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ghouligancentral · 2 years

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Find Hell with me- Chapter 1

Platonic Bad Batch X Reader

Chapter 1- Wanna Find Hell with Me?

Summary- A western tale of loyalty, betrayal, and bravery -

The reader, a ranch hand and small-time thief, agrees to be a guide to the Bad Batch during their search for an outlaw. However, when she recognizes a familiar face, things get a little more complicated.

A/N- This is set around 1900 in the deserts of New Mexico. Think of the movie “Tombstone” and you’ll get the general idea. Also I gave the boys names so that their “nicknames” make sense in the context of the time. It is as follows:

Morgan Hunter (Hunter)

John Cross AKA John Bassett ( Crosshair)

Warren Jones (Wrecker)

Timothy Hughs (tech)

I didn’t include Echo or Omega because I just felt like I couldn’t work it into the story. Also Fem!reader

Any gore/violence warnings will be included at the beginning of the chapter in the Author's notes. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. As always, Kudos and comments are always welcome and appreciated. Let me know if you have any idea for future fics.

Rated M for language, violence and gore.

Warnings for chapter 1- Language

Cross-posted on AO3

It was another hot day in this God forsaken town. You were inhabiting your usual spot in the back of Kate’s saloon, scouting out new marks, when two men you’ve never seen before stroll into the bar. It was not unusual for strangers to pass through these parts, but something about these men piqued your interest so you decided to listen in on their conversation.

“What’ll it be boys?” the bartender asks as they walk up.

“Whiskey,” the dark haired one grumbles. While their backs are turned, you decide that this is your chance to size each of them up.The gun belts strapped to their hips indicate they are not visiting just for pleasure. The one who ordered has his dark brown hair held back by a bandana. His suit indicates that he has some form of stable income, and, by the looks of the dark circles under his eyes, it’s not an easy job. Even with a birthmark covering half of his face, he is still what many would consider to be handsome. Ok dark and broody, who is your friend? Unlike him, his friend has short hair. Even though he doesn’t look old enough, his hair is all grey. He has a scar over his eye and an ever present look of disgust adorning his face. You could have sworn you’d seen his face somewhere.

Lawmen? Bounty hunters? You search your mind for some occupation that fits the two of them.

The door swings open and you see two more strangers walk it. They must know each other since the men at the bar wave them over. The newcomers are quite the pair, one is a large muscular man that stands around 6’6 while the other is shorter and has oversized glasses on his face, making his eyes seem just a little too big for his head. Now we have Muscles and the Professor. This just keeps getting more interesting.

“So you boys some kind of bounty hunters or something?” the bartender questions as he lean over the counter top to hand over their drinks. All of the men look back at the bartender before the gray haired one speaks. His voice is cold and calculating, the type you wouldn’t want to be on the bad side. But, judging from his next comment, you think that just about everyone is on his bad side.

“What’s it to you?” he sneers. The bartender seems to get the message that none of them are interested in a conversation and turns around to leave the men to their drinks. He sure seems pleasant, probably gave himself that scar.

The noise in the bar picks up, the piano drowns out their conversation. As the four of them quietly chat amongst themselves you make up your mind on who seems like the easiest target.

Hmm Dark and Broady? No, poor man already looks like he’s been through enough without me stealing from him. Muscles? No. The Professor? Bingo

Dark and broody calls the bartender over to refill his glass, as the bartender does this he leans in and appears to ask him something.

However, before you can make your move you see the bartender gesturing to you. What could he be talking about? Dark and broody stands and begins making his way over to you.

I guess I’m about to find out.

“Ma’am, the bartender told me you might be able to help me out,” the man greets you.

“If yer lookin for a workin’ girl, yer in the wrong place. The cathouse is two buildings down,” you respond before taking a swig of your beer. The man raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“Oh no, it’s not that kinda help,” the man explains, a little flustered.

You motion for him to join you at the table before leaning forward a little.

“So what can I do for ya?”

“We’re lookin for a man,” Dark and Broody begins to explain.

“So am I,” you smirk, throwing the man off a little,” sorry, continue.”

“This man to be exact. We’ve heard he’s been hidin out in the mesas around here.”

Dark and Broody pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket before unfolding it and sliding it across the table for you to see. It’s a wanted poster for Frank ‘Hellcat’ Hardin, con man and leader of a notorious band of outlaws, you’ve seen it before in the sheriff's office. You look at the smug face of the man. Your old boss. But there is no way he could know that, could he? You decide the best course of action is to play dumb.

“I’ve seen this poster before, but I don’t rightly know how I can help y’all find ‘em,” you comment as you push the poster back towards him.

“Well the bartender was tellin’ me you know yer way around that particular area of the desert. To make a long story short we need a guide and heard you are the best there is,” Dark and Broody explains. Ah so he doesn’t know. Let’s keep it that way.

“Say I do help ya find this man, what’s in it for me?”

“You’ll be paid of course. $1000 total. $500 up front and $500 when we return,” the man announces.

$1000! You could live comfortably off that for at least the next six months. You could even get out of this town, maybe even travel eastward.

“I might be able to help. Why ya lookin for this feller anyway?” You ask as you try to figure out the man in front of you.

“No ma’am. We ain’t bounty hunters. We’re US marshals,” the man states. Damn. That’s even worse.

You lean back as you assess the situation. On one hand going with them could put you at risk, being a thief and all, but on the other, that is a lot of money and you’d hate to pass it up . Well if all else fails I can just take the $500, shoot them then leave ‘em out in the desert.

“Alright, ya got yourself a deal,” you announce before holding your hand out to shake on it,” so what should I call ya marshal?”

“My name is Morgan Hunter, or just Hunter for short and you?”

You sure as hell aren’t going to give the man your real name, so you think up a false one quickly.

“You can call me Sadie Hart.”

“Alright Miss Hart. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a deal.”

You nod in reply.

“Well then Miss Hart. I’ll introduce ya to the others when we get the supplies for the journey. Can you meet us at the general store tomorrow morning, say around nine?” The man asks with a smile.

“I can. When you boys wantin’ to get started?” You question back.

“Soon as we can. Tomorrow after we finish the supply run.”

“Alright. So when do I get my first payment?” You ask, wondering if you might be able to get it now.

“Tomorrow, when you show up.”

Damn it, he’s too smart for that trick.

“Right. I’ll see you boys tomorrow. Now if you’ll excuse me,” you state as you push back from the table to stand up,” I gotta go get some things together.”

As you leave the saloon, you see the man with the eye scar staring at you, frown still on his face. What’s his problem?

You walk back behind the saloon to the alley way there. All of a sudden you are slammed up against the back wall of Kate’s.

“What the—“

You reach for the knife in your pocket but are stopped by the man grabbing your wrist causing you to drop the blade. It lands in the dirt with a soft thud.

“I know what you are.”

You look up to see the man with the scar hovering over you. Once again his face seems so familiar.

“Oh yeah and what’s that?” You sneer as you wrangle your wrist out of his grasp.

“A thief, a con…. A murder.”

How in the Sam Hill would he know th—- oh. That’s where you’d seen his face. A wicked smile spreads across your face as you look up at the man.

“Why the hell are you smiling like that? You know I could just turn you in right now. Tell ‘em who you are.”

The man is obviously angry with your reaction. You slowly sink to the ground to pick up the blade before standing back up. The entire time keeping eye contact with him.

“But you ain’t,” you reply with an unconcerned tone as you wipe the dirt off of the knife using his jacket. The man bristles at the action.

“What makes ya say that?”

“Cause I know who you really are,” you say as you lean a little closer to emphasize your point,”Crosshair.”

The man’s face falls when you say that name. You know who he was alright. John Cross AKA Crosshair, regarded as the best sharpshooter in the West Hill gang or any gang for that matter. Wanted in seven US states. He was also thought to have died.

“When did you know it was me?”

“It didn’t take me too long, but I don’t remember you havin that pretty little scar,” you smile as you gently trail your finger over the mark,” a lot of people think you’re dead. It’d be a shame if someone were to let the US marshal in there know that his friend is a wanted outlaw.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Crosshair hisses.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“A couple of things. First off you don’t tell ‘em who I really am,” you demand. Crosshair just nods in silent agreement at your request.

“And secondly, you’ll give me whatever you’re makin’ for this job. And third, you’ll tell me how you got to be in the company of a US marshal.”

“Anything else?” Crosshair snaps.

“I’ll be sure to let you know if I think of anything.” The wicked smile still plastered on your face.

“So do you want me to tell you about the marshal thing now or….?”

“No. We can save that for another time, after all we will be spendin’ a lot of time together these next couple of days,'' you smirk as you straighten his tie.

“What makes you think I won’t just shoot you and get this whole thing over with?” Crosshair scoffs, thinking he once again has the upper hand.

“Oh you won’t because if a US marshal shoots an innocent young woman just trying to get home, that man would be found guilty and hanged for his crimes. And neither of us want that, do we?”

Crosshair growls and clenches his fist, realizing that you are right.

“Well goodnight Mr. Cross,” you chirp as you brush past him to continue on to the stables where your horse is. Crosshair just stands there seething for a couple of minutes before he makes his way back into the bar.

That evening you backup your few possessions in preparation for the journey and hope you will never have to return. After this you hope you can head east or up north, away from all the desert because you don’t like sand, after all.

——————————-

“Good mornin’ miss,” Hunter greets as you walk over to the general store, “thought I should introduce ya to the boys here.”

The three men stand back alongside wagon loading gear into it. You watch as Muscles load a huge crate into the back without help.

“The big guy over there is Warren Jones, most people just call him Wrecker.”

“Ma’am”

Wrecker tips his hat at you before continuing to load more into the wagon. You watch as Crosshair approaches Hunter with a bag of ammunition.

“I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Sadie Hart,” you smile wickedly at Crosshair. His lip curls slightly at your words.

“This is John Bassett. He is quite the shot,” Hunter says, motioning to Crosshair.

“It’s a Pleasure,” Crosshair grunts before turning around and walking back to the wagon.

“And this is Timothy Hughs,” Hunter says as he gestures to the man in the glasses. The man notices the two of you and strolls over to greet you with Wrecker following close behind.

“But you, my dear,” the man says, giving the back of your hand a quick kiss, “ may call me Tech if you prefer.”

Wrecker leans over to you and says, in a not so hushed whisper, “ Nobody rightly knows what it means. We think it’s some German word or somethin’.”

Tech just rolls his eyes at Wrecker.

“Is it perhaps short for ‘technology’?” you question with a smile. Tech’s eyes light up at your words.

“Yes, that is what I was going for with the name. It will be so nice to finally be able to have some intelligent conversations on this trip,” Tech exclaims before proceeding to take inventory of the supplies.

“So are you all marshals?” you question.

“No. Wrecker and I are but John here is a gun for hire, he’s been kind enough to offer his services in helping us catch Frank. And Tech is a doctor, he agreed to come along with us for the chance to get to study the climate of New Mexico,” Hunter explains.

"It's definitely not that fact that he's your brother who, and I quote, 'doesn't get out enough'," Crosshair derides, earning a look of contempt from Hunter. Tech elects to ignore the sharpshooters comment.

"Yes, I am eager to get a chance to observe some of the native flora in the Cactaceae family, along with this region's peculiar venomous lizards," Tech interjects as he hands the inventory list to Hunter, Hunter looks over the list before handing it to you. You make a mental note of anything that is missing before you and Hunter walk into the general store. After making your selection, you walk out of the store with two bags in tow.

