Characters: Poseidon, Buddha

Notes: Thank you so much for this request! (My love for Buddha is similarly unreal.)

Poseidon

Resting your weapon down, you stare your opponent dead in the eyes. Defeating a mere human would be easy work for a god like you. You worked hard to be the best, just as your family is. When the tournament was officially on its way, you knew what you had to do. Humans are selfish creatures that can never reach perfection no matter how hard they try, not like a god can.

The human who stands before you is a young woman, a marksman with a stetson hat you already knocked clean off her head as soon as that bell rang. She tried with all her might to get a good shot at you, but a gun is no match for divine power.

The match has been going on for about ten minutes. You begrudgingly have to admit that despite her shots not reaching you, she did manage to dodge all of your swings towards her. You're building up a sweat and you reach up to wipe the offending substance.

As you look up, you find Poseidon watching the match with his usual blank expression. It was well known he didn't acknowledge anyone who didn't reach the pinnacle of perfection. And even then, perfection is already expected of gods so there was no need for him to give them praise either. Despite this, you're determined to make the icy sea look at you.

You turn back to the human and snort as she unites with her Valkyrie. "Honestly, why don't you just give up?" You could nearly laugh at her enraged expression. She once again cocks her gun at you.

"I'll even spare you a painful dea-" Your words are cut off by a bullet piercing through your flesh, slicing through several organs before shooting out of your back. Your hands shake and you look down with wide, dazed eyes to find a sizable hole in your stomach.

Even with Völundr, a human should not be this strong. A human shouldn't be able to make a god bleed. And yet, blood fills your mouth and you're forced to cough it out.

"Vile...filthy...disgusting human!" You bellow out before raising your weapon high. Quickly tired of playing games, you slice and hack at the human. You use your divine abilities to show the human just exactly what kind of advantage a god has over her. She tried her best to defend herself, her bullets grazing your arms and legs, but ultimately she's no match for your prowess. With one last swing from your weapon, the human stumbles and falls to the ground in several pieces.

A crescendoing roar erupts from the crowd on the god's side. It's nothing compared to best pounding in your head as you try to stumble your way to the gigantic doors. Your ferocity towards the human overshadowed the pain you felt at the unnatural hole in your stomach, and now you're feeling it at full force.

A couple medics rush over to try and hold you steady but you shove them off. You could hardly call yourself a worthy god if you weren't able to walk off after your match. Your body did not seem to agree with your ideals since you soon collapse to the ground and your consciousness fades.

You wake up in a room full of stone. The light shining through the windows makes you squint your eyes. The pain in your abdomen makes you not want to move an inch and you groan quietly to yourself. You didn't leave the battle unscathed as you expected. Even worse, you passed out in front of everyone and had to be carried out. You would never be like your esteemed family. You would never be deemed worthy of being looked upon.

***

You sigh and reach your hand down to touch the bandages wrapped around you. A large hand grips your wrist.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Unless you enjoy the prospect of bleeding out all over the table." Poseidon says. His eyes, of course, are not on you but rather on the window above your head. Your own eyes widen and you freeze in place, trying to conjure up some words to say to him. If he notices your hesitation, he doesn't say anything as he moves your hand back to your side.

"What are you...doing here?" You manage to say. Poseidon hums to himself for a moment and taps a steady beat on the head rest of the table.

"Some gods feel we should have sympathy for the humans. That maker should help their creation." Poseidon's finger pauses and he meets your gaze. "You don't think that way, do you?"

Seeing his blueish-gray murky eyes on your own makes you take pause. You don't understand it at all. You made yourself look like a weakling and yet he's still looking at you. Despite the intimidation in his gaze, you find that you can't look away.

You shake your head at his question that was said more like a statement. Humans needed to fend for themselves, as they're doing now.

"Good. I'm glad there's at least one god around here who has some sense." He remarks. You feel slightly embarrassed by the blooming in your chest caused by his praise. You try to sit up on the table, clutching your abdomen as it aches terribly. Poseidon's frown deepens as he holds you still with one hand.

"Didn't you hear what I said? Troublesome..." He lets out a deep sigh before moving you back down on the table, forcefully but not unkindly.

"Thank you...for coming here." You tell him. Poseidon hums again and turns to walk out of the infirmary. He pauses for a moment at the doorway.

"You did good." He leaves you with that and you wonder if you might see him again.

Buddha

You wait just inside the hall that stands before the wide doors, anticipating the moment Heimdall would call your name. You should be completely confident and ready to fight for the gods but you hesitated to even bring yourself out of your quarters.

You knew you would have to go to battle, just as your parents expected, rather demanded of you. Second thoughts are foreign to gods; they usually do what they feel at that split second. But something in your consciousness told you that this isn't right. Contrary to your family's beliefs, you did not believe humans were completely weak, selfish creatures. They definitely make some bad decisions at times but they also make good, inventive, and empathetic ones. They're entirely complex and you couldn't find a solid reason to want to fight one of the humans you've tried so hard to help for centuries.

Your parents, well-admired gods themselves, drove it into you that you had to do what was right for the gods and to disregard any pathetic feelings you had for humans. You tried to do as they said, but their hold on you was shaken when Buddha declared that he would fight for the humans. Everyone knew he was the kind of god that did whatever the hell he wanted, but it was still surprising that any god would stick their neck out for the fate of humans.

But who else would do such a reckless yet altruistic thing besides him? You haven't seen him often since you live in different realms but the few times that the various gods have come together, you have admired him from afar. He didn't listen to anyone or anything but himself and you wish you had that kind of courage.

You begin to hear Heimdall announce your entrance and the doors slowly open. You force yourself to walk out on steady feet. You hear the gods cheering for their soon to be champion. Some of the humans boo in disgust or shake their head in anger, but the emotion that strikes you the most is fear. It's bursting out of the eyes of many and their worst case scenario would be closer to confirmed if you fight against them today. You hate that look and resolve to replace it with more peaceful feelings.

"Fighting for the gods is-" Heimdall shouts but stops at your tapping on his shoulder.

"About that..." You whisper the rest of your intentions into his ear before taking a step back. Heimdall's hands quiver on the Gjallarhorn and he screeches, 'Not again!'

"It looks like our competitor for the gods will be switching over to the humans side! Oooh, management isn't gonna like this..." Heimdall clutches his head as if he has a major migraine. There's only a seconds pause before the crowd starts yelling. The gods' side is naturally furious at your betrayal while the humans are excited to have a god fighting for them.

Your eyes glance over to the stands and you immediately find your parents disapproving faces. They are surely going to have a word with you after this, if they could anyways assuming you survive battling another god. You try to peel your eyes away from them, and find yourself drawn over to the guffawing god who has his head thrown back in glee.Buddha stands back up, meeting your gaze and sending you a wink. Before you can figure out how to respond to him, your opponent steps out into the arena.

The god that slithers before you is lean but extremely tall. He must be over 20 feet tall and he grins maliciously at you with all sharp teeth. You don't waste any time and begin attacking the other god. He slips out of the way easily, though some of your hits manage to hurt him as he scurries away. His bites sink into your limbs but you try not to let it phase you too much. You respond by striking harder and faster.

Just as you think you have the upper hand, the other gods' silver staff comes to life and you can't move out of the way in time before its jaws clamp down on your entire leg. It rolls you around like an alligator, teeth sinking in past the bone. You cry out in pain and as it tries to twist you again, you shove your fingers under its jaw and painstakingly pry it open. You succeed in pulling it open enough to slip your leg out but it leaves your fingers a mangled mess.

You curse and drag yourself a few inches away, trying to bring yourself to stand up despite the immense pain. Your betrayal would be all for nothing if you died here. Your opponent cackles and lunges towards your position. You throw yourself out of the way and use the momentum to thrust your weapon forward, cutting him down where he stands. He howls and shakily tries to grab at you but the strikes keep coming and don't stop until he's a bloodied puddle on the ground.

You inhale sharply, stumbling back until your legs fall out from underneath you. As your body hits the ground, the humans cheer in delight for your victory. Most of the gods grumble and talk amongst themselves. You let out a few shaky laughs, feeling more delirious as blood leaks out of your leg. The medics take hold of your nearly limp body and you end up passing out in their arms.

Images of your family rebuking you and casting you out flash in your mind as you sleep. You thought you made the right decision and yet you can't help but think about what your parents will say.

You slowly stir and can still feel the throbbing pain in one of your legs and your hand, only a little less intense. You sigh and ease your way up to sit on the table, only to come face to face with Buddha.

"Want one?" He grins and offers you a sucker. Before you can respond, he lightly flings the stick at you and you luckily grab it before it smacks you in the face. You mumble a 'thanks' and start opening the wrapper.

"Who would've thought? The child of warriors, fighting for the humans." Buddha teases and you look down at your bandaged hand.

"I'm not sure that was the right thing to do." You confess. He leans his arm down on the table so that you can smell the sweet scent of his candy.

"Really now? Tell me then, how do you feel?" Buddha asks and you look at him in confusion.

"Besides the searing pain in my leg? I guess..." You take a moment to introspect. While you are worried about your family's reactions, you also take pleasure in the rising security in humanity's fate. "...content, but also troubled." You ignore Buddha's 'blegh' at your last word.

"Leaving humans to defend their own fate is what my parents want." You add.

"Is that what you want?"

"It doesn't matter what I want-"

"If that's the case, you wouldn't have gotten your leg chewed up for them." Buddha says as he takes your non-injured hand and pops the sucker in your mouth for you. "You're fighting for what you believe in, no one else. That's a good thing."

You nod slowly. You aren't sure that you can immediately come to terms with that but it's certainly something to think about.

"Take it easy. You worked hard." Buddha says before strolling off towards the door. He turns back for a moment, striking blue eyes looking at you from above his glasses. "See ya around."

#record of ragnarok #ror #record of ragnarok x reader #ror x reader #ror poseidon x reader #ror buddha x reader #ror poseidon #ror buddha #x reader

[feverdreamjohnny]

Hi, I’m a newer game dev (at least I’m tryin to be one lol) and I’ve realized that I have a really hard time finishing projects, because I just get burnt out and lose any passion I had for it. Do you have any advice?

Here's how I've (sort of) navigated these issues:

- Make small games. This was originally my "starting out" advice for people, but as time has gone on I genuinely think this is the only practical method for indie development. When I say small, I mean SMALL. I don't mean "oh, make an 8 hour game with hidden levels and side quests," I mean "your game is, at most, a single hour long, preferably 30 minutes." I've seen enough indies overscope their work and get stuck for nearly a decade without a finished product because they wanted to replicate the scope of a game made by several people with millions of dollars. You can definitely attempt larger projects down the line, but for the most part smaller games are what give you consistent growth as a creative, a reliable audience, and if you monetize them on steam or itch.io - an income. It's also a great opportunity to explore experimental design/art without risks, which is always valuable.