“Now let’s get these loaded and—-“

Hunter’s words are interrupted by a bullet flying past, just barely missing your foot. You both turn to see Crosshair standing over to the side holding a rifle.

“John!” Hunter yells, looking at the man incredulously.

“Sorry, hand must have slipped,” Crosshair utters as he continues cleaning the gun as if nothing even happened. You know that was just a warning telling you not to get too comfortable.

You give him a scowl before mounting your horse. Hunter also mounts his horse while Crosshair, Wrecker and Tech pile into the wagon.

“After you Miss,” Hunter says, tossing you a wad of cash and he motions for you to take the lead. You secure the cash in your saddle bag as you start out of town.

“You boys ready to go find hell with me?” You grin as you utter the words. Here we go.

#the bad batch #tbb hunter #sergeant hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #wrecker #star wars tbb #tbb x reader #tbb wrecker #tbb fanfiction #star wars #clone force 99 #clone wars #wild west #fem reader

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ryo-maybe · 1 year

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@amratsu Now, if it was solely down to my own personal bias, I would have just put them in the original list and called it a day. However, my aim with the original reply was to avoid tripping into the trap of overwhelming a request for recs with way too many options, but also, first and foremost: I was asked which would be best to start off with. In retrospect, I could probably shuffle some entries from the second list into the original one, but I basically wanted to go with three of the best options based on certain specific criteria:

- Kuuga because it has the most cohesive vision from beginning to end. I would rate it the best, to the point that the one caveat that would have earned it a spot in the “check these out later if you ended up growing to like tokusatsu” are the dated visuals. It’s just an incredibly solid, tightly written show, not just tokusatsu-wise, and one which I think those who love analyzing the themes of a story would greatly appreciate.

- Ryuuki is one that, for one reason or another, has ended up as a beloved favorite of pretty much everyone I know, and for good reason. It’s a bold show, but way more accessible than Kuuga, and I think it would set the bar pretty high for one who just got into toku shows. It also suffers from dated visuals but at this point, if that’s such a pressing issue for a potential viewer, it would be hard to recommend any toku shows at all.

- Fourze, well, it’s just plain fun. I really can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t enjoy the ride if they got into it. The setting being inspired by American school comedies would no doubt resonate with Western viewers in an endearing kind of way too, which definitely would help with the series’ accessibility.

I think I would go as far as considering these shows “quintessential”, in that together they form a trifecta that captures much of the charm and features of the Heisei-Reiwa Riders as a whole.

I think W would be the easiest to rec out of them, and I think the only reason I didn’t put it in the original list may be because its latter half didn’t leave as strong an impression on me, although it has been a long damn while since I last watched it.

OOO lives or dies by whether you love or hate Eiji and Ankh’s relationship.

Ex-Aid succeeds in a frankly impressive fashion in spite - or, hell, because - of the absurdity of its premise and has some truly amazing emotional beats, but I fear that it would be a Lot for a newcomer to the series, for one reason or another. I think most people would like it, but I have also heard there are some divisive opinions in the fandom as a whole about it? I don’t know, I personally loved it, but there you go.

Zero-One is one I wish so badly I could recommend nilly-willy, but I don’t know how it would feel for one to experience the latter half without the weekly buffer between episodes. Some people think Amatsu and the competition arc were the series’ low point, but if you ask me? They were both fine, barring the robot dog thing that’s part of the COVID phase anyway, so I can at least forgive that. My real problem with the series is that it fucking mishandled Yua so badly man, the payoff was satisfying but GOD did we sit through some ridiculous bullshit before that...

You might have noticed I hesitated to include Den-O in the list. I think it’s mostly due to the fact that Ryotaro’s personality might get to some people’s nerves, plus the story getting a bit awkwardly confusing at times. I definitely think it’s worth watching - it’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular Heisei series in the franchise - but I would hardly recommend it as part of one’s beginner course.

In the same vein, as much as I love Agito (which was my introduction to the series), which somehow managed to be incredibly good despite being written by Inoue, I think it simply has the misfortune of being sandwiched between Kuuga and Ryuuki, which are both way more likely to be palatable to a great number of people.

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nervoussystemss · 3 months

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House of Horrors - Ghosts

A/N: Commission request! Thank you v much. <3

Your memories had been murky. When you had first woken up, you were a blank slate, not knowing who you were, where you were, or how you got here. It was only when no one paid attention to you as you ran through the streets, as well as the fact that when you walked through a literal wall, did you realize what happened.

You always knew you hated cars for a reason. You'd gone up to your parents in the hospital, not that they saw you, and cringed at the sight of your small body in the hospital bed. Large cuts and bruises scattered across, and it appeared that you were no longer breathing.

You looked away from your body, covering your ears to block out the sounds of your parents wailing, and looked down at yourself.

You were absolutely fine, other than the realization that you were now a ghost, and a child ghost at that.

You left before they put you in a body bag.

You visited your parents from time to time to make sure all was well. They were grieving, of course, but seemed to be gradually doing better over time, not that you were around them all of their waking moments. It hurt too much to remember them and what could've been a happy memory of just a road trip flipped to be one of the worst days of your lives.

So you stayed in town. Never too far, never too near, just the right amount for a spirit, or so you thought.

It was when you were wandering the desolate street did you notice something odd.

The new person in town had caught your attention originally. They seemed cautious, intelligent, but also like they wanted to figure out what was going on with that house, which you weren't sure was such a good idea yourself.

All the other houses, including your parents', looked normal other than one that had shimmering—what seemed to be—black wiggles around it. Barely noticeable unless you really strained your eyes, which you didn't like doing. It gave you a headache to stare at it for too long.

You stayed away. You didn't know what was wrong with that particular house, and you didn't really want to find out either. Keeping your head down and wandering around was working out just fine for you, so there was really no reason to explore the unknown lest it bring you into more danger. Even if you weren't a physical being anymore, you had heard around from other spirits that spirits could be hurt, but only in specific ways. When you tried to ask how, no one would tell you, so you simply tried to get away from anything that even remotely seemed like a threat—and that included that house.

But when you saw the newcomer with blue skin, it clicked that they had died inside the house. You had seen some residents of the house outside of it, such as the little girl and the blue man, but you had never spoken to either of them, too afraid that they would be volatile to you.

You decided to take a risk and scope it out. Once you got to the front door, you stared up at the house, the black shimmery field not dissipating. If anything, it only got stronger, causing you to squint. The edges of the house blurred.

You had only stretched out a hand to open the door (to try to open the door, that is—you forget you're a ghost sometimes) when you heard a feminine voice behind you.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going inside," was your simple reply, as if going inside of a house was the easiest thing in the world.

"To a house that's not yours?" the girl asked, narrowing her eyes. "You're not supposed to be here."

"At this house?"

"Well, that too," she replied with a small shrug, "but you're not supposed to still be on Earth. Like I said, you could knock, or let us know that you're trying to intrude on our territory, spirit."

She seemed hostile. You'd seen the things she did to humans that had tried to keep her away from the residents that were women, but you weren't doing that. She said something about territory. Maybe she'd be less angry if you used a softer, quieter tone and gave an excuse. "I got curious," you reply in a tender voice, hoping to ease her nerves a little. "I apologize for intruding. That wasn't my intent. I just wanted to take a look. I just... I got lonely." You wrung your hands gently, obviously anxious as you blinked rapidly. Your eyes didn't sting, but it was hard to not notice the slight welling of tears.

The truth, at least part of it, was out now. It wasn't like you were lying. You did get quite lonely. The other, older spirits kept one another company in their own groups, younger spirits thought you were too old to play things like tag with (which was one of your favorite games, and now you had no one to play it with), and teenage spirits were few and far between in this town. You had seen one or two at best. Only a few select spirits had spoken to you, mainly older ones, and even then, they were a bit harsh. The only nice one you had met was an older woman who seemed to be in her thirties when you had just died, and you were panicking before she managed to calm you down. But after that, you were on your own.

Her eyes remained narrowed, eyeing you, but you could've sworn you saw something flicker in them. Almost like a hint of sympathy, like she could relate to it. She was silent for a few more seconds, until she sighed, "You don't seem to pose a threat. You can go in."

"Great. Thank you," you chirp softly, as politely as you can before you phase through the door, glancing around.

Your eyes are immediately drawn to the door of the basement, where the door itself had the same black murkiness as the outside of the house. You can no longer throw up because you don't need food, but staring at it made you feel queasy. You look away as the front door opens and the little girl enters.

"I'm not sister, by the way."

"That's a weird name," you blurt out before you can think to hold your tongue. It wasn't like she could hurt you, but still.

"I'm not giving you my real name. I'm sure you wouldn't give me yours if you had the chance to," she scoffed with a roll of her eyes, crossing her arms as she watched you wander from room to room, following you mostly silently.

You couldn't provide a rebuttal of that, because she was right. You didn't want to give her your name. Your real name, anyway. You didn't trust her or anyone, or anything, here. You used a fake one instead.

"Nice to meet you, I guess," she huffed out as she closed the door quietly. "The other two should be back soon."

"You mean the blue man and the other person that he turned?"

She let out a hum, raising her eyebrows slightly. "You're more observant than I originally assumed."

"Thank y—"

She cuts you off before you can finish your sentence. "How did you die?"

You grew quiet. You remembered things when you came to, of course, but just because you still had your former memories didn't mean that you liked remembering them, especially the last one. "Car crash." Your voice had gone raspy. How did a non corporeal being's voice turn raspy when they didn't even need water? Weird. You thought you saw her grimace.

She looked away for a second before glancing back at you, facial expression still slightly upset before she forced herself to compose her features. "That sounds like a pretty bad way to go. I'm sorry." If she was faking sympathy, you couldn't tell. She sounded as genuine as she could.

"It's fine." You cleared your throat forcibly.

"Do you want some water?" she asked sweetly, before making a face as she remembered you weren't physical. "Right. Forgot. Sorry."

"You don't seem to be used to apologizing," you point out.

She gave you a tiny grin. "I'm not. Anyway, you should wait here for the blue man. I'm off to see if there are any new residents coming in. See you in a bit!" she chirped before skipping to the door, waving, and slamming it shut behind her.

It had been an hour, and you were growing impatient. You were honestly looking forward to meeting the blue man and the old resident he'd turned. They both seemed like they were kind and at least they didn't chase others around like not sister, or so it seemed.

You were about to go upstairs when you heard light scratching at the basement door. In an instant, a shadow person appeared in front of the door, almost as if wanting to prevent you from going.

You wave.

It has no eyes, no nose, no mouth, but you can practically hear it telling you to mind your business and not head into the basement.

You weren't the most experienced in dealing with the supernatural, but you had dealt with shadow people before. You saw them quite often in your own home, and they (mostly) posed no threat. You hoped this was the same.

"I'm fine," you said after a moment. "Whatever's down there can't hurt me. I'm a ghost."

It doesn't speak, nor does it move, and you find yourself crossing your arms as you silently stare it down. After a few seconds, it relents and disappears from sight, although hesitantly, like it was concerned.

You phase through the door and immediately realize you made a mistake.

It's as if the basement is some sort of portal. You find yourself sucked in and, as if in a trace, you walk down the steps until you're in the center of the basement. You think you hear screams and wails and they're so loud.

Your hands go to cover your ears.

"That won't help you." A mocking tone cut through the air. "You'll still be able to hear them begging for their lives or wailing about how they died here, even if you cover your ears. Save yourself the trouble."

You cover your ears anyway.

"You," the thing snarls, appearing in an instant in front of you and causing you to let out a scream and scamper back, because why does it look like that, "are not supposed to be here. You didn't die here."

You step back and it steps forward. Although logically, you know it can't hurt you, you're still terrified. If your heart was still beating, you think you'd have died of a heart attack as opposed to what you originally died from. "Get away from me."

"Who's going to make me? You?" it scoffed. "You're not a resident or a being of this house. Leave."

"What does being a resident even mean? Were you born in this house or something?" you try to ask despite cowering, voice shaking.

Its eyes narrowed as it bared its teeth slightly. It appeared to be angry that you were questioning where it came from and that it couldn't hurt you, but then its demeanor changed. It stepped back, almost seeming like it was forcing itself to do so, like it was forcing itself to be calm. "I originally was born here, you could say. The other beings were created," it replied with a sharp smile.

"Even the not sister and blue man?"

It shrugged. "Some humans are so powerful that they can become a different supernatural being when they pass due to emotions. Others, like you, turn into ghosts. And others get turned by other supernatural beings. The not sister made herself. The blue man was turned by another." Its smile turned smug, like it knew something you didn't. Underneath it, though, you could hear a bitter note, like it was unhappy he got turned. "And I've heard," it continued casually, taking another step back to put you more at ease, "that when you ghosts are in limbo, that's the worst. Can't really go anywhere but the town or place you died. Have you tried to leave?"

"I've tried," you admitted with great hesitation, not wanting to give it anything it could use against you. "I always end up back at my place of dying every time I try and leave the town."

"Figures." It paused for a long moment. "How would you like to not be in limbo any longer? To no longer be a ghost?"

"What else could I be?" you counter.

"Well, you could be in Hell. Heaven. Purgatory. Or I could offer you something better."

"I don't understand," you say after a few seconds of thinking. What did it mean? You couldn't even hear yourself think; your brain hurt from the seemingly never ending screams.

"I could," it sighed as it stretched, "turn you. Or try to, at least."

"I'm a ghost."

"I know that." Its expression fell flat for a second, the charade of being kind cracking for just a split second before it smiled once more. "I've never tried to turn a ghost before, but I have turned regular, ordinary humans. I'd be willing to..." it trailed off as it stepped behind you, hands raised to be put on your shoulders, and you shuddered.

It couldn't touch you, you reminded yourself, but then why did your shoulders feel cold all of a sudden?

"... try with you. Give it a shot. What do you say? All I ask is that you just give me something in return. A favor for a favor. You become my kind and physical again, and you do something for me."

"But you have no..." What was the word your mom used? A big one starting with G that meant it wasn't for sure? Garry? "... guar... gaur..."

"Guarantee?" it supplied with a bigger smile, clearly finding you at least somewhat amusing now.

"Yeah. You have no... guarantee... that it'll work?"

"Unfortunately, no. But come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

"A lot of things. I could get ripped apart or something. Or my soul could. Dunno.”

At this, it let out a sudden but genuine laugh. “So you have smarts.” It seemed to be pondering on how to get you to agree. “Don’t you want to be physical again?”

“Yes,” you reply slowly, unsure now.

“Then what’s the harm?” Its smile grew once more, eyes crinkling.

“You said if you do and it works, I need to do something for you. What’s the something?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” It waved a hand dismissively. “I won’t have you hurt anyone on my behalf, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Then what you want?”

“Just for you to lead some people down here.” It shrugged. “Be it strangers or new residents when they come. Or lead the blue man down here. Either work, honestly.”

Your suspicion is only growing more and more. “I would really rather not lure people to your lair of death.”

“Who says I’ll kill them?”

“My gut feelings are never wrong.” You paused, nerves telling you to run. “I—I’m going to leave.” You step back, before you feel a tug. Your body jerks forward.

“Not leaving that easily out of my ‘lair of death’,” it hummed with a satisfied grin. “I can make you stay here, at least for a little while. Have it so you’re stuck in limbo for days before that power of mine runs out.” It was speaking faster now, almost manic as it stepped towards you. “You might not be one of my victims, but that power works on your kind all the same, especially if you’re in my basement. My territory. Why do you think you hear all those lovely screams? They can’t leave.”

“Let me go!” You’re obviously panicking now, trying to step back and even run for the door to leave, but you keep getting pulled back the moment you almost leave.

“I can do this all day, kid,” it stated, sounding bored. After the fifth try, you seemingly give up and face it, shoulders slumped, and it seemed to take that as a victory. It stayed perfectly silent and still for several moments, before exhaling slowly. It needed you to trust it, that much was clear to you. “Would you feel comfortable leading the blue man down here?”

You tried to remain calm. The lights above you flickered. “No.”

“Why not? For all you know, he could be worse than me.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t keep me stuck in limbo,” you murmur as quietly as you could, not wanting to piss it off.

“You’re right, he wouldn’t. But he’s not as good as you think. You think he hasn’t killed?”

You hesitate and shrug. “He must’ve had his reasons then. At least he seems nice.”

“At least I’m trying to help you become physical again,” it countered just as quick. “He didn’t pay attention to those he loved when he was alive. He’s not a good anything.”

“Why do you hate him? Why do you want me to bring him down here?”

“Hate’s a strong word. I prefer strong mutual dislike, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he hated me.” It shrugged casually. “I have my reasons, none that you need to know about unless you’re willing to give my idea a try. I’m waiting for a yes or no from you.”

“Not right now?” Your voice grew higher pitched at the end, as you weren’t sure if it would take that as a legitimate answer and let you go.

It narrowed its eyes for a moment, before shrugging again. “That works for me as long as you’ll come back down here with your final decision in, say, two weeks or so.”

“Deal.”

“Caaareful.” It grinned, eyes widening to the max. “Be careful of who and what you say that word to, some may take it as oath. I might take it as oath.”

You frowned. Was it trying to help you? “I… we… don’t have a deal?”

“We have an agreement—not the same thing.” It rolled its eyes. “You can come back down in two weeks if you want to. If we had a deal, well, you’d likely have to unless you broke your end, but that—” it clicked its tongue “—would not end well for you, so we have an agreement instead of a deal. Understood?”

“Understood.” You utter quietly. “You seem to be trying to help me. Are you usually this nice?”

“What do you think?”

“No.”

“And you’re correct. Now, you should go before the prick finds out we’ve been conversing. See you in two weeks if you’d like,” it sang, and then you were hurled out of the basement.

It took you a moment to gain your bearings. You could hear now. No more screaming, but birds and cars, and you didn’t feel as scared anymore now that you were out. You wobbled over to the couch and sat down, trembling slightly, and reminded yourself to not go back there again.

You didn’t think ghosts could sleep, or in your case, nap, but somehow and someway you had drifted off. You hadn’t even realized you were asleep until when you came to, there was a blue face standing right in front of you and staring. You jumped up in a slight panic, the lamp beside you flickering, and the blue man quickly held up his hands, his eyes narrowed slightly.

“Easy,” he murmured in a soft, soothing voice. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just checking for injuries.”

“What?” you asked, still slightly dazed.

“I felt something in the room,” he explained, still speaking slowly and soothingly so as not to frighten you, his hands still up. “Took me a while to see you, though. I’m not one of the beings that can automatically see or talk to spirits—it takes quite a lot of practice, at least for my kind. I know you’re a spirit, but I can’t tell when you died or if it was recent, so I was just checking for any signs of injury to see how bad it was.”

You stare at him for a long moment. “Uh, well,” you begin slowly, less panicked, “I died in a car crash. Didn’t have that many injuries, but… well, here I am.”

“Here you are,” he repeated with a small nod. “I’m assuming you’ve met the not sister?”

“Mhm. She’s nice,” you comment. “The thing in the basement isn’t the nicest though.”

He jolted a bit, eyes narrowing. His expression grew serious. “You were down there?”

“I felt called to go down there, not my fault,” you try and defend yourself.

“I’m not blaming you,” he said gently. “But the thing is as manipulative as can be. I’d suggest fighting any urges to go down there.”

“It said something about you killing people.”

“I’m not a saint,” he snorted with a roll of his eyes. He tilted his head as he looked down at you. “Besides, I only kill those that don’t follow the rules—unless they have potential, but rule breakers are typically killed. If I don’t do it, one of the others will. I’m just doing what I need to.”

“But you don’t need to kill,” you try and argue.

“You don’t know my kind.” He seemed defensive, eyes narrowing in warning. “We do need to kill. It’s a want sometimes, yes. Do I act on it sometimes simply because I want to? Sure.” He was speaking as if killing someone was entirely normal. “And yes, we can control it to an extent, but other times, we need to. It’s not something we can fully control at all times.”

“So you’re like a werewolf.”

He coughed to cover up a laugh.

“Like, sometimes when you get the urge, it needs to be done or you get random pain or it hurts you or something?”

His eyes crinkled. “I guess you could say that. But it’s more like we become more and more agitated and less in control of ourselves as time goes on.”

“So definitely like a werewolf.”

“Sure.” He was full on smiling now.

It seemed you amused the majority of the beings here. You assumed that was a good thing for you. You feel a wiggle of guilt. “The thing said it could make me physical again if I led people or you to it.”

“Did it?” he hummed lightly, a slight smile on his face. Still seeming calm, but you didn’t miss the way he put his hands behind his back, like he wanted to lash out at the thing from the first floor despite it being a floor beneath him. “And what did you say?”

“I said I’d think about it and get back to it in two weeks.”

He frowned, inhaling, then exhaling as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did you make a deal with it?”

“No. It said we had an agreement, not a deal.”

His body relaxed, and he let out a relieved sigh as his eyes opened once more. “Good. That’s good.” He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like “sneaky bastard” and “… thinks it can trick me, must be an absolute fool…”

“It said you hated it,” you supplied helpfully.

“I do,” he admitted, shooting a glare at the basement door. He eyed the floor leading up to it, like he was seeing something you weren’t, or maybe reliving a memory of his own. “It… took a lot from me. More than I was willing to give when I dealt with it back then.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry, it just seemed like it was trying to help even if it was being manipulative and… I don’t know. I kind of wanted to say yes.”

“That’s how it gets you,” he informed. “It promises you things. It promises you good things you want—things you can’t refuse, makes a deal with you, and then if you don’t fulfill your end… it can get messy.” He grimaced, running a tongue over his teeth, jaw clenching. “I spited it on purpose when I turned the newcomer, although I did genuinely like them, too. It’s rare that people have that potential. I apparently did.”

“Potential to be turned?” you asked curiously, and he nodded, shooting you a slight grin.

“You’re smart.”

“Thank you.” You paused for a moment. “Did you want to be turned? Did you ask?”

His grin dropped. “I didn’t. But that doesn’t matter—I’m here now.” He shrugged. “Plus, I can’t exactly die anymore, though I’m assuming I can get torn apart, which is probably why it wanted you to get me to go into the basement—unless it just wanted to have a friendly conversation, which I doubt.” He examined you with curious eyes for a moment, before changing the topic. “You seem to have control over electricity. That lamp next to you flickered when you were afraid.”

“Oh, yeah, that happens a lot when I’m panicked or angry,” you said. “It’s normal.”

“Can you try moving it?”

“Moving what?”

His lips quirked the slightest bit. “The lamp, kiddo.”

You gave him a nod and tried to make the lamp move, but to your disappointment, nothing happened.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said gently, noticing your downcast expression. “It takes some time. Here.” He moved quickly next to you and crouched so that you two were almost shoulder to shoulder. “Look at the lamp.”

“That’s… what I’m doing?”