- Regardless of the game's scope, you need to take multi-day-long breaks if you're experiencing burnout. Game development is a cerebral discipline and it will tire you out fast. Forcing yourself through burnout might squeeze out more results, but you're just amplifying burnout down the line. Recognize that the breaks are a natural extension of the process and don't wreck yourself trying to be "more" than that. Hell, even painters sometimes need a bit of space from their work before they can continue, why would it be any different here?

[MORE BELOW THE BREAK]

- Don't get hung up on the game not coming out like you thought it would. If you become frustrated because the game doesn't reflect your ambitions, it's easy to lose interest and want to move on from it. Games will almost never resemble the initial vision. Sometimes you have to avoid being a perfectionist and accept your game for what it is.

- Find community (if you can). Surrounding yourself with other developers can be a great motivator for your own work, and being able to tap into a larger pool for second opinions and assistance can help you break barriers that otherwise would've stopped your work.

- Take your time. Game development is slow, and learning the various disciplines inside of it is a lengthy process. It took me 8 years to do the stuff I do today. Granted you might have an easier time if you're older than I was when I started, but in general it will take years to get to a point where you feel confident.

- Try a different engine from time to time. Most modern engines are fairly well suited for independent game development, but the available resources surrounding the engine (such as documentation and community support) can vary wildly. I strongly recommend window shopping across several engines. There's a small chance that you're having a hard time because the engine you're currently using isn't well suited to you and your goals. Some recommendations based on the ones I've personally tried:

* Game Maker Studio 2 - Great general purpose engine for 2D game development. Has a great community and plenty of learning resources. It's also fairly user friendly. It does have a license cost if you want to monetize your games, so keep that in mind. Scripting is done with GML, which is very human-readable.

* Godot - One of the best open source 2D/3D game engines. Doesn't have all the features of its competitors, but it's rapidly evolving and what's already there is more than enough to make most games. It's also compatible with various programming languages! Also, being open source means that it's completely free of licensing costs.

* Unreal Engine - Freakishly powerful 3D game engine at the cutting edge for modern game development. The C++ scripting might be fairly tough to work with as a newcomer (especially since it's built around a special wrapper for the engine that changes some of the rules), but it does have a well supported visual scripting backend that could do you some good. 2D games are certainly possible in Unreal, but it's clear that's not what the engine is intended for. Also Unreal has a neat licensing policy where you don't have to pay them unless you make more than +$1M, so that's cool.

* Unity - This is the one I use. It's great for 2D and 3D, and has a rapidly evolving feature set. It's one of the few engines with a swappable rendering pipeline system, which lets you pick the fidelity to work with relative to your game: With HDRP you can work on high-end games, and URP is great for doing everything else. Like Unreal you can initially monetize your games for free, but you have to pay a monthly subscription once you cross +$100k. Also you have to pay a monthly subscription to get rid of the splash screen which kind of sucks. Other than that, it's a very robust engine with possibly the largest community of the engines listed here.

[tuliplips]

sorry i just need to vent. the son of a not very close friend of my mom took his life recently. i didn’t know him, but i met his brother who is a very nice handsome kind young man. i knew about the guy who died, and his depression though; and his mother lives nearby, and he worked in a nearby cemetery, and he is/was half dutch and half portuguese like me. so i thought about him often, when i would walk by these places, wondering if he was doing better.

then we got the news. it affected me a lot. from what i heard he was a lovely and kind person. he looked like the exact kind of guy who would be my type. i felt connected to him and his brother because they are both the same two nationalities like me and both speak the languages and are around my age, and i thought one day i would like to date someone like them.. :/ it’s all so embarrassing.

the past week since it happened; i didn’t sleep properly, i have been feeling so sad for his suffering, and for the hurt and the grief his friends and mother and brother and father must be feeling. i thought a lot about how lonely he must have felt. it felt all a bit unreal. then my mom was going to the funeral and i was contemplating if i should go or not. i felt like i should go because it mattered to me, and to support my mom going and also to show support to his family. but i also felt weird to go since i didn’t actually know him and i also felt in my heart that maybe it would be bad for me to go because it would upset me. especially because i’ve been having a hard time lately and i’ve been not really all there ..

anyway i ended up going. there were so many young people there.. so many friends… it was so intense. i didn’t know him but i cried and cried.. i cried so fucking much!! and i feel so pathetic. i can’t get rid of the images of the body laying in the casket. it’s kinda haunting me. i always hated funerals since i had to attend my fathers so young. and especially the body in the casket scares me. i didn’t want to look this time but it was like almost impossible not to look. and now i deeply regret it. it was so weird because he almost didn’t look dead. it looked like he was just taking a nap and could get up out of there any time.

i can’t get rid of the images of all his friends, crying, all the people there, the energy in the room that was so dense???? i really didn’t need something so triggering in my life yet i felt like couldn’t look away, and i wanted to prove to myself that i can face things in life; that i don’t need to keep looking away from everything. i felt like maybe i needed to feel the uncomfortable things because i need to feel more in general. but i’ve been in a low place due to having been very very sick for a very long time, and it has made me so isolated and detached , i actually need things to uplift me, since my energy has been so low for so long.

anyway it’s not about me right now, but i feel so shaken up by this death and this funeral and while i was there i was proud of myself for going but now i regret it. i feel so embarrassed for getting so swept away. i feel also so not legitimate to suffer so much.. it shouldn’t be my hurt… it shouldn’t be mine. it feels like i did something wrong maybe. i also cant stop thinking about the pain all his friends and his mother must be feeling. i want to sleep, its my birthday party tomorrow but i can’t get rid of the images… i’m so tired i haven’t slept well in a week .. i am even scared in the dark now. scared to feel a presence or something. like as if he is near. i don’t know. i feel a little bit insane

#tw suicide

[angelmavmurdock]

Lock & Key: Epilogue - B.B.

A/N: Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported this series! Love and appreciate you all so much, you don’t even realise. I hope you all enjoy! And don’t worry...something new is already on its way... !!Leave me some asks about what you’d like to see me write!!

-

It was the day after the mission. The night everyone got home, everyone went home. There was no way any of you had the energy to go out that night. You somehow convinced your Dad to let Bradley stay over with you in the house because you didn't want either of them to be alone, so it was the best option in your mind. You, your dad, and Bradley sat in your living room with some of your dad's favourite records playing in the background – some of which Rooster had recommended – and you sat with some drinks and chatted. You all got along - talking and conversing with each other for hours.

Your heart was full. You were leaning back into your dad and your legs were slung over Bradley. You were the happiest you had been in a long time with those two finally getting along.

But soon, you felt your dad's body relax and Bradley nodded when you asked if he had fallen asleep. So, you carefully stood from the couch, and slung a blanket over him and you and Bradley left to your room. You both crashed as soon as your head's hit the pillow, in all honesty. You were both just so happy to be in each other's arms.

In the morning, you woke to the smell of bacon. You and Bradley walked out of your room to see your dad in workout gear, making breakfast for the two of you before leaving for his morning run. He had a bowl of cereal while you and Bradley scoffed multiple rashers of bacon down.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing. You did, however, have to go to a doctor's appointment about your back. But luckily it wasn't as bad as it was before, you just had to take it easy. You were extremely happy no hospital time was needed.

You and Rooster walked on the beach and grabbed some lunch at a nearby diner in town. And you couldn't not take the opportunity to fuck your boyfriend in his bronco.

When you arrived home, you and Bradley got a text to meet the team at The Hard Deck later on. And you informed your father of the invite.

On the warm summer's evening, you put your favourite pair of jeans on and a plain white t-shirt that fit the cut of your jeans. You didn't bother with makeup, and you let your hair go naturally. Bradley – of course – wore one of his father's old Hawaiian shirts with his white t-shirt and jeans. And he couldn't forget the aviator glasses. You and Bradley rode on his motorcycle with your dad on his own behind you, to the bar. You pulled up and placed your helmets on the seat before walking into the crowded and hot bar.

Bradley led the way, holding on tightly to your hand as you weaved through the crowds. You knew your dad was going to see Penny, so you didn't need to wonder where he went off to.

"Hey, guys!" Phoenix welcomed you and Rooster as you finally got to the team in the usual spot.

"Hey, babe." You smiled as you embraced her, letting go of Bradley's hand to do so.

"How's you?" She asked, sitting back onto a barstool.

Bradley brough a seat for you and him and you thanked him as you sat down.

"I'm great. Feeling a lot better. How are you?" You asked.

"Want a beer, hun?" Brad asked you, placing a hand on your hip.

You looked up at him and nodded, "Thanks."

He pressed a kiss to your temple before sliding his hand and his body from you to the bar.

"I'm also a lot better, thank you. But you guys...I mean, come on."

You blushed. You couldn't help it. Just the thought of the man made your whole body get hot. You and Phoenix both looked to him standing at the bar being so casual and charming to Penny. You groaned as you turned back to her.

"I can't even." You sighed.

She chuckled, "He's so happy with you, it's unreal. I've worked with Rooster quite a few times, but I don't think I have ever seen him so genuinely joyful."

You pouted your lips, "I can't believe we went 10 years with no contact. It's crazy to me, now."

"Well, you've got each other now. And I better be first to know when he proposes."

You scoffed a laugh and smacked her leg, "Phoenix!"

"What! He's infatuated with you and he's not a waiting kind of guy. That man knows what he's got, and I don't think he's going to lose you any time soon."

Your whole body warmed. God, you felt like a kid with a playground crush. Your stomach flipped at the thought of him down on one knee. You opened your mouth to retort against her but a hand came to your shoulder to shut you up.

"My ears are burning."

You rolled your eyes and looked up to your boyfriend as he handed you a cold bottle of your favourite beer.

"Were you intentionally listening?" You asked as he sat down next to you.

He shrugged, "I guess you'll never know."

You shook your head and looked to Phoenix. She smiled and sighed.

"You two make me sick in the nicest way possible."

"Love you, too, Phoenix." Bradley commented.

She pretend-laughed before getting up and heading to the bar.

You turned back to your boyfriend and watched as he took a swig of his drink, slinging an arm around the back of your barstool.

"I'm guessing you want marriage at some point, right?" You asked, resting your closest hand on his mid-thigh.

He nodded, "And the house and the kids. The whole package."

"How many kids?" You asked, raising a brow.

"I want an equal number of genders. So however many it takes to get that."

You scoffed, "Well, I'm telling you right now, mister; no more than three."

He furrowed his brows, "Three? That's hardly any!"

"We are both only children. How is that not enough?"

"Because I want a whole baseball team, baby."

You shook your head, "No way in hell, Bradshaw."

You watched your boyfriends eye level rise and his hand lifted from the back of your chair.

"Aint that right, Mav? You want a whole baseball team of grandkids?"

You shook your head ferociously, realising your dad was now behind you.

"Or even a football team would be great." Your dad commented, placing a hand on your shoulder.

You shrugged his hand off and he came around to face you with the stupid grin he always wore when he wound you up.