“No, I mean really look. Squint if you need to.”

You do as he says, and to your surprise, the edges of the lamp blur. There’s a slight light around it.

“Good. Now focus on moving it an inch.” You close your eyes, but he says gently, “Keep them open, otherwise you’ll have difficulty moving things with your eyes open.”

You give him a thumbs up and open them, trying to focus. The lamp shudders slightly and you perk up. “I’m doing it!” You narrow your eyes more, and it slides off the table completely, crashing to the ground as it shatters. There’s a moment of silence before you blurt, “Sorry for breaking your lamp.”

He snorts. “It’s not my lamp, so don’t worry about that. I can always buy another one. But good job! You did great,” he beams, reaching out a hand for a high five.

You high five him despite your hand passing through his. You’re beginning to notice he looks almost fond of you.

“Who are you talking to?” Another blue head peeked into the room—the newcomer that got turned.

“A child spirit,” he replied smoothly, glancing at them with a grin. “You can’t see them, right?”

“No. I can sense a spirit is in the room, though.” They seem hesitant. “Are they dangerous?”

“They are not. I can teach you how to see them if you’d like. I’m teaching them how to move things around.”

As if on cue, you make the television turn on.

The blue person jumps slightly, flinching.

He frowns the tiniest bit. “Relax. You’re safe.” His eyes flicker between you both, almost like he’s saying that to both of you. He stands from his crouched position, stretching slightly. “Keep working on what I taught you. I’ll be back in a few days, need to still teach them things.” His head jerks slightly to the blue person, before he looks down at you. “Can I trust you to stay out of trouble?”

“… yes?”

“Can I trust you to not go into the basement while I’m gone for a bit? It won’t be two weeks, promise.” He smiles—a gentle thing, eyes soft, but you could feel the concern rolling off him.

“I won’t go down there,” you promise him, and in turn, he ruffles your hair.

You feel the top of your head tingle. Phantom sensations.

“Good. I’ll see you in a few days.”

Then he’s gone.

Days pass.

You do as he told you—you practice moving things around, you wander the house, observing, and you don’t go into the basement.

“How long can you keep this up?”

“Probably a few minutes or so. Around twenty the last time I checked,” you let the not sister know. You’re making a small side desk in a bedroom levitate—it’s gotten easier and easier to lift and move heavier items than a lamp in the past few days, especially with practice.

“That’s not what I meant. I meant you have unfinished business and you’re probably wasting your time here.”

The desk slowly lowers. “So what? It’s not like I have anywhere else to be.”

“Your parents probably miss you. I think you should visit and let them know you’re still around,” she said earnestly.

You pause for a moment. “Maybe. I don’t know yet.”

“Just telling you to think about it. It could give them and you closure—closure that several of us didn’t get.”

“You and the blue man?”

“And the thing. It has a little bit more heart than it lets on, though not much—probably why it let you leave.” She shrugged, watching curiously as you try and make the bed lift. It shudders, but doesn’t move otherwise. “You can do it.” It doesn’t sound as encouraging as when the blue man said something similar. In fact, the way she says it sounds a bit flat, and you giggle. “What? I’m trying to be encouraging!”

“Maybe you should add some enthusiasm to your voice,” you reply, still giggling.

The not sister huffed and crossed her arms, pretending to be annoyed at you. She then morphed right in front of your eyes to be a teenager. She smiled widely, put her hands up to her mouth, and squealed, “Oh my gosh, like, you’re doing so well! Keep going, you totally got this!”

You break out into laughter, as does she, but nevertheless you focus with all your might.

The bed lifts, and you let out an excited whoop.

“See? Knew you could do it,” she grinned.

“Thank you,” you smiled at her, eyes alight, before you the door creaked.

The blue man was standing there, grinning as his eyes went back from you to not sister to the floating bed. “I see you two are getting along quite well, huh?”

“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough,” he replied vaguely. “Thanks for keeping an eye on them for me,” he said to the not sister, and she nodded.

“Don’t mention it. Or do. You can thank me every day for it if you want,” she replied cheekily. “They’re surprisingly fun to spend time with.”

“Hey!” You tried to look offended.

“I would’ve made you leave somehow if I didn’t want you here. Not sure how, but I would.” Her eyes flitted to you. “I also didn’t spend time with you just because he asked. I do like you, and that’s rare. Probably because you’re a kid or something. Dunno.”

“Thank you, I think.”

“You’re welcome.” She morphed back into a little girl. Glancing at the basement, then the clock, she went, “I’m off to talk to the thing in, like, two hours or so.”

“Not sister,” the blue man said a bit sharply, his eyes narrowing with concern. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“I’ll be fine. We get along fine,” she scoffed. The blue man fixed her with a serious look, and she sighed, shuffling on her feet. “Whatever, I’ll be careful. There. Better?”

“Better. Yell if anything happens.”

“Will do!” She ended up skipping down the hall and downstairs to the first floor.

You slowly let the bed drop with a thump.

“I see your levitation abilities are getting stronger,” he commented, looking as though he was proud of you. “That’s good—means you’ll be able to defend yourself against other entities.”

“Like the thing?”

“No. I meant other spirits, maybe ghost hunters. It can’t touch you, but it can keep spirits in the basement. If it comes to that somehow, you can throw the entire basement door at it for all I care.”

You crack a grin at his wording, but pause, waiting for him to continue.

“Or I can try to get you out, but that’s difficult.”

“You’d do that for me?” Your voice grew quieter, unsure. “You barely know me.”

“I know enough. You’re quiet, don’t seek out trouble on purpose, and you try not to cause a ruckus. You remind me of someone I used to know—” a pause as he swallowed “—so I’m more inclined to help you if anything goes awry.”

“You knew a child spirit?”

He lets out a low laugh. “Something like that. I knew them when they were alive, and…” he trailed off, pressing his lips together. “I… didn’t do right by them.” An exhale. “I can control timelines, at least to an extent, but I can’t see them or someone else I knew before. It’s not possible, at least not at the moment, unfortunately.”

“Timelines?” You’re trying to pick his brain. “But who were they?”

“Timelines of where people make two choices. I can go back and change things sometimes.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t see why who they were matter to you.” He didn’t sound rude and he didn’t seem suspicious, more wary of where you were trying to lead the conversation.

“I don’t know. You just seem sad when you talk about them.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t like talking about them. I’d rather talk to the one I turned about the people I knew once I get closer to them and once they get accustomed to being my kind fully, or even a therapist. You were in a car crash, and that’s traumatic in itself, and the last thing I want is to unload my own trauma onto you,” he stated as he tried to grin. It looked fake. “If it makes you feel better, I assure you that it would probably take years of therapy—not a ten minute conversation—needed to process what I’ve been through. No offense.”

You were completely silent for a few moments. Whatever he had gone through, it was clear that it was bad, and it had something to do with a child and someone else he mentioned. Maybe he was a teacher, or maybe he had a child of his own that died in a similar way. You felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of that and the fact that you had maybe made him think about something traumatic. “None taken.”

“Have you ever heard of the light?”

It was a sudden question. You blinked in surprise. “Obviously I know sunlight exists.”

A small chuckle left him. “Not just sunlight. There’s another type of light for spirits to go to when they pass—sometimes they can find it on their own, other times a priest can guide them, and I’ve tried my hand at it a few times myself in the past, not that I’m an expert.”

The light. Where did it go? Where did it lead spirits to? What even was it? There were so many possibilities and you were definitely not having an existential (or rather, nonexistential) crisis. “What happens if I go into the light? Would I get born into another body?”

“Kiddo—”

“Would I go to Heaven? Would I no longer exist? Wou—”

“Kiddo.” He was crouched in an instant, and his hands suddenly hovered above your shoulders, nothing like the thing who had done it to intimidate. Instead, he was trying to calm you down.

“What?!”

“Breathe.”

“I can’t breathe anymore, my lungs don’t work because I’m a ghost and what if I go into the light and just stop existing or what if I lose all my memories somehow and—”

His hands landed on and went through your shoulders. Cold. You stopped talking. “Listen to me. Whether or not you choose to go is entirely your choice. I’m not going to drag you to the light and it’s not just going to suddenly appear and suck you in. From what I heard, you need to really look for it. Okay? It’s okay.” His voice was quiet, calming.

“Okay.” You felt like you were gulping in air despite that no longer being possible. “Okay. Thank you.” You leapt at him to try and hug him only to pass through his body.

He shuddered, still crouched. It seemed he felt cold due to you passing through him.

“Sorry, I—”

“Don’t worry. I know you wanted to hug me.” He turned his head and smiled gently at you.

“Thank you,” you repeat shyly.

“You’re welcome.” He paused as he shuffled, still crouched, to face you again so that his back wasn’t turned to you. “Based on your reaction, I’m assuming you don’t currently want to go into the light?” he jokingly questioned with a grin.

You shake your head.

“Well,” he sighs, not sounding disappointed at all, “I guess that means you can stay here for the time being.”

“There’s a time being too?”

He smiled widely. “There is not. I meant for right now, you can stay here. You may need to leave in two weeks for some time due to the thing and your agreement with it, but other than that, you’re welcome to stay so long as you stay out of trouble.”

You beam. “So you’re adopting me?”

His eyebrows shot up. “When did I imply that?” He sounded amused again.

“Right now when you said I could stay for as long as I want!” You grinned in excitement, bouncing on your toes.

“I’m not…” he tried to say, before seeing how upbeat you were, and sighed, rolling his eyes. “Fine. I guess I’m temporarily adopting you.”

“Yes!” Your fist punched the air before trying to hug him again, and like last time, he shuddered. “Sorry, sorry! I should really stop doing that and making you cold. Sorry.”

“It’s alright, kiddo. You want to go… I don’t know, exploring or something?”

“Can we play tag outside in the yard?”

“Of course we can.”

“Awesome!”

You didn’t wait for a response as you ran ahead of him and downstairs, but you did hear him chuckle and mutter something under his breath.

It was certainly going to be a while before you wanted to even think of looking for that light.

#writing #my writing #house of horrors #not sister #blue man #the blue man #the thing #video game writing #child spirit #child ghost #ghost #spirit #video game #one shot #one-shot #my video game #the not sister #ficlet #writeblr

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mallickshah · 3 years

Text

A GATHERING

YEAR 2021 ; MAY 1ST

There was a gathering in a part of the club's faction that not many had ever been to. Behind the tavern that held the name of Yureif, Mallick’s brother, a name that not many knew of either. Mallick’s name had started to make its rounds through the faction though and not just on clubs' lands, but in the entirety of Kadeu. The main reason behind it, at first, had been his new gain of the title of Ace, of course. The manner in which it was obtained, who he had been associated with when it was obtained; the name of The Resistance muddled with the name of the Ace of clubs did not seem to please many, clubs included.

Despite all of that, the new Ace had kept quiet about his whereabouts for two entire weeks. The rumor mill might have enjoyed this absence, this lack of leadership, if it wasn’t for the small things that were also being done while he all but let himself be a simple whisper, or a harsh critic from the mouth of those who wanted this new impostor to reveal his cards. Mallick had learned many things from the man he’d been and the one he now was though, the most important rule he’d himself instilled in his own operations was to move in the shadows.

To many, this title would just be a power trip, something to hold onto while they barked orders and let the rest of the world see how much control they could exerce because of their rank. To many, this title would just be another way to subjugate an already overtaken faction. So Mallick had needed to think about the course of action to take before taking a different path. Because he would certainly not fall into the trap that had led him to fight the last Ace of clubs.

Things needed to be different; many conversations and consulting with his family afterwards had proven this fact correct. It didn’t matter how it was formulated, Mallick had a sense that even his parents had at one time dreamed of an opportunity as such. However, no matter how dire, how urgent it seemed to reveal what he had in his mind, what he knew would be better suited for clubs, without breaking the order of things in which they operated. Or rather, the disorder they thrived in. In order for him to do so, he had to mull, he had to think, to meditate on the matter, to play behind the curtains.

He’d let the rumor mill play its advocate, both for and against him, while Mallick simply let himself use connections he’d never known would find themselves useful for such a thing to tie himself further into this fate. It all brought it down to a statement plastered in clubs' streets, and only in clubs' streets. For one, they were not allowed in other factions, but even if they had been, Mallick would have still excluded all that were not part of this faction.

One sole goal ended up prevailing from the stapling of loose ends and the unifying of alliances needed to be of the same sound mind to better the lives of the people of his faction; their faction. Mallick was not alone in this, he had many other heads he could count, aside from the makeshift council that The Barbarians saw themselves create after the havoc they wrecked on the faction.

They had not been the easiest to reach, or to talk with, or to negotiate with, but Mallick had learned something about himself he’d always feared could rear itself back up. Something that had stayed dormant, and only manifested itself whenever Saiyah could not see him act upon them. Mallick had once been a very domineering young boy, and young man, but by the time he was all but embracing that step in his life, the woman he would never cease to love and adore waltzed in his life and shook the very core of that foundation.

During these two weeks, Mallick had admitted to himself that Saiyah was no longer and would never be again, so it was time for him to reconcile with the man he had been. The one who had been the cause of her death, for the foes that he’d gained along the way not forgetting his old ways. This man could now come at the forefront, and the ire he would instigate would be more than justified. It had once been unfair to try to coerce him out, but it was now the perfect fit for these gloves.

Or for this stand, among the clamoring of the crowd.

The sun was too high for it to be the beginning of May, but maybe this spoke to the urgency of the current situation. Mallick was aware of many things. One, the only reason why so many people were here was because of the allies he’d decided to take with him, his name only would not have been able to draw such a crowd. Two, the crowd was growing restless with the heat, their gaze too focused and their bodies would soon find themselves needing some type of action to relieve themselves of the heat they were enduring. Three, that release when it came to clubs would simply end up in a brawl rather than a quiet disapproving grumblings.

He knew these people, he was one of them. So it made him feel less and less apprehensive as he took his time to exit his brother’s tavern and walk up to the wooden stand. Yureif had taken some pride in his tavern being the place of the gathering, and Devjay had appointed himself as the man one would have to cross first before they could get to him. They were still debating on whether they should label him a right-hand, or a brother in arms. For now, he was simply all but Mallick’s shadow.

Mallick had only ever been a lover of the light, or rather, ever since a certain one slipped in uninvited and brought in even more than he’d ever thought could possibly be found. But he’d picked the black panther as his emblem for a good reason, Mallick had always been a man of the shadows.

It was commanding to see how the moment he stepped into view, the clamoring quieted, and when he rose behind the stand, the crowd took a stance. Mallick had made himself ready for what he knew of these people, his people. If a fight had to break while he was talking, or even before, he’d simply let it unfold and do this at another time.

However, a single line on the posters had advised them to not start a brawl if they wanted to be given anything they wished from the tavern, free of charge. Mallick had shamelessly bribed his way into making sure they behaved, or tried to at the very least. His brother might suffer a few losses for a bit, but it’d quickly come back compensated if this took flight the way Mallick hoped it would.

The heat of the day was now sitting atop his head, his shaved beard was no longer leaving him with a vulnerable feeling. He was long past that sensibility to the sight he was used to showing to his reflection.

Mallick started speaking and hoped to the gods that this would not derail in another civil war.

THE SPEECH (THE ACTIONS & REACTIONS)

I come to you with something we’ve never thought we could have, something none of us probably ever think of now, because we are not used to it being offered; peace. I do not mean peace by giving to others what we have and wishing that they treat us right, or giving up who we are and what we believe in to be the way they wish us to be. I mean peace in being ourselves, peace in giving to the people of this faction something better than the bloodshed they’ve been enduring, generation after generation. We are crumbling! But look at you, you are warriors, fighters, better than soldiers, some of you are the most fearless merchants! We have the power and we have the skills it takes to make us better together. That is where I want you to start, when you think about what can be done for the future.

(The crowd was still attentive, but some were slowly leaving their position, dispersing as Mallick stepped off the stand to walk among them; and as his voice grew louder, some did halt and turn around. Perhaps begrudgingly, perhaps simply to enjoy the spectacle, or who knows, get a pass in to take down this new Ace.)

I come in peace, because I realize I might not be the image of what you would think to be a strong representation of us, but I am not a weak man and no men in clubs are weak. None! WE are what WARRIORS were meant to be and WARRIORS do not fight dishonorably, nor do they kill for the thrill, we kill to feed our families, we FIGHT to show our strength. We can still do that and do it to have BETTER for all of US. Don’t you see it? The other factions do not care about us, they will jibe, they will insult, they will mock us and we let them do it by continuing to act like WE are NOTHING else but the WEAPONS WE CARRY.

(The crowd has not entirely dispersed, some newcomers have found themselves walking forward because of a sudden clamor of a lone man now carrying the hammer of another, Mallick is that lone man. He is all but arm wrapped around the shoulders of the weapon’s owner and somewhere, someone finally does something that shows less disinterest; a scream is heard.)

But first--I wish to say that it almost brought me to a path none wishes to carry. To work in the shadows of a rebellion that might have tainted my reputation for your eyes. But I did it for the union of this faction. Because I was a lost man, and for that, I will never use their name, because they should remain in the shadows, where they belong. WE do not belong in the shadow, we BELONG in a light that has long been shining on others because they casted us their clouds.

When I say WE, I mean all of us. The weak, the poor, the rich, and especially the STRONG.

(It has to come to this; Mallick walking among the crowd and the crowd walking with Mallick. They make rounds, they move with something akin to a trance. Maybe something has been sprayed in the air, maybe it is simply that the heat has finally gotten to them all. The Ace and the people, the ones that are left and the new ones, they might as well just mesh and become one.)

ARE YOU NOT TIRED OF BEING AT THE BOTTOM WHEN YOU ARE THE MIGHTIEST?

(Now the chaos is present; but it is not a chaos of weapons brandished against each other, it is of weapons held up and clinking, the way one would cheer with pints; not the delicate touch of a wine glass. Mallick was yanked somewhere in between; his brother all but wearing a disapproving scowl when all it did was make him laugh heartily. There’s this glee in his eyes that has Devjay letting him go then, there’s something more potent than anything else Mallick has ever felt in his life. It feels alive and like it will consume him, but if it comes to that, then he’ll let it be. The crowd quiets when the silence stretches for longer, without Mallick’s voice, without his words and suddenly as he’s back behind the stand, they all look confusedly for a second. Weapons are held, the tension seems to return. Mallick clears his throat and holds them with a steady gaze. He’s all but one man against a crowd, but there’s an undeniable power and confidence in him that tells them if he has to, he will fight every single one of them if they dared to challenge him. Mallick waits. The silence stretches. Then a grin pulls the corners of his lips.)

Well if you are TIRED, then rest assured that I’ll make sure to remind them they shouldn’t have underestimated you.

(The end might feel anticlimactic for many, but it is also the beginning of one promise being complied with. One promise that put them all right where they are needed, in the Panther’s den. As they gather in the tavern once it is made clear that they can by the owner of the tavern, Mallick follows suit; ready to put on his best suit; and gather all the information he can from the ones who he noticed stayed from the beginning to the end. It is not all the members of the faction that need convincing; it is the ones who could turn out to believe in him and in what he wants to do more than they would in anything else; those are the ones that he needs on his side. Mallick is aware of this and he will not lose this opportunity to build the threat that will lead him where he needs to get. Like his emblem of choice, The Black Panther prowls; stays quiet; strikes when it is ripe to do so.)

#the wounded widow (solo)#mallick thinks he's all that #year: 2021 #i am no politician. so that speech has more drama than truth.#don't shame my bb if he starts doing shady things...

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bearpillowmonster · 3 years

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FF6 Review (Overall)

I'm going to rate similar to the way I did FF7 Remake, but in only 2 parts, so there will be an overall review then a separate deep dive into the characters.

I played this game using an emulator and I'm not ashamed of it because I used the FF6 Relocalization project which I'll link

Basically nerd talk and explanation of what that means: It's basically a retranslation of the original SNES script using the GBA port as a base and mixing and matching some of the best parts so there you go. They have a way to mod the PC version to have the OG sprite work because sheesh is that thing ugly and they also have a way to resprite and resound the GBA version but this is the easiest and logical solution to get the best of all worlds. There's also "Anthology" which is the PS1 port that adds some CG custscenes which I just watched off of YouTube because it's only a few of the major scenes.

Anyways, yeah, I'm glad I emulated it especially because of the fast forward function. That first chunk would've been rough without it because you're left just waiting for one of your party's commands to be ready but it eases up as the game goes on because you get pretty busy with the combat.

I'm not a fan of turn-based RPGs which was the main reason I haven't touched a 2D FF game until now so this is my first and oh boy, what a first!

Could you just watch a playthrough or read the story then? I wouldn't recommend it. There are certain things that I feel are better experienced.

Gameplay actually wasn't all that gruesome, as I mentioned, it got better thoughout but I know for a fact that I didn't do everything it had to offer because I see other people doing it online and I just had no idea how. That's not to say it's not newcomer friendly though, I mean I beat the game, didn't I? I think it would've just gotten complicated and made me confused if I learned how to do everything in the game anyway.

I found myself liking some of the mechanics and recognizing some of the systems from games as late as today (I'm not sure if this is where they started but I wouldn't be surprised). The random encounters weren't all bad because of the emulator's speed up function but there were definitely times where it felt a little out of hand with the amount I was getting. (I'm looking at you Cave to the Sealed Gate!) So it's all pretty familiar, though there are "Relics" which are kind of like Materia but each member has 2 each where it gives you an ability, f.e. Reflect, every attack hits, extra power, auto cast protect, heal with every step, etc.

One of the drawbacks of using BSNES though was that there was no toggle for a L or R shoulder button, just turbo and while that's not a big problem, that is the button to Flee a battle, so I just never fled. There is an item that lets you escape any dungeon or battle but I didn't really use it, same with the permanent item that Mog has in the cave (pretty late in the game). I'd rather there be a repel than the warp stone, but I figured that if I just fought whenever the opp arrived then I wouldn't have to grind, which is another thing I hate about RPGs! Luckily, I didn't really feel the need to grind other than for the ending.

Difficulty wasn't really a grind but make sure once you get to the floating island, that you know what you're doing because that level was annoying and I felt a very stong spike in difficulty as soon as I landed on it. Another thing is that sometimes it'd glitch and an enemy would have infinite health so I'd just sit there on fast forward, watching and watching then finally use Libra and no damage was made, might be an emulator thing, might be a game thing and although rare, it still happened.

There are these sections called scenarios where the game branches off into multiple different paths and you can choose which order to follow the specific sets of characters. I really like that aspect and makes it seem less linear and interactive because it's letting you choose how to tell the story. I have a thing for games that let me interact with it (That opera scene is pretty interactive too).

For a 2D sprite game, it has quite a personality with its cutscenes. They can be very cinematic and defintely makes the characters just that more engaging with some of their mannerisms.