"Not a chance in the world." You said.

Brad placed his arm around your shoulder and you nipped his inner thigh. He yelped, jumping slightly in his seat.

"Any more talk about sports teams, and I'll nip you someplace else where it won't be possible to have one kid."

He held the hand holding his beer up in a gesture of surrender. You smirked at your win and settled back, rubbing your hand over his thigh soothingly. He played with your hair as you both engaged in other conversations with the team.

After about 30 minutes and two and a half drinks down, your dad shouted over to the group from afar.

"Hey, Rooster?"

You all turned, and Bradley moved his hand from behind your seat to your knee.

"Wanna give this old girl a play?"

Mav trail his hand over the top of the piano and tapped it. A grin grew on your face. Bradley turned to look at you as if he needed permission. You squeezed his thigh and nodded.

"On you go." You encouraged.

You thought it was the most wholesome thing ever that he looked at you with such hopeful eyes. He slid off his seat and pressed a kiss to your cheek before heading over to the piano. Your dad pulled the plug from the jukebox and a collection of annoyed sounds came from the crowd. The energy tonight was insane. There were probably more people in the bar than you had ever seen before – and it was all because of your amazing team and your two favourite men.

Phoenix came to stand by you, and you watched as your boyfriend lifted the lid of the piano and sat his beer on top of the instrument, sitting down on the stool. His fingers began toying with the keys and your heart – and somewhere more north – fluttered.

"If that man plays Great Balls of Fire, I'm gonna need another drink." Phoenix commented before leaving your side for the bar.

You chuckled to yourself and stayed seated, happy with your clear view to Bradley. Your dad stood by the piano, and you watched as they laughed and chatted together. He took his aviators from their folded place on his t-shirt and put them on his nose.

He is definitely about to play Great Balls of Fire. You thought to yourself.

You looked at your dad and then to your boyfriend. You watched how happy they both were and how your dad used to tell you and Bradley about the times where Goose would play in the bar with you and Rooster sitting on the piano. And Carole usually joining in, too. You wondered if your dad had somewhat healed from that memory, because he was enjoying himself so much with Bradley.

He started playing some improv, but you knew just by the notes and the key he was in, what he was about to play.

You had such a clear flashback in your mind of a moment you and Bradley spoke about a lot growing up. It was his mom and dad's catchphrases before Goose played something or did something silly. You smirked at the memory and gained a rush of confidence.

"Hey, Rooster, you big stud!" You called from your seat.

Bradley looked over to you, tipping his sunglasses to look through them at you with a huge grin on his face, his fingers still playing the keys. You felt the whole crowd – including your dad – turn to face you.

"That's me, honey!" He replied.

You sat forward, "Take me to bed or lose me forever!"

"Show me the way home, honey!" He called back.

The crowd watched and erupted in laughter and applause as your interaction with Bradley finished and the four iconic chords began to play.

"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain!"

You giddily laughed and stood up from your seat, meeting Phoenix on your way to the piano. She replaced the bottle in your hand with a new one and you thanked her. You both had your arms around each other before you parted ways so you could get closer to Rooster.

"I laughed at love 'cause I thought it was funny!" Your boyfriend sang, looking to you as you managed to fight your way to his inner circle.

"But you came along and you moved me, honey!"

You grinned as you danced closer to him, using his signature shimmy to get yourself to him. He laughed at you as he sang because you were getting that kind of tipsy. He opened an arm quickly for you and you swiftly slid onto his lap, resting your butt on his right thigh. He closed you back in with his arm.

You wrapped an arm around his shoulders and he winked at you.

"Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!" You all sang in unison.

"Kiss me, baby!" He looked to you.

You grabbed the nape of his neck, and he craned his neck slightly to press a kiss to your lips. You held it long enough for you to taste the beer from his lips, but not long enough that it affected the song.

"Ohh, that feels good, baby!" He shivered comically after your kiss and you laughed, shaking your head.

"I want to love you like a lover should,"

He pressed a quick kiss to your arm, tickling your skin with his moustache. You ran your fingers into his hair and smiled at him as he played.

"You're fine!"

"And so kind!" You sang to him.

"Imma tell the world that you're mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!"

You giggled, and laughed, and danced your way through the song. You even attempted to play a few notes, but they were so wrong that you couldn't continue.

As Bradley finished, the whole place erupted in cheers and applause. You looked around the room and it was almost intimidating how big of a crowd had actually formed. Bradley did the same and you both exchanged a look of awe. You grabbed his sunglasses from his face and put them on your own, ignoring how big they were on you.

Bradley swept you up into his arms and you squealed, holding onto his broad shoulders. He had you in bridal hold, swinging you around in circles. Everyone began chanting your names and you felt like you were in a movie.

"Rooster! Locket!"

They kept going. And going. You were laughing and smiling so much your cheeks hurt and the warmth of the beer was spreading through your veins.

Bradley eventually placed you back on the ground, but you still held onto his shoulders for balance. His hands slid around your waist, and you could finally look up at him without the room spinning.

He was smiling so big; his cheeks were flushed, and his hair was messy. You knew how happy he was in that moment, and you felt the exact same.

"You know what?"

"What?" You asked, looking up at him through the aviators.

"I was always going to be the only key to your lock, honey."

Your cheeks flushed, "You are so cheesy, Rooster."

He smirked, and you felt the glasses getting removed from your nose.

"I know. And I don't care." He said, before his lips crashed into yours and the whole bar exploded in whistles and cheers.

-

Taglist:  @mak-32​ @anolddayslover​ @alana4610​ @n3ssm0nique​ @daryldixonstorm @livychan @luckyladycreator2​ @justatiredhuman​ @surely-sherly @marvelsvalhalla @im-your-possession @honey-leclerc @wherearetheavacadosat @welpthathappened​ @edgypickles​ @kylpkfbe @lillizxzz @lilpeekabooze​ @daisyhollyxox​ @piceous21​ @hey-its-kayla-claire​ @shrimping-for-all @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @khaylin27​ @santiiagopopegarcia​ @avengersfan25​ @thescarletknight2014​ @beebslebobs @delaneyburghardt​ @shadowsndaisies​ @inlovewithstiles @marantha @devrill 

#topgun #top gun #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley bradshaw x reader #rooster #rooster x reader #rooster x y/n #smut #fluff #angst #bradley bradshaw smut #rooster smut #top gun series #maverick #romance #miles teller #miles teller smut #top gun:maverick

[arbitrarygreay]

Great iyashikei requires loss. A lot of examples are self-obvious, by being post-apocalyptic (Girls Last Tour, Sora no Woto, Kemurikusa). The central character exclaiming "suteki~!" at everything manages to not be insufferable because the audience knows how much better these characters could have it. It brings peace/joy by putting the audience's first world living into perspective. Some of those "living in the countryside" type iyashikei (Flying Witch, Tamayura, Non non Biyori) is kind of doing a contrast with urban living, but I nonetheless have a harder time connecting to those shows, because they often feel more like papering over the cracks than having it as underlining subtext. From that angle (advertising rural living), a more energetic TikTok Shenanigans approach or a more nonfiction nitty-gritty approach catches my own interest better, whereas the iyashikei approach doesn't land. Another category would be supernatural beings: Natsume Yuujinchou, Konohana Kitan. Their stories involving spirits and such are full of mono no aware, keenly aware of the passage of time when juxtaposed against the inhuman. It's a horseshoe of the very long-lived and the very short-lived entities and phenomena, always mismatched against human time-scales. There's K-ON, which stands out from other CGDCT by dint of its lush KyoAni Yamada Naoko execution. The dedication to atmosphere in the day-to-day lends it the "keen awareness of the passage of time" as the previous paragraph, both in the audience and in the characters. Everyone knows that graduation is relentlessly incoming. The care paid to the liminal scenes (such as the opening to S1E13) emphasizes to the audience the careless adolescence they will never experience again quite in the same way (or never experienced in the first place). Tamayura tries too hard to have the characters verbally point these things out, which ruins the immersion. But the way to sidestep that slight unreality of the characters is to inject more of the unreal into the world. And thus, some of Tamayura's shortcomings work perfectly fine in Aria. Aria is a curious case, threatening to stubbornly counterexample my theory. Sure, some of its episodes do follow the third "tales of the supernatural" category, but much of the rest is just post-scarcity paradise living. So what allows Aria to retain its "greatest iyashikei" title? Where is the loss? Well, for one thing, I do actually find some of the most "suteki~!"-centered episodes to be a bit too fluffy, and rarely rewatch those. I've heard that the manga is stronger on that point (as is Konohana Kitan), because they can go harder on drawing the luscious settings, which therefore creates that "and you will never quite have this experience again" feeling you can get in real life from exploring a location at your own pace. So again, what makes Aria the greatest iyashkei? Simple, really. Aria's strongest episodes are when the characters actually go through with meaningful turning points in their lives, or when the characters are being openly nostalgic about the past stages of life behind them (which is reinforced by the generational structure of the cast). And finally, the whole premise of Neo-Venezia underlines everything with the fact that the author and everyone in that world are striving to re-create a lost time and place. tl;dr iyashikei that fails to land is probably because they tried to create peace via pure paradise. As with using salt and/or acid in cooking, you gotta have lack as a contrasting palate cleanser and taste enhancer, even if you're going for a qingdan style.

#iyashikei #aria the animation #k-on #category: anime #natsume yuujinchou #konohana kitan #not tagging this properly for reasons #category: craft

[clowngames]

i’m a game dev student at an art school and i’ve been really struggling with finding my niche…. i LOVE being a environment/modeler/texture artist, and i want to have more skills in the design/tech side… but i’ve been struggling really hard with learning unreal engine 5 for my classes. do you have any experience in unreal5 blueprinting or just anything more on the tech side? i would appreciate some advice to get through these tough college quarters :’D

Whenever someone entering gamedev on the programmer side is struggling to figure it out, there are generally two reasons for this.

The first is that they're struggling to get into the programmer mindset. Blueprints try to bridge the gap, but code doesn't work like english. It doesn't even work like the human brain. When we think or talk we take shortcuts to formulate or convey ideas because we can trust that when it comes time to interpret those ideas another person (or ourselves in the future) will fill in those gaps. This is so intuitive to us that we don't even notice that there are gaps. Programming forces you to become aware of how many gaps there are and fill them, and quite frankly it's a humbling experience.

I'm probably not saying anything you don't already know, but I want to emphasize that the way coding works is unintuitive to most people and we need to retrain our way of thinking to get good at it. This is unfortunately not a fast process. It's very common especially for new programmers (though I'm not immune even now) to go "I'm a fucking idiot, I'm a fucking idiot, I'm a fucking--I'M A GENIUS" because of the cycle of shit not working for stupid reasons and then finally working.

The second problem is that they're unfamiliar with (and overwhelmed by) the library they're working with.