Ok, I get it now. The music is bomb. If anything, that would be worth doing a remake for, to get orchestral and updated versions of some of the themes. (I'd probably cry at that opera scene) But Celes' theme is probably my favorite. The PC port has pretty good remixes for the most part though.

Could this use a remake? It's a trivial matter because I think a good majority of fans want it to be remade and I understand why but at the same time I understand the other side of the argument as well. This was the last 2D FF game and that's special, in a way, the story kind of reflects that. And I think with all the personality comes a bit of caution because you might see something in these characters or scenes that may be misinterpreted or done differently in a remake, similar to how you read a book and just imagine how it's playing out. I think it lays enough ground so that you don't "have to interpret" like with most NES games (how the Super Mario Movie was born) from an outsider's point of view, it may first seem that way though. (myself included (yes, I know this was SNES era. Shut up!))

What would I want out of a remake? I would want the airship to return and be able to move around freely but keep the towns pretty faithful (which makes for more linear opportunities). I could see Edgar's tools being used similar to Barrett's but we have "First Soldier" now which is a 3PS Battle Royale, why not have his tools play similar to that? Then actually give him story opportunities to pick up his tools rather than "just because you bought them" It would be a nice natural progression. I would suggest the same with Sabin and Cyan, have them learn their Blitz and Bushido moves by being taught by Duncan, you do learn one move from Duncan in the vanilla game but I'd see it as more opportunity to build your characters and make it feel rewarded. So, in those aspects, I would like to see FF6 remade or improved but as for everything else, they should keep it a lot similar to the original than FF7R did. I think that's where a lot of the criticism with FF7R came from (as well as what I mentioned in the previous paragraph) While I'd prefer a gameplay overhaul similar to what they did with R, I'd rather keep the essence. There aren't sequels or spinoffs or anything of this game so this is all it has (unless you count the ports but that's minimal).

In the CHARACTERS section, I compliment the side-quest system but I would like there to be a better indication as to "what" you're doing, rather than just looking up the next steps or be left to travel around until the goal is clear. They have the quest completion menu as well as waypoints in FF7R, I could see that being put to good use in a game like this. It would also be cool to actually "visibly" wear the gear that you equip to your character but I understand why that isn't utilized in most of the games (probably makes for better character models) especially considering most of these characters' costumes could use an update. You didn't get to use the Magitek suits nearly as much as I thought you would from the marketing and even the dang cover and logo, so a remake could improve on that as well. Another small complaint is that it doesn't tell you what the items do WHILE you're in battle, only when you're in the menu, sorting them and while some are staples like Phoenix Down, I still don't remember what the heck a 'Gold Needle' does.

Overall I'd probably rate the FF games that I've played (but maybe not finished all of) as such: FF7 > FF13 > FF6 > CRISIS CORE > FF15 > FF12 but I think 6 and 13 are kind of interchangeable because if you said one over the other, I wouldn't really argue.

#ff6 #final fantasy #review #ffvi #final fantasy 6 #final fantasy vi #game review #game #it's also considered ff3 but nah

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julie1706 · 4 years

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Julie’s incredibly aesthetic incredibly autumny list of movies that she maybe recommends:

Alright! Hi there!

My name is Julie, and I really love fall. I love hot tea, warm blankets, candles, ghost stories, fog and I really, really love rain. I never get tired of any of the aspects of fall, but I think the easiest way to really soak up the atmosphere (aside from amazing books, which I don’t really have the time for), is movies! Here, “autumny” movies.

But that’s a really vague term, and I think many people have a very individual idea of what a fall movie is, that don’t really line up with mine. So the most obvious thing seems to me, to make one myself.

I’m guessing one, maybe two or three people will see this, and I count myself as one of them. The others (hej Sif og Malin!!) might not even get to read this, but if they do, I hope they like it. I hope you like it, Malin and Sif! Also, I love you! And miss you!

Right. I’ve seen a lot of examples of the “list of movies to watch in the fall/autumn”, and they’re all fine and great, but I guess I’ve never been completely satisfied with them, as I mentioned.

So after like 10 minutes of research, I’ve made up my own list, of movies I thought seemed interesting or just plain cozy and nice. I admit, they aren’t ranked, sorry, and I haven’t watched all of them, so a good deal of these will really just be mentioned because of optimism. Also, I don’t think there’s a lot of scary ones, so don't worry.

And I promise I will mention if they’re very spooky. I’ll put a warning like: “Warning! Spooky!”, at the top or something. That should do it.

Lets get started! :-)

1. Practical Magic

This first one I actually saw some years ago, with my mom, when I was much younger. I liked it, but I have a feeling I will like it even more, if I watch it today. A really classic halloween, witchy movie, that was surprisingly touching in the family aspect!

Official synopsis:

Two witch sisters, raised by their eccentric aunts in a small town, face closed-minded prejudice and a curse which threatens to prevent them ever finding lasting love.

//Not very spooky, as I remember it. But good! Lovely witchy aesthetics!

2. Silence of the Lamps

Ugh, I love this movie! That might be a not so good thing to say, it’s really twisted. But I like how creepy it always is, no matter how much i watch it, and how the twists and turns never fail to be interesting, even though I know the plot by heart now. I love Clarisse, I love the foggy, grim nature of the movie, and I don’t really love Hannibal, he’s creepy, but you can’t deny that Anthony Hopkins really carry this movie! Perfect serial killer acting. If that’s a thing.

Official Synopsis:

A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.

//VERY spooky! Or just plain scary. Sif - do not watch!! Many people are killed in many, gross ways.

3. Witch

Haven’t seen this one! I really want to, and have since it came out, but there haven’t really been any (legal) places to see it. I love the tension that was present even in the trailer, and the whole aspect of an oppressed young girl evolving and breaking free in the scariest way possible is really interesting. Not all horror movies are my thing, but I really hope this one will be! And I love everything about witches, so.

Official synopsis:

A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic, and possession.

//Warning! Just from the trailer, I can conclude that this one is very scary.

4. Julie and Julia

This one I haven’t actually seen either! I think I’ve spotted among my mom’s dvds, but nope, haven’t seen it. I don’t really know a lot about Julia Child either, but it seems like a super-heartwarming film, so I hurried to include it!

Official Synopsis:

Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.

//This one seems safe.

5. The Addams Family (Both of them are good!)

This one, the “first” one, I saw last year. It’s actually a remake of an older movie, which is apparently based on an even older comic -who knew? And there’s a second one, following this one, I might add later. But tt was so good! Gah! I loved it, and I’m definitely rewatching this year. Wow the whole vibe of this family is fantastic, and I wish more families in movies were as dedicated to an aesthetic as the Addams! Watch it! It’s so nice!

Official Synopsis:

Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.

//I know it seems scary, but trust me, it’s fine! It’s really more funny than spooky. You’ll enjoy it, trust me!

6. Hocus Pocus

Alright, never seen this one! But when I joined tumblr, the americans were always bringing this one up, and it’s always included in those lists I was talking about earlier, and again, witches, so a no-brainer for me, to include on this list. Man I can’t wait to see it, I hope I’ll like it.

Official Synopsis:

A curious youngster moves to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.

//I have no idea what the spooky-level is in this, but it doesn’t seem that bad.

7. Halloween (the original)

I have wanted to see this in FOREVER! It’s such a classic, and a really iconic, classic, older horror movie. I don’t actually know why I haven’t seen it yet, it might only be because there was no place to watch it, the last time I checked. I hope it has changed, I really want to see it. It has all the classic tropes, and a scary serial killer, it really is a peak-halloween movie. Spot-on name, huh!

Official Synopsis:

Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.

//Might be a bit too scary for some.

8. The Princess Bride

This is so good!! All the characters are straight of a fairy tale (literally), but they’re neither flat or boring. And the love story! Ah! I loooove it! I really enjoyed it last year, when I watched it, so I understand why it’s become such a classic. And there’s so many iconic lines in this movie. The whole mood of it is such good, and the plot isn’t the craziest thing, so watch it to relax!

Official Synopsis:

While home sick in bed, a young boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

//Not scary, fret not!

9. The Craft

Have never seen or heard about this movie, until the morning, when I compiled this list. I kind of want to though, now that I’m promised 90′s teenage witches. Hell yeah! The more witches the merrier!

Official Synopsis:

A newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who anger them.

//No idea how spooky. Might be a little scary.

10. Sleepy Hollow (the one with Johnny Depp)

The legend of the Headless Horseman is famous, so that one I know. But this movie, which is based on that story, I haven’t seen. I can guess, though, the vibe from it’s original source material, and Johnny Depp and the male lead, and that makes me want to watch it! Also, how can you not, when you see all that fog?? So spooky and mysterious! I love fog!

Official Synopsis:

Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people, with the culprit being the legendary apparition, The Headless Horseman.

//Might be, like, ghost story-spooky. Or Tim Burton-spooky. Either of those. Hm. I don’t think it’s that bad?

11. Scream

I LOVE SCREAM. SUCH AN ICONIC HORROR MOVIE. THANK YOU FOR USING ALL THOSE CLASSIC TROPES!! I love everything about this movie, and I might actually put it on when I’m done with this post, and watch it with a cup of tea and some popcorn if I can find some. The characters are delightfully flat and simple, what you see is what you get, and that actually makes this movie even better! It really feels like you’re watching THE halloween movie, it’s delightfully creepy and spooky, and I love it all. So. Much. Also - the lovely 90′s aesthetic is very much present in this one!

Official Synopsis:

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game.

//Spooky! If serial killers are not you thing, don’t watch it. Not that it’s my thing either, but, uh, if watching characters be chased and killed off by a masked individual really freaks you out, stay clear of this one :-)

12. Dark Shadows

Love this movie. Watched it in the cinema, have it on DVD, have watched it numerous times since, and I always enjoy it. Another Depp-movie, and he really pulls it off in this one, as a creepy but also weirdly funny vampire, who has lost his one true love, and wakes up in the 70′s (i think), to help his relatives, now living in his ancestral home, with getting back on their feet. A lot of wild stuff happens in this movie, and I adore it.

Official Synopsis:

An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.

//Actually not that spooky! It’s not that bad, I think. Some places are a little scary, but there’s enough of humor present, that it should be fine!

13. Eve’s Bayou

I had never heard of this movie until this morning! But wow! It looks so dramatic and promising, doesn’t it? We will just have to see, I guess!

Official Synopsis:

What did little Eve see--and how will it haunt her? Husband, father and womanizer Louis Batiste is the head of an affluent family, but it's the women who rule this gothic world of secrets, lies and mystic forces.

//I have no idea. Really. I hope it’s a little bit spooky!

14. Clue

I have just played the game, sorry. And I enjoyed that, so I hope I will enjoy this too! No, I know I will, I love these stories, with really defined characters, like when someone is named “the soldier”, or “the socialite”. I’m sold, when stories like that are introduced to me. I really want to watch this movie! Also - young Tim Curry! Cool!

Official Synopsis:

Six guests are anonymously invited to a strange mansion for dinner, but after their host is killed, they must cooperate with the staff to identify the murderer as the bodies pile up.

//Nah. You’re good, with this one. Don’t worry.

15. Every Agatha Christie Movie

Yeah, sorry I want to watch every single film adaptation of her stories, and love them dearly. None of them can be bad, to me. But the only one I have watched, is the “Murder of the Orient Express”, and if I have to describe how much i love this one, this list will go on for much too long. I just really love this movie. I love the characters, I love the scenography, I love the choreography, just - Everything! It’s so pretty, and you will NEVER figure out the ending! I didn’t, at least. Watch it! It’s so good!

Official Synopsis:

When a murder occurs on the train on which he's travelling, celebrated detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to solve the case.

//Don’t worry about spookyness - there’s none! But watch it!

16. Twilight

Perfect Autumn vibes! There is darkness, fog, rain, coldness, weird pale vampires, a nice love story - and most of it is out in a forest! Amazing! This whole movie seems to consist of only blue and green tones, in varying degrees of darkness, and I always sit with the feeling, that i can almost smell the rain and damp earth in these scenes. Great movie! Even greater use of atmosphere!

Official Synopsis:

Bella Swan moves to Forks and encounters Edward Cullen, a gorgeous boy with a secret.

//Not spooky!

17. Knives Out

Saw this in the cinema with my brother! I really love the main characters, and the plot is great too - I couldn't figure it out at all! I think it is a very creative, “new! approach to a murder mystery, and I applaud! Very autumny, very great sweaters from the female lead! Actually most of them have nice clothes, for this crisp, cold mystery movie!

Official Synopsis:

A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.

//Not very spooky! Don’t worry!

18. 10 Things I Hate About You

I watched this when i was like, 12, and definitely didn’t appreciate it. I think it based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”. It’s one the best Rom-Coms I’ve ever seen! The dialogue is funny, the acting is fine, and the love stories are very cute! Also, I just adore Kate, like, in general! She’s so sour and surly! Watch this one, when you want to unwind and relax! Maybe with your friends. Or alone, that’s cool too!

Official Synopsis:

A pretty, popular teenager can't go out on a date until her ill-tempered older sister does.

//Not spooky, lol.

19. Mona Lisa Smile

I haven’t seen this one, except for the very last few minutes, on evening when my mom and I was zapping channels. So I have very little, very confusing knowledge of this movie, based on an ending, with no context. But my friend told me about it once, and wow, it sounds heartwarming! And Julia Roberts is pretty great, normally!

Official Synopsis:

A free-thinking art professor teaches conservative 1950s Wellesley girls to question their traditional social roles.

//Not spooky!

Well then! That was all the movies I had the time to compile this morning! I might add more, I’m sure there’s a few classics, I have forgotten!

I hope you have a great fall, with many chances to be with your family and friends, and experience all the amazing things this read, yellow, brown and orange season has to offer! Have a great day - and thank you for reading!

- Julie :-)

#autumn #movie recommendation #movie list #fall #fall aesthetic

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jellicleetcetera · 4 years

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Cats 2019: A Spectacle of a Trainwreck

I saw cats 2019. And I had a lot of thoughts about it. So I thought I'd write an essay. Because that's what I do when I have a lot of feelings about something. I write about it.

So, I’m going to start this off by saying that I’m actually a huge fan of the original musical. I get the songs stuck in my head constantly. My personal favorite rendition is the 1998 direct-to-video adaptation. When I first saw the trailer, I was terrified. I saw that they were adding a speaking plot, and I immediately knew there were going to be a lot of changes. I was prepared, though, because the original musical would be very hard to sell to general audiences. Hell, Cats is hardly a musical for people that like musicals. Cats us a beast of its own kind. A lot of changes would have to be made if this were going to do well at all in the box office. So, I promised myself that I would go into it with an open mind.

My mom asked me a couple months later if I would go with her to see it. Now, as most of you die-hards would know, seeing Cats with your mother is a very dangerous gamble. Either she’ll understand what’s going on in That Scene, or she won’t. But either way, you’ll be uncomfortable the whole time. I didn’t know if they were going to include the scene or not. I was hoping so because I would love to see the reactions, but also praying that it would be cut because Jesus Christ I’m seeing it with my mother. I agreed, though, because I knew I was contractually obligated to see this damn thing and if my mom took me I wouldn’t have to spend my own money on the ticket. So, the release happens, a few days go by, and then my mom and I walk into an empty theater on the morning of Christmas Eve.

It was certainly a spectacle of a film. Everything was super vibrant and flashy. I absolutely adored the giant sets. I honestly think it’s incredible that they actually built giant sets so the actors would look effectively cat-sized. They looked a little too small, but then again, Jellicle cats are rather small. Also, my sense of cat size is warped because my own cat, Comet, is absolutely massive. But I digress.

Aside from the set design and the flashy palette, though, one thing really bothered me visually. And it will surprise no one. I really, really didn’t like the cats themselves. Design-wise, fine, they’re alright. Their faces are a little creepy but it’s not that bad. Add a little more cheek fluff and you’re good. However, there’s a specific reason I didn’t like that they did CGI fur rather than practical costumes. It cheapened the dancing.

The moment you slap something CGI onto something real, it makes the real thing look like it’s CGI. That’s just unavoidable. During the whole movie, I couldn’t really get over the fact that they looked CGI because it made the dancing look like it was computer-animated rather than real people actually dancing. Which sucks, because when you look past the gross look of their digital fur, the choreography and the dancers were incredible. (Although I do wish it was a bit more… feline. The original musical’s choreography wasn’t as complex or impressive, but it really got the message across that they’re cats, and not just human dancers with cat features.) It’s really a shame. If they had been in practical costumes, they would have looked like much better dancers. Creating practical costumes would have also added a bonus of getting to create interesting, modern reimaginings of the old 80’s fluffy wigs and legwarmers.

Now, on to the story and characters. Some changes I liked, some I was fine with, and some I didn’t like one bit. I think it would be easiest to share all of my thoughts by going down the list of musical numbers and sharing my thoughts on each one, with some digressions to talk about other related things. I don’t think I need to say this, but many spoilers lie ahead. I’m going to mostly assume that you, the reader, have at least a basic knowledge of the original plot and characters of Cats, but I’ll fill in crucial details here and there as needed. Here we go.

When the movie opens, we’re treated to a fresh new story for one of the main chorus cats, Victoria. In this film, she’s an abandoned cat dropped off at the dump in a canvas bag. I immediately knew she’d be our main character. I found the decision to make her a newcomer to be a pretty smart one. Victoria became the audience stand-in, since the movie is assuming you’re going into this having never seen Cats.

Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats was a banger. Can’t deny that. It was fun and upbeat, and the choreography was great. I loved the junkyard set, too. Plus, through the speaking plot, they gave The Naming of Cats a little more justification. Honestly, I think the entire speaking plot was just a huge justification for the songs for people that can’t connect the dots between them. But whatever. Anyways. Macavity also appears in this scene, but I’m going to get to him later.

I wish they kept Victoria’s solo dance… you know, a solo. The dance with Munkustrap was lovely, but I wish Victoria got to keep it. This is due to my own personal bias of that dance being my favorite, though.

Now, The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball brings me to a character that changed a lot. Mr. Mistoffelees. They say, in his song, that he is vague and aloof. There was nothing vague nor aloof about this Mistoffelees. They turned him into a hapless, bumbling fool. Personally, I thought he was kind of cute, but it seemed like an unneeded change. The plot would have been fine without it. I liked his pencil wand, though. I suppose they wanted to make the relationship between Victoria and Misto more sympathetic? Rather than making Misto this cool, distant character that any newcomer kitty cat would fall for, they gotta make him clumsy and dumb so Victoria doesn’t look shallow I guess? I dunno. It’s fine. I’m fine with it. Everything’s fine.

Also that song was fine.

Gumby Cat. Oh, Jennyanydots, what have they done to you? Okay, I’ll say it, I’ve never really found Rebel Wilson to be all that funny. I know, boo me, I’m the worst, I suck, moving on. She was fine in this role, and I’ll admit, some of the gags were pretty silly and fun, but watching Cat Rebel Wilson eat tiny roach people was just… not great. Also, the mice were creepy. *shudders*

Now, I’m going to go into this next song’s review with a disclaimer. The Rum Tum Tugger, in Cats 1998 specifically, is my favorite character. I love him. He’s an 80’s rockstar himbo delight with a smooth, sexy voice and he knows it. God help me. When I heard Jason Derulo would be playing the new Tugger, I found it to be a pretty obvious choice in making Tugger new and hip to the modern crowd. It’s fine, I get it. However, making him, like… Not as smooth? I don’t get why they did that. He’s supposed to be an unflinching badass personification (catification?) of swag and confidence. I didn’t like that change one bit. #NotMyTugger

Grizabella the Glamor Cat was pretty great. I loved Jennifer Hudson killed her role in this movie. 10/10 amazing job. However, this song brings me to another matter entirely. I couldn’t tell who was singing it! Pretty much none of the chorus cats were recognizable to me. I could pick out Jemima and that’s pretty much it! It took someone telling me that they changed Demeter to a russian blue for me to even have a chance of knowing which one she was. Demeter is one of my favorite cats, and we’ll be talking about her again later.

Although I wasn’t expecting it, I really liked Bustopher Jones. I thought that it was fun that they really went for it, making him shown literally digging through the garbage for all of the gourmet food he loves so much. It’s not made very clear in the original musical that this was what it was implying. I’m glad they did this, because otherwise it probably would have flown over everybody’s heads. I miss the “toodle-pip” though.

I loved Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. They chilled it down a lot, which I was fine with, though I did miss their loud cockney accents and eccentric choreography. I also miss the double cartwheel… The movie made up for it, though, with having really fun imagery. This one was definitely my favorite one from the movie. They made them more like sly, seasoned mischief-makers, rather than boisterous bastards. (I do love bastards, though…)

I loved Old Deuteronomy. Judi Dench is wonderful, and that song is always a lovely delight. Not much else to say about it.

Can we get an F in chat for The Pekes and the Pollicles? It shall be missed.

They cut down a significant amount of the ten-minute dance sequence that takes place in the middle of the show. DAMN them for shortening it. Cowards, the lot of you. However, this also means they cut out That Scene. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. To those saying this movie is incredibly horny, I BEG you to go watch Cats 1998. THAT movie is horny. It has The Scene, and also a multitude of ass shots throughout the film.

Also I was fine with them changing Victoria’s dance with Plato. (I think they replaced him with Munkustrap? I don’t quite remember.)

I loved Memory. Jennifer Hudson. *chef’s kiss* Amazing.

Beautiful Ghosts was… fine. It was a lovely song, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t… sound like the rest of the musical. It sounds more modern than the rest of the soundtrack. And they modernized the soundtrack, too, so that’s saying something. It just felt a little out of place for me. Also, I don’t like its placement. Let me explain.

Grizzabella and Gus the Theater Cat are supposed to be comparisons of each other. They’re both old and nearing their final days, wishing for days long past. However, the thing that makes them different is their relationship to the other Jellicle cats. While Grizzabella is cast out and rejected, Gus is loved by the clan and he’s a very strong candidate for being the Jellicle choice. There’s already a song between their two songs, The Moments of Happiness, but that song acts as more of a bridge between the two songs, rather than an interruption like Beautiful Ghosts feels to be.

I liked Gus the Theater Cat. Ian McKellen seemed to like his role, which I liked. He’s amazing at everything he does, too, so his performance was no surprise.

Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat was fun and upbeat and everything I hoped it would be. 10/10 would tap dance again.

I didn’t like Macavity the Mystery Cat at all. They cut Demeter out of it entirely, removing her implied history with Macavity, and in the process removing her entire relationship with Bombalurina. Instead, they made Bombalurina Macavity’s bitch. She got the song all to herself. And I’ve gotta say it. I don’t like Taylor Swift. That song felt like nails on a chalkboard. I hated every moment of it. Also, I find it hilarious that they kept the lyric, “Macavity’s a ginger cat. He’s very tall and thin.” and he is very obviously none of those things in this movie.