A "library" in a programming context is typically collection of functions and objects you can import into a project, but each game engine has its own built in libraries which the engines are built around. These are the verbs and nouns that aren't built into, for example, C++, but have been added by Unreal Engine to make it easier to make games.

The better the game engine, the larger the library. Unfortunately, the larger the library the more overwhelming it is because that's a lot of shit to learn.

In your case anon the "library" would refer to the different kinds of nodes you can add to the blueprint. When you're new to it, even an expert Unity dev will struggle in Unreal because they don't know what their options are to accomplish things.

Now the reason I break down the new-programmer hurdles into two distinct problems is because they often seem like one problem, which can make it hard to solve. Both get better with experience so sometimes slamming your head against a wall is a viable way to get through them, but it's not the best.

If you think your main issue is the first problem, you can work on it through "exercise." This can be in the form of taking programming courses on codecademy (I'd recommend C++ since you're using Unreal, though C# isn't a bad choice) or by playing a game by Zachtronics like Infinifactory or Opus Magnum. These games are "programming puzzle games" and I can personally attest to having gotten better at Infinifactory as I got better at programming.

If you think it's the second problem, the biggest solvent is curiosity. When I get into a new engine, I spend a bit of time learning how it works and then immediately try and figure out how to do dumb shit in it. I made an incremental game in RPG Maker just to see if I could. It wasn't good, but it was a fun educational experience. Sometimes I'll come across a function I don't understand, and I'll open the engine's manual and read about the function and use that as a jumping off point to dive into similar functions.

It doesn't feel good for my advice to be "read the manual" but genuinely there's a point where you realize that you're reading the manual instead of watching youtube videos and it's like, holy shit I'm a real programmer. It's a sign that you're getting comfortable enough in the role that you're learning what questions to ask to figure out what you need to know (youtube is still a great resource of course).

All of that said though, if your aim is to be an environment artist I think it's okay to be bad at programming. Survive college, of course, but if you're in a team with a dedicated programmer (which you will be if you are not the programmer) then all you need is to be able to understand how to communicate with the programmer. It's really beneficial to know enough about the fundamentals of what you're working in to know what info the programmer needs from you and what info you need from them, but you don't have to be good at it to do that!

#asks #gamedev #I hope this advice is useful!

[rachelkaser]

The case for a female protagonist in Assassin’s Creed: Codename Red

Assassin’s Creed has hemmed and hawed on giving its games a solo female protagonist. Codename Red might be Ubisoft’s chance to go all-in -- if it takes the plunge. Here’s how it could work and why the developers should do it.

You know the expression, “The opposite of love isn’t hate but indifference?” The point of it is to demonstrate that lack of care is the greatest sign of love’s absence. But turn it on its side slightly, and what it’s also telling you is that love and hate can exist in the same space. I have seen no surer proof of this idiom’s truth than my own feelings towards Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series. I love it . . . oh, but how I hate it, too.

For those of you just joining us, I am a fan of the series, but I am also very critical of it. I have loved this series for almost half of my life, but its evolution and overarching story is messy at best and insultingly incoherent at worst. I accept and embrace the series as it is, while also despising it for its unrealized potential.

With that being said, and since I’ve mentioned unrealized potential, let’s talk about the future of Assassin’s Creed -- specifically, the upcoming game currently codenamed “Red.” This might be the ideal time for Ubisoft to introduce something Assassin’s Creed has avoided like it avoids the modern day storyline: A starring female protagonist. Not only are conditions for this “bold” move ideal, but I would argue the company has to do it. Let’s talk about it.

Let’s Talk About the Female Assassins

Before we go on, I know I should address the series’ existing heroines, lest anyone accuse me of not thoroughly covering my material. I’m aware that Assassin’s Creed has given us a few heroines already -- they’ve even said that the female characters are the canon leads.

However, as we talk about it, I think you’ll notice a common theme with all of these characters. I call it the Not So You’d Really Notice It effect. We’re told they’re definitely the canon characters and are important to the history of the series . . . but Not So You’d Really Notice It.

Evie Frye

The ninth game, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, was the first in the main series to feature a playable female character. Syndicate follows the adventures of twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye, who are attempting to retake London from Templar control. Now, according to the developers, Jacob and Evie were supposed to be equal co-leads in the title -- but Not So You’d Really Notice It. Jacob dominated in all of the marketing, and Evie’s story in the actual game is static and boring compared with his. She has fewer story quests -- should the player so choose (some missions you can select which twin to play), they only have to play as Evie for about 30% of the game.

To be fair, this is not just because Evie is a woman -- another factor is that Ubisoft was trying to marry its two different kinds of protagonists into one game. I mentioned this when I first reviewed the title, but traditionally AC protagonists fall into one of two camps: They’re either reserved stoics with a temperamental streak (Altair, Connor, Shay) or charismatic, flirtatious extroverts (Ezio, Edward, Arno). Ubisoft has always been better with the latter, rather than the former -- or rather, the games in which the extroverts star seem to be better received.

Ubisoft knows how to write a story starring a character like Jacob. They don’t know what to do with stiff-upper-lipped Evie besides make her perpetually irritated at Jacob. Her brother gets to undergo a whole character arc, while Evie doesn’t really get the same treatment. To reiterate, I don’t think that’s just because of her gender -- but I’m also convinced that was at least part of it.

Syndicate also hides its most interesting character in what amounts to a mini-game: Lydia Frye, a WWI-era British Assassin spy who worked alongside Winston Churchill. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better hook for a character anywhere in the series, but Lydia is only in about an hour of the game, total. I would love for Ubisoft to make a game about her, but I know how likely that is to happen.

Aya, a.k.a. Amunet

In the next game, Origins, Ubisoft decided to change up the formula slightly by making the protagonist an older, married father. Bayek is himself a breath of fresh air, having a different motivation than other protagonists and not really fitting the previous templates. He’s assisted in his quest by his wife, Aya. She’s supposed to also be pursuing vengeance for their murdered son . . . but Not So You’d Really Notice.

Hold onto something, because this might just give you the vapors: Aya was originally supposed to be the main playable character in Origins. According to a Bloomberg report, the original plan for the game was to sideline Bayek early (it’s not exactly stated how) and for Aya to take over. However, if this Bloomberg report is to be believed, Aya was slowly pushed to the margins over the course of development.

You can see traces of this in the final game, as there are a few sequences where you play as Aya. She’s off on her own quest to avenge her son’s death, at least at first. One problem with her diminished role in the game is that her motivations are incredibly difficult to follow. She’s out for revenge, up until the moment she meets Cleopatra, with whom she becomes smitten and flips on a dime. She’s given some more screentime in the DLC, which I assume was because the higher-ups were no longer paying as close attention.

Kassandra

Out of all the female characters in Assassin’s Creed, Kassandra is probably the best-received. I’ve yet to hear anyone say they dislike her or, worse, are indifferent to her. While I only have anecdotal evidence, I’ve heard that some people who’ve never played Assassin’s Creed before jumped aboard because they wanted to play as this dry-witted, badass Amazon woman.

According to the aforementioned report, Odyssey was also originally conceived of with a solo female protagonist -- Kassandra. Her brother, Alexios, was in the game, but he was presumably consigned the role of villain Deimos. Eventually this morphed into the version of the game we have now, where the two are interchangeable protagonists, and whomever isn’t selected is Deimos. According to Ubisoft and Odyssey’s novelization, Kassandra is the canonical Eagle-Bearer -- but Not So You’d Really Notice It.

To be clear, the Assassin’s Creed meta-narrative is that a modern-day person is reliving the life of an historical figure via genetic memories. Having two distinct people who could be the protagonist doesn’t really work... at all. It’s not the only concession Odyssey makes in an effort to be more like an RPG, but it’s probably the one that requires the biggest break from established series conventions.

Eivor

This brings us to the most recent game, Valhalla, which once again features a man and a woman sharing the throne. In this case, they’ve ditched the idea that they’re separate people and just made them a single person named Eivor. You can choose to play as a male or female version of the character.

Eivor is a Viking warrior who departs Norway with their brother Sigurd and founds a settlement in England. They’re eventually drawn into the apparently eternal battle between the covert forces of chaos (the Assassins) and the oppressive forces of order (the Templars). It’s not helped by mysterious stranger (and future protagonist) Basim attempting to manipulate both Eivor and Sigurd.

Just like Kassandra, Female Eivor is the canonical character. Male Eivor is actually the Norse God Havi. Eivor is his reincarnation and thus shares his DNA. Once again, you can tell that the female character is supposed to have been the lead here: Eivor is a female name. The in-game character selection gives players the option to “Let the Animus decide” which makes Female Eivor the Viking-era protagonist but Male Eivor the Asgard-era protagonist.

WTF, Ubisoft?

As you can see, Ubisoft has come very, very close to having a female protagonist lead one of its titles. But every time it’s come close, it’s choked at the concept stage, throwing in a male protagonist as a preemptive tonic. Why did this take place?

Apparently the directives to change all of these games from women-led to shared adventures or male-led came from the marketing department or Ubisoft CCO Serge Hascoët. Both claimed that games led by female characters wouldn’t sell. The report doesn’t say whether that same thought process applied to Valhalla, but I think I can assume so.

To be fair to Ubisoft, that presumption may not have been too far off. According to director Scott Phillips, the majority of Odyssey players chose Alexios, though he added that their popularity was about even in playtesting. But I take that with a grain of salt -- the entire games industry has historically been gun-shy about female protagonists and gives them much less marketing than they might otherwise receive.

I’m not even going to dedicate much space to Assassin’s Creed: Chronicles, which gave separate episodes to some peripheral Assassins of history. The China episode is led by Shao Jun, but I can’t exactly give Ubisoft props for that -- for one, she’s sharing the spotlight with Arbaaz Mir and Nikolai Orelov. For two, Chronicles is an offshoot game that got precisely zero marketing compared with the mainline titles.

The only character in the franchise so far who has carried a game entirely on her own is poor Aveline de Grandpre, the protagonist of Liberation. Honestly, Liberation is so unusual compared with the rest of the series that I have to believe it was a fluke. It had to have been made while Ubisoft higher-ups were looking the other way -- and given that it was originally a PlayStation Vita exclusive, I wouldn’t have blamed them for not paying attention.

Also, I want to be clear that I bear the male protagonists in these games no ill will at all. Jacob is a glorious himbo; Bayek is complex and original; Alexios has some of the series’ best voice acting; and Male Eivor is an awesome Viking warrior, and we can never have enough of those. I love this series’ badass men. I just want them to stay in their own games to give the badass women a chance to shine.

Forward to the Past

With all of this history, let’s talk about what the future holds for Assassin’s Creed. We already know that the next game in the series is Assassin’s Creed Mirage, set in 9th Century Baghdad. It’ll star Basim, the mysterious stranger from Valhalla. No female counterpart, but he will have a female mentor character, a Persian Hidden One (precursor to Assassins) named Roshan. Funnily enough, Roshan got almost as much focus in the reveal as Basim, most likely because she’s voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Other than Mirage, Ubisoft is working on games codenamed “Jade” and “Hexe.” Jade is a mobile RPG with a customizable player character set in ancient China -- doesn’t interest me much, seems designed to capture the Chinese mobile audience. “Hexe” is a cipher, and we have no details about it from which I could speculate on what kind of story to expect.

The game I wish to focus on is Codename Red, which Ubisoft announced during its big show earlier this year. Codename Red is the fulfilment of a longtime fandom wish: An Assassin’s Creed game set in historical Japan. Players have been asking for this because its such an obvious fit for the series mandate: The fictional Assassins and the historical ninja are obviously simpatico, and Japan has a number of points in its history where the traditional Assassin vs Templar narrative would fit perfectly.

So far we don’t know much about the game. According to the trailer, it’s set in “Feudal Japan” (which could be anywhere within a roughly 500-year period), it’ll have the action-RPG gameplay of Odyssey and Valhalla, and it’ll let players live a “shinobi fantasy.” That’s all we’ve got to work with, outside of rumors.

Now let me explain why this game should have -- nay, cries out for a female shinobi to lead.

The Land of the Rising Sun

Ubisoft has used Japan as a setting in the expanded AC universe, most notably in the French novel Blade of Aizu and in Memories the card game -- yes, Assassin’s Creed had a digital card game. The latter revealed that the Assassins established a Brotherhood in Japan during the Sengoku Period by allying with the country’s ninja, including Hattori Hanzo.

Let me paint a picture of the kind of female character we’d have if Ubisoft actually moved forward with this idea. We’ll call her “Akane” for reference. Suppose that we start in feudal Japan -- perhaps slightly before the age of Hattori Hanzo, but still within the Sengoku Period -- and Akane is a young merchant, perhaps someone who participates in the burgeoning trade with newly arrived Europeans. One day something happens that almost makes her a casualty in this time of upheaval -- I leave it to those who are more well-versed in Japanese history to say what.

Akane obtains a Hidden Blade, either from one of her European friends, or perhaps a member of the Chinese Assassin Brotherhood (Shao Jun would have been active around this time). Determined to keep the common people from being wrapped up in the machinations of those in power, Akane swiftly begins growing a network of spies across the region, participating in several covert assassination missions, and essentially starting an Assassin’s bureau all by herself in Japan.

I don’t have the requisite academic background to speak from authority on the subject, but even cursory research shows that female spies, assassins, and warriors were not rare in Japan. In fact, one such historical figure, Mochizuki Chiyome, recruited an entire spy network of female shinobi. She’s a character in Memories, albeit working for the Templars and opposed by Hattori Hanzo. There is historical precedent aplenty for this “Akane” character, and I’m excited just at the idea of what Ubisoft could do with her if they really cared enough.

Having said all that, I’m not going to bother giving an historical justification for a female protagonist in this game. I am not going to address them directly, but the misogynistic fuckwits who oppose the concept of a female protagonist on principle (or the illusion of principle) often use “historical accuracy” as a flimsy shield for their real intent. I don’t want to even give the impression that I’m meeting them on their level. Because here’s the fun thing: Historical accuracy could not possibly matter less in the Assassin’s Creed series.

Nothing is True...

If we’re being very honest with each other (and we always are here in my house), AC’s pretentions to historical accuracy have always been shallow at best. For the last few years, the developers have tried to position AC as some kind of portal to a proper history education, which is commendable and also kind of adorable given how little their series resembles real world events. (Those Who Came Before, anyone?)

But leaving aside all of that, the entire conceit of the series is that history was not as we’ve been taught it. Major forces in the world have deliberately obscured or buried historical facts and figures, and the version that we’ve been taught is a sanitized version palatable to the Templar overlords. If you played Black Flag and spent any time in the modern day (though if you avoided that, I wouldn’t blame you), you’ll remember that the entire point was that Abstergo is Templar-washing the historical people who’ve opposed them.

Connor became a brutish savage. Ezio became a deranged serial killer. Altair became an arrogant heretic. Aveline was lauded, but they notably cut off her story around the time she pretended to join the Templars, making it seem that she did come around the “right” way of thinking. I found that part of Black Flag surprisingly clever -- while we, the players, know that’s not an accurate view of their lives, we can also see how Templars can paint that picture with just a slight twist of the facts. When it comes to history, it matters who tells the story.

My point being that this is the most elegant venue ever to tell a story about a person who may not have a whole lot of historicity. Oh, you don’t think women could have feasibly been warriors and assassins at this time and place in history? That’s what the Templars want you to think! Especially when you consider that the Templars in the games are traditionally the rich and powerful, while the Assassins recruit from society’s oppressed and downtrodden. Seriously, I could not create a better stage than this to tell this kind of a story.

...Everything is Permitted

One thing I have not yet addressed is why it might be in Ubisoft’s best interest to put a woman in the lead of this game. Three words: Ghost of Tsushima. Let me expand.

Players have been asking for a Japanese Assassin’s Creed game since the series began, but Ubisoft never delivered on that. AC3 creative director Alex Hutchinson once said, by way of explanation for why they weren’t considering it, “People on the internet suggest the most boring settings. The three most wanted are WWII, feudal Japan and Egypt. They're kind of the three worst settings for an AC game.”

He later added, “Feudal Japan would work as an Assassin's game, for sure, but I feel like it would start to look like 'oh, have I played this?' You know what I mean - 'oh, I've been a ninja before, I've been a samurai before'." Well, if the problem was that ninja and samurai were too common for Ubisoft, then they’re really not going to like the market into which Codename Red will launch.

In terms of a quasi-historical fantasy game set in Japan where players are a sneaky anarchist people’s hero trying to topple a militant regime, we’ve got Ghost of Tsushima. And it was both a great game and hugely successful -- enough so that I’m not sure Ubisoft should try to beat it.

To make matters more unfavorable, Ghost of Tsushima 2 is heavily rumored to be in the works. Team Ninja is also working on Rise of the Ronin. Honestly, if even one other “Japanese historical fantasy” title launches in the same year as Codename Red, then it’s going to be in trouble.

So if Ubisoft really wanted to stand out, they could do something I’m quite certain the other games won’t do. It’s a really easy solution, too: Make the protagonist a woman. The historical background is there, insofar as Ubisoft has ever needed it to be. They’ve come very close to doing it many, many times. Now I want to see this franchise grit its figurative teeth and take the plunge of actually giving a woman the starring role.

Appendix: Reality Check

Having said my piece, I wanted to add that I’m aware just how remote the possibility of this actually happening is. While female game protagonists are not as rare as they once were, and studios are becoming slightly less reluctant to greenlight a game with a woman in the lead role, the chances of Ubisoft finally giving in and making a female Assassin-led title are smaller than I’d like.

In part, the problem is Ubisoft. The company’s alleged culture of hostile, noxious masculinity was only revealed recently, and I’ve seen no sign that it’s made significant enough improvement to give me hope. For one thing, TheGamer recently reported that devs are actively avoiding Red because director Jonathan Dumont allegedly has a history of being verbally abusive, particularly to women.

The other part of the problem is that, as optimistic as I am that there’s a sea change in the industry, a game with a female lead character is still a Big Deal . . . and not the kind of Big Deal that publishers want. And Ubisoft is not just any publisher -- it’s a publisher that has proven, time and again, that it’s not willing to put a woman in the spotlight all by herself.

I can’t lie: That makes me very sad. Having a female character should not be a Big Deal. It should not be something that requires extensive rewrites in order to shoehorn in a male option to steal her thunder. I can promise you that, when a Ubisoft creative pitched Mirage to his higher-ups, no one responded with, “Hmm, Basim, really? Not sure about that. Don’t you think we should make Roshan playable too, just for the people who want to play as a woman?”

In any case, we’ll likely hear more about Assassin’s Creed Red at some point in the near-future. My fingers are crossed, but my hopes are summarily tempered. I can still dream, can’t I?

#assassin's creed #codename red #assassin's creed valhalla #ubisoft #kunoichi #female protagonist #assassin's creed odyssey #assassin's creed syndicate #assassin's creed origins #evie frye #eivor varinsdóttir #kassandra #aveline de grandpre #amunet

[fipindustries]

“We’ve been trying to change things.  But I guess if I say that, we get back to people on Charles side saying-”

“Too little, too late.”

“And you’d rather gamble in a big way, something that might not work or might go out of control, to try to force a change in this way that’s going to take a lot of lives-”

“Of the unjust, ambitious, and greedy.”

“Yeah, I really want to circle back to that,” Avery said.  “Because I think that’s… not great.  But you’d rather gamble than take steady steps?  I’m not even talking a hundred years of waiting to do stuff our way, I think we’ve made a lot of progress since my friends and I awoke in Kennet.  Earned, hard progress, changes to the Seal with the sword moot, the markets, treatment of and opportunity for Others, the markets- I’m saying that twice because I’m really proud of how we’ve got goblins and fairies working together.  That’s in like, six or seven months, we’ve been recruiting and working at this.  We can make a big impact in a few years.”

“Too little, too late.”

“That’s crazy to me,” Avery said.

“How many innocents would you give a swift, clean death to, if it meant one person didn’t have to suffer like we did?  Like Nova and Athena did?”

“None?” Avery asked.  “There has-”

“Then you’re evil.  I’m sorry.  The degree, the depth of the hurt done…?  The fact that right now, having been through what I’ve been through?  Knowing there are others out there who are suffering like we did?  That there’s another family out there like the Mussers, doing something equivalent to taking familiars from practitioners they love?  That’s an emergency.  I wish you could take my word for it.”

-pale

ive had so many debates like this its unreal

#its all right there #spelled out in black and white #liberals vs leftists #pale #wildbow

[miscelunaaa]

the deluge | bts

pairing: unknown/unnamed member x gender neutral!reader (PLATONIC)

genre: angst. weirdness. this might be my most experimental bullshit yet.

summary: someone has to pick up the pieces. it might as well be him. 

rating: 18+/mature for weirdness and dark themes

word count: 738

warnings: serious mental health struggles related to creativity. likely heavy-handed figurative language. devastation. unreality. usage of the name “sweetheart” for the reader. husbeard referred to this as intense so take that as you will. 

notes: Presented with great feeling and little explanation. Please know that it was excruciating to try to pick a photo between photos from The Astronaut and Indigo for the banner. An enormous thank you to @thatlongspringnight for lending me orbs before posting. Lastly: a playlist. Thank you for reading. 

my masterlist | my disclaimers | read on ao3

When he walks into the room, he can’t help but notice how dark the space feels. The darkness in your heart has spilled over and out into your home. Its capacity has always been great, so that it has become empty again means something. That it has emptied out into your universe means the mess just couldn’t be contained any longer. 

You were always so good at sharing the contents of your heart. 

You’re in the corner, huddled in the midst of strewn papers and broken porcelain. There are computer keys and glass shards and ripped spines, spilled coffee and ink stains seeping into the floor. Broken dreams in the ruins. The old hardwood creaks beneath his feet as he approaches, but you can’t hear it, not over the shuddering sobs that make the whole room swim and quake. 

How long has it been since you were last like this? He can’t remember. Everything’s been so good for so long, but of course, maybe that’s the problem. It takes so much time to fill up that vast heart of yours, and only moments to pour it all out. It’s not boundless, not like you make it seem. 

There’s a crack as he steps into the rubble field. Something beneath the soles of his shoes gives, but whatever it was doesn’t matter; it’s already broken. It’s already useless. He’ll sweep it up later. 

“What if I can’t do it again?” you’d said to him once, clothed in the velvet of night. “What if that’s all I’ve got?”

And he’d smiled softly, and said, “Then that’s all you have. That you’ve told it at all is more than enough.”

He hadn’t expected this at the time. He hadn’t expected it until suddenly he saw the cracks beginning to form, leaking light and tears and searing anger he couldn’t have ever prepared for. For that matter, neither could you. 

Another crack as he steps forward, more rustling as he moves his feet over the detritus. Each step has him wading deeper but he knows how these currents work. He won’t let himself be swept away, not when you need to be pulled from the tide carrying you out to the abyss.

“Sweetheart,” he says softly as he draws near. His voice goes unheard. The way you shake, your fingertips digging into your own skin, has the power to break his heart, but still he holds steady. Undeterred. “Sweetheart, please.”

When you finally lift your head to look at him, your expression could fell giants. “Please what? Go away. You’re not even real.”

The venom in your voice ripples beneath his skin, making each hair on his body raise.

“No,” he says. “I’m staying.”

You rend like sodden paper, any last bit of structural integrity giving as you fall apart beneath his hard gaze. He hates this. He hates this for you. There’s nothing you can do to stop the flood, and there’s nothing he can do but be a wall for new shoots to cling to. New things have to be built on the old. 

He stands his ground, anchoring you, even as you dip and bend before him. As you weep, you become smaller, childlike, shrinking into yourself. He steps forward to scoop you up into his arms. With little hands, you reach for him, hiccuping as he wipes the tears from your eyes. 

“What if it doesn’t come back?” you ask, your voice strange and stilted as your chest heaves to catch your breath. You watch the floor as he starts taking careful steps over your devastation. You can’t look at him, not yet, but you can see the damage you’ve done with cold new eyes. His hold on you is as steady as ever. 

“Then you gave it everything you had,” he says, running a thumb over your round little cheeks to brush the tears away. 

“Will you still stay with me?” Your voice this time is small, but your eyes are wide, gazing at him with something bright that he can’t place. As he draws near the door and places his hand on the worn brass knob, he realizes that he knows exactly what’s lighting you from within. Wonder. 

It’s been so long since you last showed it in that glittering mind of yours. Even destruction, it seems, can make new things, just like you did, once upon a time. 

“Of course, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere.”

Thank you for reading! Drop me an ask and tell me what you think. Find me in various places at my carrd :)

©miscelunaaa 2022. My work is only found on this blog and under my ao3 pseud. Do not, under any circumstances, copy or repost my work. Thank you.

posted: 12.22.2022

#bts fic #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts x reader #bts x gender neutral reader #experimental fic #bts angst #if you read this it means more than I can really say

[umlewis]

formula 1 newcomer lewis hamilton is interviewed ahead of the australian grand prix - 2007 (transcription under the cut)

Interviewer: "...performed in GP2 last year, the spirited, aggressive, courageous style in which he took the title, but how will this style transfer to Formula 1 as Lewis Hamilton, this weekend in Melbourne, is given his great chance in grand prix motor racing. What was the moment like for you when Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh actually told you that you were gonna be a Formula 1 driver with McLaren?" Lewis: "It was quite an unreal moment, to be honest. I mean, I was invited to Ron's house, so I was sat there with my two bosses and they sat there and said, 'Okay, we've decided not to take you to China or Japan' - which was a bit of a relief, because I wasn't prepared for those races. And then they said, 'But we've decided you're gonna be our race driver', and it was sort of like... I had to bite my tongue and just try and put on a professional face. But it was an amazing moment; really, my dream had come true, so..." Interviewer: "So what has surprised you most as you've become assimilated into the team and its very extensive winter testing program, as well? What have you learned?" Lewis: "The most surprising thing would be how intense it is, in terms of understanding the technical side of the Formula 1 car, and, physically, it's quite a big step. Most drivers, when they get in first, they don't really think it's a huge step from GP2, but once you start getting into the race distances, it really is a big step up. So training a lot more-sort of 5 hours a day-preparing for that first race, and then understanding their strategies, pit stops, everything there is on the technical side. Because the geometry of the car is completely different, the engines are a lot different, and you have a lot more aero, so there's just so much information to take in and I'm still learning, and I'm sure that even Michael Schumacher was probably still learning." Interviewer: "And how does it feel? How exhilerating is it to sit in the cockpit of a Formula 1 car and really push it to its limit?" Lewis: "Well, the thing is, the first time I got in it-it was a fantastic feeling, obviously-but it was tough. The car was driving me, and you really are working very hard to get the most out of the car on one lap, and as soon as you start to get used to it you're able to then take control and sort of sit back and, really, it comes a lot easier. But, again, it's extremely tough, but it's fantastic driving the thing. It's so quick, so much speed, and adrenaline is pumping nonstop. And it's really difficult to describe it, but it's completely different to any other car I've driven." Interviewer: "The other guy that you've got to get to know is your teammate, double world champion Fernando Alonso. What sort of impressions have you formed so far?" Lewis: "Well, the first time we met was last year in Turkey. I was in the hotel and he was having dinner in the restaurant, and so was I with my dad, and he finished and then he came over and introduced himself. And I was really surprised; I was sort of taken back. 'Wow, the world champion is recognizing me and came over to say hello.' But he's very down-to-earth, he's very relaxed, very calm, and I think we share a lot of the same sort of personality. I mean, he likes to just stay relaxed and try to sort of stay out of the media; he doesn't really like too much of the attention. But he loves to race, so we obviously share that in common. But he's very, very focused, works very hard, so when you're at the test there's a lot you can learn from him, just about his approach. But at the races, there's gonna be even more." Interviewer: "So how much do you see, certainly the first half of the season, as a learning opportunity within the team, or how much is it gonna be a competitive oportunity?” Lewis: "I think, for the main part of it, it definitely has to be a learning experience. You have to sit back and... Definitely is gonna be a learning... As I said, it's a very steep learning curve, so take it in my stride, learn as much as I can from the team and from Fernando and Pedro. But, at the end of the day, my goal is to win, so I'll do whatever I need to do this year to do that, but you can't run before you can walk, so just step by step." Interviewer: "When you sit on that grid ahead of the start in Melbourne, what sort of moment is that gonna be for you, and your family, as well, who have been so supportive?" Lewis: "For me, I think... It's difficult to really describe how I'm gonna feel. I don't know. I mean, it's something I've been working for for many years, and to finally be sitting there... 'Cause every year I've been watching the grand prix and the first grand prix is one of the most exciting ones, and now I'll be sitting there on the grid. And just trying to anticipate what position I'll be in, what the feeling would be like and whether my nerves would be through the roof, but that's really difficult to imagine, so, again, we just have to wait and see. But for my family, they're extremely proud. All of the hard work that they've done over the years, they really paid off, and now they're just really excited to see me race and... I can't wait to get to the first race and really... Hopefully they'll all be there." Interviewer: "You say it's been a great journey. I think it's only just the beginning. We wish you all the best." Lewis: "Thank you very much."

#lewis hamilton #f1 #formula 1 #australian gp 2007 #flashback fic ref #flashback fic ref 2007 #australia #australia 2007 #not a race #2007 not a race #pre-season #pre-season 2007

[evanescentdawn]

1. Share a song that makes you think of "me and you" 🥺 and also 3. Heh

hi, haku <3 thanks for sending this in ^^ I went ham as usual

also would u look at this. i actually Finished answering this and did not leave it to rot in my drafts for many months ahem which I think deserves a golden sticker. a great yuki feat for nov 2023

1. Share a song that makes you think of “me n you”

UHH…. honestly don’t remember what song I was listening to when writing that fic but def was in my touken playlist. but mmmmh. “spring thief” + “thought crime” by yorushika because the vibes are FITTING. I do not think by lyrics fjfjjfjfjf

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

currently it’s my v beloved, hands under the scorch of the sun (we loved once) (once that is not now) (anymore)

every time i go thro my ao3, which has been a lot lately honestly lol I go so unwell when I see it. ITS THE !!!!! FIC !!!!! I love it so much it’s SO fun it’s so great it’s thee best. I was on a roll when I was writing it

AND OH THE TITLE. OH THE TITKE it’s so great. great as in im So ASHHSHDJDJDAHHHHHH oh my god. I was so Real for it. as my past me wrote “*explodes* —> me” in the end author notes, so v true and noted.

I love v dearly and it’s current fav because of HOW I WROTE IT. the unsaidnsss the tension it goes SO hard it’s unreal. it’s weird in a way too because it’s???? not at all typical way I write???? like WHAT is “casts a look” I never use those kind of phrases or write ways I did in this which is why it makes it so fun and so weird. also PUTHOR/SKALES !!!!!!!! this two make me so unreal for real. ever time I see this fic my longing to finish is another puthor/Skales is so v great. MY BELOVED SNAKES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

also HEH I’ve been actually been thinking about this fic today. well, technically it was kinda yesterday since it’s 3am rn. don’t ask why I am awake. ANYWAYS, some thoughts I had. like I read this post on “narration distance” and it got me Thinking about it (by that came to learn some v interesting Very Cool stuff about this draft I made yesterday? about Ichigo & Rukia lol) and was looking at my other work and i came to this one again and the start of it:

“pythor casts a look at skales. “what are you doing here?” >>

it immediately starts with a zoom-in, no easing into the character or the scene. fanfiction being a exploration of characters you already know makes this fun sandbox where you can start fics zoomed-in and it won’t be jarring in some ways because the readers assumingky ALREADY know this (assumingky as I’ve Read fics for fandom I know jack shit) anyways. I kinda forgot what sort of thoughts I had then, but. anyways.

I love it drops right into the action of things, no set up for the setting or what not. also I love how it starts hard with “Pythor” the little distance between the narration and “Pythor” right from the beginning puts a focus on Pythor. its an immediate invitation to this pythor’s world. also the way that skales is also referred to as their name in pythor’s pov, instead of a pronoun — putting focus on puthor&skales relationship and creating this smaller distance between the reader and these characters. it’s would be different to read “Pythor casts a look at them” as it makes Skales unknown and puts a distance between the narration and the “them” who is unknown. But instead, it was “Pythor casts a look at Skales” >> it gives importance to Skales as a character in this moment and significant to Pythor itself

and then looking at the entire sentence, at the middle bit that connects Pythor and Skales, “casts a look”. the verb “casts” is very fun sounding and especially the way it’s “k” and “s” sounds give it intensity and the way it it’s a deliberate action that is stressed with the word “cast” is written phonetically. it gives the following “a look” phrase a intensity.

also interesting how “casts” immediately follows “Pythor” putting Pythor…. andddd stoping myself here because my head is hurting. trying to articulate yourself is blergh. anyways V COOL START I LOVE IT V MUCH

also my fav ever part in this fic that makes me *scream*

“i’m here for a proposal.”

skales slithers closer, and skales’ hand is not touching pythor’s but — it’s a close thing.

“for a marriage union.” skales says. eyes firm and not breaking away from pythor’s, saying everything that skales’ mouth isn’t.

something that pythor doesn’t want to translate.

like WHAT IF I EXPLODED. god god god the “skales slithers closer, and skales’ hand is not touching pythor’s but — it’s a close thing.” is my favourite thing EVER

the repetition of “skales” putting emphasis on Skales themselves and everything they are doing. also I LOVE “slithers closer” slithers has this snakey-sneaky feeling to it also the alteration of “Skales slithers” has a nice ring it to. also AHHHH the “closer” it gives it like a tension of some kind. but it doesn’t stop there it goes AND SKALES’ HAND IS NOT TOYCHKNG PYTHOR’S what if I exploded fr. I love the focus on “Skales’ hand” and the way it’s not touching pythor’s. Like the fact it’s not pythor’s is significant!!!!!!!!!!!! it’s about the HANDS, and the NEGATIVE SPACE BETWEEN SKALES AND PYTHORS HANDS and the way the me continues this with the “but” and the dramatic pause of the emdash and says ITS A CLOSE THING

screaming. screeching. OH this is so good. OH this is so brilliant. I love it to death

also HELLOOOO “saying everything that skales’ mouth isn’t.” GAHHH AHHH AHHHHHHHH and that ENDING OF

“something that pythor doesn’t want to translate.”

the way!!!!!! nothing is like said!!!! the way the something that Pythor doesn’t want to translate is never said what it is!!!!!!!! but Pythor does know what it is but it DOESNT want to translate it. the way the whole passage has “Skales’ mouth” “Skales hand” “eyes firm” like as if ever part of Skales is saying something. it’s SO NNNNNGHHH good like give it to me

also the way a… lot of things of these things were accidentally LOL as I was trying to djdjdj write without using pronouns which is a challenge but also creates this super fun effect that im so loving. its so cool. this fic is so cool. I love it v dearly. PYTHOR/SKALES !!!!!!!!!!! OF MY HEART HEHHEHEHHE

also hello the way Skales is so active in this part. the way they slither closer, the way THEIR hand is close to pythor’s and the way THEIR eyes are firm and not moving away from pythor’s. the way !!! Skales only talks !!!! both verbally and a lot thro their body language as well. meanwhile Pythor is just There and while its their pov, it looks like Skales has taken the spotlight. and it finishs with “something that pythor doesn’t want to translate.” LIKE PYTHOR !!!! KNOWS WHAT SKALES IS TRYING TO SAY AND KNOWS SKAES BUT IT DOESNT WANT TO TRANSLATE IT !!!!! IT WANTS TO REJECT IT !!!!!!

also the way the ending just drops off! it doesn’t say what pythor’s responding answer is! it leave u hanging SCREAMING on this heightened tension screams OH its So good so v in love with it heh

def my fav piece right now <3 <3 <3 the Pythor/Skales is so Strong sighs longingly I wish to write more for them but working on the two ideas I have right now is to much work urgh and trying to make more ideas provides to be Hard cuz brain empty only Pythor/skales no idea NDJJDKDJDJD <3 so Helpful lol

ANYWAYS SO THERE IS!!!!! MY PYTHOR/SKALES!!!!!!! FIC !!!!!!!!

im so normal btw abt the title. refraining myself so bad into going into it because i do have not the spoons for that rn JDJKDKDKDKD

#answered asks #hakucho-art 🥰🥰♥️♥️ #<3 <3 <3 #pythor/skales HEH #fic: hands under the scorch of the sun #WE LOVED ONCE #ONCE THAT IS NOT NOW #ANYMORE #sobs & screaming gOD #also lol have the touken song playing rn in the bg. in some touken mood right now I miss them 🥺 #ALSO HELP??? WHEN IT GET TO 5:00 #I SWEAR IT WAS 3 SOMETHUJG WTF SINCE I WAS WRITING THIS #r u saying it could at least 1 hr and something wtf #it Did not feel like that????????

[shepardsherd]

The Next Part of Heaven's Fallen!

Joseph is pissed and Sephania has fucked up.

INT. FALLEN FACTION HQ – MAIN HUB- NOTTINGHAM – MORNING

ROBERT AND ARCHIE are looking at a map; bleary eyed and there are cups of coffee in the middle of the room on a table. JOSEPH walks into the room and its clear he hasn’t slept much either.

There is a sense of tension in the air – they know something is wrong. They can feel something is wrong.

JOSEPH steps forward and his knee gives way, collapsing to the floor. Its clear they’re all in bad shape, they’re tired and they’re working too hard. But they have cases to do and people to protect.

JOSEPH picks himself off the floor and brushes himself off, asking ROBERT and ARCHIE what they’re looking at.

ROBERT watches JOSEPH carefully.

ROBERT:

Something is coming, Joseph. You can feel it in the air. You can see it in the streets. People know something. Its like… something is out there, waiting.

JOSEPH is given the map – and its the one where TIANA has circled LIVERPOOL, LINCOLNSHIRE and MANCHESTER.

JOSEPH:

Whoever is coming for us, for Tiana, will not have chosen Nottingham because that would be an easy cop-out. They’re already in Liverpool so unless they’ve found her already, they won’t need to search for Sephania. But I think we need to start looking at the cases in these locations, that way we can do our jobs and still help keep an eye out for Sephania. I’ve told you what she looks like.

ARCHIE:

[laughing]

Tiana sounds just like you and you sound like Tiana sometimes. Its unreal

[looking at his phone]

So where would we start, what case? We haven’t heard back from Tiana and the others yet.

ROBERT:

Its literally just turned morning, they’re probably only just waking up. Give them time. Lets look for cases in these locations, then – we’ll leave out Liverpool, so we should focus on Manchester or Lincolnshire.

JOSEPH walks over to a computer, tapping and entering a password and being let in to the computer. He opens up the cases and we see him scroll through a list they have.

JOSEPH:

We’ve got a lot of reports. Which one of you wants to load the car? I’ll pick a case and we’ll head out.

ARCHIE:

Are you really up for this?

JOSEPH:

Don’t worry about me, let’s worry about Tiana and the others.

ARCHIE:

You’re not a soldier anymore, Joseph…

JOSEPH ignores ARCHIE, picking a case about a Fae/Fairy near Lincolnshire apparently trying to kidnap children and pronts out the details, handing them to ROBERT.

JOSEPH is the first to step outside the room.

EXT. OUTSIDE FALLEN FACTION HQ – MORNING

SEPHANIA, looking like absolute shit, is standing in the car park and shivering, nervously twitching like she’s on edge, waiting for something to strike her.

JOSEPH looks like he’s seen a ghost, squinting at her. He’s trying to make sure she’s real or not. He tries approaching SEPHANIA and find she’s a literal ghost – a hologram of sorts, a apparition.

JOSEPH:

Sephania!?

SEPHANIA looks somewhat semi-relieved to see him.

SEPHANIA:

Good. You have this place warded so Raqael and the others won’t be able to get in. I’m using the last of my energy to project my image to you.

JOSEPH:

What’s going on?

SEPHANIA has tears in her eyes now, you’ve never seen a GOD so scared. SEPHANIA’s heart is heavy; she knows she’s about to deliver some devastating news.

JOSEPH reaches out to her, even knowing its stupid because she’s not real and he watches his hand go through the image of her.

JOSEPH withdraws his hand, sadly.

SEPHANIA:

[voice breaking]

Raqael and Halcyon have your wife

[calming Joseph with a hand gesture to let her continue speaking]

Tiana already knows, plans are already in place. But I’m done. I can’t hold onto this power much longer, they’re going to find and kill me – Raqael, Halcyon and the others if Tiana doesn’t get to her first.

You need to -

JOSEPH:

[snarling]

Where’s my wife?

SEPHANIA:

You’ll die if you go after her.

JOSEPH:

I have died a thousand times over in the past 35 years, watching my daughter grow up to be exactly like her mother. Knowing that I was helpless, I couldn’t do anything to help her. I need to make it up to my wife.

SEPHANIA looks JOSEPH up and down.

SEPHANIA:

Somewhere in Manchester. I’m in Lincolnshire, hiding. I need to train you guys to fight before we attack. Otherwise we’re all doomed.

JOSEPH:

You’re a GOD for Heaven’s sake! We need to strike now. I’m going after my wife

SEPHANIA:

I’m weak.

JOSEPH:

You’re not doing enough. You’ve only just made yourself known, what kind of powerful entity are you?

SEPHANIA can see its clear that JOSEPH is hell-bent on getting revenge, getting his wife back and saving his family. It is very apparent SEPHANIA is losing control of the whole situation.

Her image flickers.

SEPHANIA:

[weakly]

Joseph.

JOSEPH pulls away as ARCHIE and ROBERT come outside.

JOSEPH:

You better keep my daughter safe, Sephania.

SEPHANIA:

You don’t need to die, Joseph!

JOSEPH:

At least I’ll have done something better than you have. I have so many questions for you, answers I know I’ll never get. So forget it, I’m taking control now – I’m saving my wife, with or without your help.

SEPHANIA:

You’re angry, I get that -

The image flickers away, leaving JOSEPH in the car park, with ARCHIE and ROBERT rushing over, concerned

JOSEPH:

New plan, boys. We’re headed to Manchester. I’ll explain on the way what’s happening.

ARCHIE:

Should we be worried?

JOSEPH laughs like Batman’s rival Joker and shakes his head. JOSEPH walks back towards a car which is his, he uses the car fob to get inside and get into the driver’s seat.

ARCHIE and ROBERT look at each other, concerned. But they know not to question things with how fragile the situation they’re all in, is.

ARCHIE:

I don’t think he’s okay.

ROBERT:

I think something bad is happening and we’re gonna walk into it. Do you still want to do this? You can back out, you know.

ARCHIE shakes his head, a worried smile on his lips,

ARCHIE:

If we don’t look after him, who will?

ROBERT agrees, albeit nervously and ROBERT and ARCHIE hurry across the car park, climbing into the car.

#heavens fallen #ash shepard wips

[fiendish-insanity-in-the-written]

@writingxthexsilence​​​ continued from x

Clare had no idea how she got here, but before she could figure it out, she was already knocking. It seemed..unreal. As this was nothing but a dream, distant, imagined and will not mean a thing in the morning after. Not a surprising trip when she didn’t see or hear the man in so long, by her own choice.

Ruby haired woman was once certain there was no tomorrow if their life together splits and they once again start paving their own paths to solitude. But here they were, on their feet. Wobbly, but standing. After all, this was what they were used to, what she was used to - shattered things. Jace had a filed day, even if he didn’t mouth a damn word when it ended, mostly because the rains of his behavior were tight in the grip of his fiancee Emily, but his face said it all. ‘I’ve told you this would happen, I’ve told you he is no good, I’ve told you..”  Clare only had a difficult time confronting Emily, because she had a completely different approach. However, Clare forged a golden rule from the moment her foot stepped out from the place they both called home - she didn’t want to hear a word about him.

Nothing, not a peep. Because any information was threatening to split her heart in half.  Barricading herself from his existence was the only chance of her trying to build her world back. Moving in in a white box, starting not fresh, but from scratch, throwing the phone she had instead of just deleting his pictures and number, leaving half of her stuff that carried the scent of the word ‘theirs’ in apartment they rented together, and closing her ears to potential reality- he moving on and settling at last.

Maybe that was the real reason for her final step, one that she was sure would not happen, even before him...dating again. It happened unexpectedly, too quickly, and when it was over and done, Clare was trapped. Jake, a man that always had a thing for the redhead, but never managed to get past the gates of the friendzone, not even a courtesy one night stand, accepted his place among Alice and Clare as a friend...until an shocking opening reveled himself. Jake ran faster than he could when he heard Clare and Oscar had broken up, and luckily for him, his comforting method worked...or he thought so - Clare just wanted to forget. But it was hard to slap him with a hand of reality that he was a re-bound when he was one of her closest friends. Not anymore, now he was “the boyfriend”, one that rushed things, tried to be liked by everyone, even Jace who was beyond skeptical. That is why Clare didn’t seek his help, Emily she tried to avoid since “the look” in her eyes never faded...and she came here? Too late, the door was already opened, and what seemed as a fog of an illusion, hit her like a meteor shower. 

“ You said I can reach you whenever, now deal with it. “

Yeah, those were the words he said while they were together, but Clare was her old self in this moment, and harsh answers were a way to survive. Her gaze didn’t linger on his face for too long, she could not stand it. It was as a map, one that led back to all those cherished moments together, stirring the cold surface of playing indifferent to it. Her heart skipped a few beats but the mask made of ice remained. A small flinch did escape her though, when he mentioned Jake.

“ Next time I’ll ask his permission and wear a collar with a tracker. “

She spat back lowering her eyebrows. What the hell was she doing?? She came in the middle of a night to pick a fight with him? No, she just wanted to escape it all, not his fault her damn feet wondered here. Quickly peeping behind him in fear that someone else might be there, Clare felt just how badly it will be if it turns out there was someone. Her lips moved before her thoughts could completely form.

“ Thank you, just what I needed. “

Without a warning, she snatched his beer, taking a big chug, before closing her eyes and allowing the alcohol to work its magic. But she needed a lot more of it. Glancing back at him, finally her tone a bit less sounding as an attack.

“ Well if it is good to see me as you said, you can keep looking at me if you let me in”

#writingxthexsilence #Clare Archer #Idk what to say dude XD

[inbarfink]

I don’t think it’ll be mind-blowing to say that Rocky Horror is one of the biggest stage-to-screen adaptation success stories, considering the level to which the movie has eclipsed the original stage version. I guess it’s to be expected. It is a narrative about movies, it only make sense it will reach it’s full potential as a movie.

And it’s just... does a really great job with utilizing the tools of its new medium. Like compared to our modern day problem of musical adaptations that screw themselves over by trying to be too realistic for their own good... it’s not just RHPS preserves the unrealistic of the original stage play, it creates it’s feeling of non-reality through spesifically cinematic means. Goofy editing transitions, jumpcuts, Frank *splashing* the camera with water, bad special effects (I mean they probably didn’t have the badget for anything that looked better but that’s not mutually exclusive with it also being an important part of the movie’s artistic vision)... 

I wanted to type out something like “well, a level of unreality is important to engaging with Rocky Horror so obviously they had to preserve it in the adaptation” but that’s also true of ‘Cats’ and that got turned into a horrible cgi nightmare show in an attempt to make it feel ‘realistic’ so maybe it’s not that obvious. 

And there’s just so much iconic imagery in Rocky Horror that is just from the movie! Like first and formost the goddam lips were invented for the Picture Show and that’s like the Most Iconic Rocky Horror Thing! And that’s something you just can’t do on a stage... well, y’know, the Shadowcasts and even some of the later stage versions try - but this imagery of bright red lips over a black background is just best created by the cinema. And outside of it there’s also stuff like The Creation of Adam Pool (that you wouldn’t be able to see from a stage), or Frank’s Imaginary Audience in “I’m Going Home” (kinda hard to do invoke the image of performing before an empty theatre when you are literally performing in a full theatre) or Brad and Janet crawling seemingly-toward-each-other-but-actually-in-circles in “Superheroes (hard to convey without camera angles and editing trickery). 

And even just like... the set design, y’know? Like, the current West End version of Rocky Horror Show has some GREAT backgrounds but... a stage version is always gonna be somewhat limited in the amount of location-changes it’s able to do (pretty much every scene transition in the Rocky Horror Show is marked with a Narrator\Criminologist scene) and the amount of detail it can have. So having “Dammit Janet” performed in a graveyard and a funeral is, as far as I can tell, a Picture Show invention and at the very least I’ve never seen a stage production do it. Or like, the characters having a Fancy Dinner with too many utensils and jars instead of wine glasses won’t work both because a large percentage of the audience wouldn’t be able to see that far to notice anything is odd and cause with the bigger level of abstraction tied with theatre some people might think about the jars as just a replacement-prop for the wine glasses the characters are ‘literally’ drinking from.

Or like... Frank’s lab. With theatre being more abstracted, a mad scientist lab is kinda suggested by just having generic-mad-science-themed-props on the stage. I really like how the current West End version like, incoporates the classic-art-motif into the lab via Rocky’s Slab being a Flexing Vitruvian Man - but for the most part, with the set being constructed like 90% of the audience’s imagination, it’s just a Mad Scientist Lab. When you have an Actual Full Room like in a movie set, you can do a Mad Scientist Lab...... With a Twist! without it being, like, confusing (in this case the twist is statues and very kitchy pinks).

And there’s just the way... film allows you to direct the audience attention. Like you can have Riff-Raff and Magenta yawn during “I’m Going Home” on the stage, but you can’t actually make sure the audience even notice it (Frank is kind of an attention-grabber). A movie can cut away to it to assure the audience sees it. Or on the opposite end of the scale, there’s also the grim reminder of Frank’s corpse while Magenta and Riff Raff are celebrating their return to their home plant.

This isn’t me, like, knocking down the stage version here. There’s a lot Rocky Horror Show does with the unique tools offered by the theatre too. Like being able to make your backup dancers non-diagetic, or the way the West End version ‘flips’ the church backdrop to reveal the Frankenstien’s Place on the other side is a cool piece of visual symbolism, and while the imagery of the characters performing for an empty theatre is powerful - there is also something to be said for the experience of truly being the Audience for the Floor Show. 

And I talked a lot about the West End version cause that’s the one I actually saw in-person and it’s the most ‘definitive’ version but I’ve also watched many many other smaller productions on Youtube. And I think espacially the tiny cheapy we-have-a-budget-of-five-bucks-and-we-spent-it-all-on-a-sexy-maid-halloween-costume-for-Magenta have a uniquely Rocky-Horror-y charm that a bigger production and the movie can’t replicate. 

My point is more... yeah with as many not-good stage-to-screen adaptions as there are I can see why people tend to frame it like it’s always a doomed affair. And that a cinematic version is always gonna add a layer of ‘realism’ by the nature of the medium. But I think that’s more about the culture of Hollywood at the moment than Cinema as an artform. If you have a Director who actually understands both the source material and the art of cinema, you can use the medium to enhance the stage’s unreality rather than destroy it. And if you think about what you CAN do on cinema and NOT do on stage and vice-versa, you can end up with some real fun and iconic additions to the work!

#rocky horror picture show #rocky horror show #rocky horror #adaptation

[de-profundis-ad-astra]

I'd love to hear what's appealing to you about Jedi Survivor. :)

Ohhhhhhhh my good friend. So much

The appeal of Jedi Survivor includes, and is not limited to:

Visually, it’s stunning. Buggy graphics upon initial release aside, it’s so pretty to look at. And HUGE. So much bigger than Fallen Order in every way imaginable. Also on the cosmetic side, the sound design is -chef kiss-. There’s a particular part of the environment that has a sound sequence that is on par with that sonic bomb from Attack of the Clones, imo

The writing. It’s fairly simple, but effective, and the banter is so fun and natural. It feels like I’ve been engaging in so much media that has the typical “quippy” humor that has become so popular these days, but it works in Survivor, because at the same time it doesn’t hesitate to really lean into its darker aspects. The lighthearted stuff is a nice balance, and makes sense for the characters without invalidating the heavy parts of the story and characters. For some of the character motivations you kind of had to squint and tilt your head a little bit to see it, but it wasn’t so obscene that it ruined the experience.

BD-1. That’s all.

There is a fight/platforming sequence around the end of the second (?) act that is PHENOMENAL. The gameplay is engaging and fast paced. It’s very similar to Fallen Order, and also introduces new mechanics. It builds off the foundation of Fallen Order pretty well. But yeah there are some sequences that are off the charts unreal

Cal Kestis pretty

Maybe it’s been explored in other Star Wars media, but this was my first exposure to a story that actually explores the inherent trauma of being a Jedi Knight, let alone a Jedi who survived Order 66. And Survivor sets it up right at the beginning. Within the first hour of gameplay I thought to myself “this is going to be a corruption arc” and Survivor didn’t shy away from that. It leaned into it so hard. And I love me a good corruption arc. It was just. So refreshing to watch it unfold when so many stories these day will introduce an idea like that and then back off without giving those concepts proper attention

The pacing at the end was phenomenal. For me, I struggled a bit early game with how it was paced, but by the end I was hooked. I stayed up way too late Sunday night because the final act hit and I couldn’t put the controller down until I died. Overall pacing was a weak point for me, but the ending made up for that

Did I mention Cal Kestis is pretty and I would do anything for him?

Was it a perfect game? Absolutely not. Was it fun and did it tell the story it set out to? Hell yeah. I want to replay it again already

#I said I could write an essay on this game #consider this my outline #Star Wars #Jedi survivor #sorry for any typos I wrote this on my phone and I’m sleepy #thank you for indulging me on my current obsession