I didn’t like a lot of things about Macavity, too. I liked Macavity he got more of a presence than in the stage musical, but some things were kind of… lame I guess. Some of the scenes on Growltiger’s boat (I thought they would do Growltiger’s last stand but I was wrong!) were slow and boring. Even their little “action” scene. They also removed the Macavity fight scene, where he tries to kidnap Demeter. Very cringe of them. ANOTHER thing that is very cringe fail terrible was what they did to Grizzabella. They stripped her of her original backstory and just made her Macavity’s ex. FORGET that. Horrible. Hate it. Stop making everything about Macavity.

Back to Mistoffelees and his own song. Although I didn’t like that they removed Tugger’s role in Mr. Mistoffelees, I understood why. They turned him into a main character, so of course he had to sing his own song. However, they kept the lyric, “His manner is vague and aloof,” (well, “My manner is vague and aloof.”) which I find very silly of them. Yet another lyric that directly contradicts what the movie is providing. Also, I didn’t like the lack of dancing in this scene! Mistoffelees is one of my favorite dancers in the original productions. Specifically the big, impressive toe touches. Cowards.

I wish they let Jemima keep her solo. I know why they gave her solo to Victoria, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Congrats, Webber, you got to cut your ex-wife’s part out of the musical. *claps*

I liked the reprise of Memory and the subsequent journey to the Heaviside layer. I loved the chandelier balloon, too. It was all very emotionally impactful. My mom literally cried next to me during Memory’s reprise. Amazing job.

I never really liked The Ad-dressing of Cats in the musical because it feels unnecessary after such an emotional, perfect ending note with the journey to the Heaviside layer, but this version was kind of fun, I guess. Old Deuts looking directly into the camera was a little off-putting, though.

Overall, I thought this movie was fine. Will I watch it again? I don’t know, maybe. If someone put it in front of me, I would probably watch it, but I’m probably not going to go seeking it out when Cats 1998 is right there. It was fun, and it was definitely a spectacle. But was it Cats? Mmmmmm… It sure does look like Cats, but it doesn’t really feel like Cats. Do I think it’s a good movie for someone that isn’t already a fan of the musical? I don’t know, maybe? I’m seeing that most people hate it, which is a shame. If anything, I hope this movie compels people to seek out other productions of this musical. It really is a fun romp of a musical that I think people might like if they give it a try. I mean, it was Broadway’s longest running show in its time for a reason.

Do I recommend this movie? Sure. Go see it if you want. I’m not about to give this movie a score out of ten, because I find those kinds of rating arbitrary. But sure, go see Cats. Maybe it’ll lead you toward the superior version. Cats 1998.

#cats the musical #cats musical #cats 2019 #cats 1998 #jellicle cats #cats review #long post

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crystalelemental · 4 years

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Ranking the Legendary Heroes - Water

Ah, the cursed season. The season of additional movement, impossible to tank powerhouses, and unparalleled support. God I fucking hate this season.

Let’s be clear, all of those things count in AI hands. In your hands, it’s a cute little gimmick, but on defense teams, it’s all just bastardry. Anyway, 7 Water legends, ranked by combat potential and effectiveness in Arena.

7) Ryoma. Hey, if you ever wanted to know what a completely useless unit looks like, here you go. Flying unit, no adjusted BST, only effect from the weapon is DC, B-slot is just Wrath for some reason. I guess it’s not all bad. Guidance is still good, and he has that as a C-skill, so like...that’s something to fodder him for. At least his refine will be good?

6) Eirika. Listen, I love Eirika, but oh my god with this. Her weapon has some interesting effects, but only if she’s near more enemies than allies. So away from team support again, great. Sped up cooldown charge and extra defense is nice, but overall insufficient to manage her Book 2 cav BST. Lunar Brace with Luna is hilarious as a gimmick, but that’s all it is, a gimmick. Yes, you negate all their defense, and hit for her raw attack stat in damage, OHKOing pretty much everything in the game. Was it worth it to run a unit so thoroughly outclassed? No. It was not. Great speed and the ability to just deal absolute damage is cute, but she lacks any defensive presence, running Galeforce makes Lunar Brace worthless and takes away her entire niche, and Eliwood still exists in the common pool. Sorry Eirika. I love you, but there’s a reason you’re not finished as a merge project yet.

5) Fjorm. Believe it or not, I think Fjorm has usefulness, even now. It’s not...good usefulness, but it counts. Ice Mirror is just a shitty Negating Fang, but it does work against ranged foes, which means it works against some of the other Water legends. Sure, she’s going to deal 0 damage to Chrom and Leif’s second attack will blow her face off. Sure, across seasons, Alm and Celica will annihilate her, and I doubt she can handle Julia either. But she’s trying okay?

4) Leif. Okay, and like the flick of a switch, we have gone from utter disappointment to absolute horror. Everything past this point should be considered one of the best units in the game without question, and a reason why Water season is outright intolerable. Let’s start with our good pal Leif. Leif is #4, technically the exact halfway point, not because he has any particular flaws, but because he’s not as disgusting as everyone else. Leif is stupid good. Brave Bow effect, and a signature special that gives him a second action, but restricts his movement to one. Yeah, that’ll definitely stop him blowing my asshole out, thanks game. Leif is stupid versatile, too. Death Blow 4 with a Lull for max damage? Push skill or Fury 4 with Escape Route to hit and run really effectively? Close Counter/Vantage for dual phase bullshit? Leif is stupid good. Which makes it all the more horrifying he’s only number goddamn four.

3) Dimitri. The most recent newcomer, and already making his awful, awful mark on the meta. I don’t like Dimitri, his toolkit is ridiculous. Speed-based damage reduction built into the weapon, on top of +5 to all stats, all for the low low price of being above 25% HP, the easiest HP threshold to maintain. And that’s just the weapon. Atrocity gives him omni-Smoke and Seal effect, for -5 to unit and all units in 2 spaces after combat. Oh, and also it does Pulse Smoke. Oh, and also, he gets true damage based on 25% of his attack stat, which cannot be reduced in any way. Because balance! Oh, and we threw in Odd Tempest, which is an infantry and flying skill that gives them an extra movement every odd-numbered turn. Because why not! Seriously, why only eliminate the use of armor units in the game when you can also render cavalry completely ineffective? Just slap this shit on a melee dancer and bam, what the fuck is Duo Sigurd? Dimitri is obscenity incarnate, a living monolith to everything wrong with powercreep in this game. The only respite we have is that he can’t run Null Follow-Up, so a unit like L!Edelgard can, and will, body him. Celica and a fast Julia also handle him well thanks to his low Res, but your options are limited even with cross-seasonal comparison. Dimitri’s just disgusting and I hate his legendary form so much. And again, this is only #3.

2) Chrom. Listen. Fuck this guy. No one pisses me off quite like Chrom. I think it’s the armor effectiveness. If he didn’t have that, we could talk. But no, he got armor effectiveness on top of getting like -9 attack and defense on foes all the time. He’s excellently min-maxed, but has a superboon in speed that actually makes fast Chrom a thing, because god wasn’t dead enough, we had to dig up the corpse and shit on it. I’ve been Chrom beat L!Edelgard, a unit with color advantage and massive defense. I’ve seen Chrom beat a +10 Cecilia with her weapon refine. Double Triangle disadvantage, and he not only survived her Close Foil boosted retaliation, but annihilated her outright. What actually stops something like this? When your biggest, toughest green units are bodied because of armor effectiveness, and double weapon triangle disadvantage isn’t enough to OHKO him or stop him from killing you, what works? What actually stop him? Well, nothing. Nothing stops him. Not even necessarily getting to him first, because Close Counter. Now even your melee units who got to him first somehow get bopped. Not that this is all her runs. Attack/Speed Push 4 for the speedy builds works great. Mirror Impact shuts down faster mages who could’ve been a threat. And for all of this, we haven’t even touched on the strongest aspect of Chrom. To Change Fate. His signature assist skill, which not only acts as a Reposition that gives him a second action (but inflicts Isolation, which is totally relevant because he can’t just move again and have that status wear off or anything), but gives him Attack +6 afterwards. As alluded to with Lucina, movement assists that score for Arena are the most devastating thing in the world, and Chrom is proof positive of that. Oh, but as an added fuck you? It’s 500SP. That’s right! Chrom can score 185BST without even needing a 300SP C-skill! So if you were looking forward to the day L!Chrom is score crept, keep dreaming, because he’s going to be here forever. And yet somehow, despite all of this, he’s only #2. What unspeakable horror could possibly outrank this garbage?

1) Azura. Take a look at the last three entries. Now go check the best legendary units across every other season. Azura is better than all of them combined. Because she is all of them combined.

Azura is not a fighter. Not that she can’t kill when needed, but she’s not meant to. No, she’s support. A dancer, specifically. But hey, we’ve had tons of dancers, what’s the big deal? Sure, she gives infantry and flying units an extra space of movement, and takes any buff in one stat and applies them to every other stat after dancing so not even Panic can stop it. What’s the big deal? Well, it’s that every single top threat in every single season is enabled by Azura. Any level of power they have on their own is jacked up exponentially by her presence. What was just L!Alm or L!Celica needing to be avoided now becomes a round of The Most Dangerous Game, as Azura can, at any time, send them hurtling toward your team with an easy +6 to all stats, and if they get the drop on you you’re dead already. L!Chrom used To Change Fate, but didn’t quite reach your allies? That’s okay, she danced him, now he has three more movement, and now he can, and will, kill something. Leif got his special off, but at least his attacks are over and he only killed two of my units. Oh, right, Wings of Mercy, now he’s killed a third, haha fuck me. Oh hai Legendary Dimitri.

Every top meta threat, in every game mode, is made worse with Azura present. She is, to this day, the single greatest instance of powercreep in the entire game. Nothing has even come close. Surtr was more immediately obnoxious at the time, but a few good red counters get added and you make Null Follow-Up more common, and he’s suddenly not so bad. L!Azura, though? We introduced Lulls to counter her visible buffing bullshit, and she’s still supreme. We included Isolation effects, and she’s still chosen over other dancers due to the power of her effects. Even now, as new, powerful dancers like Peony and Triandra are added, they have to face competition from Azura. Peony escapes this by being essential to scoring for AR, but Triandra? What luck is she going to have? Why run a less impressive dance to mitigate lift loss when you do lose matches, when you can just bring Azura for a higher win-rate that loses you nothing? Even as they’re actively trying to bring in other dancers with unique effects and abilities, it doesn’t even come close to the level of devastation L!Azura inflicted on this game.

“But she only scores 170BST, she can’t be that reliable!” Actually...that’ll do you just fine. Especially with two matched blessing legendary units. Especially with Dimitri or Chrom, who score like 185BST. That’s plenty to even maintain T21, all you need are two higher scoring allies with that blessing and you’re easily hitting 756+ matches to maintain. Score creep may some day phase her out of the meta, but I can promise you, it won’t be soon enough, nor severe enough. All but the top-most matches will still spam her. We will never be free from Original Sin. Azura isn’t just the best Water legendary unit. She is the best unit in the entire game. She’s so dominant that having a forced blessing doesn’t even stop her being run, to this day, on most AR-D teams. A mode she’s not even optimized for, she still runs. That alone should tell you how ridiculous she is. And with each new threat? With each skill buff to infantry and flying units? She only gets stronger and stronger.

#fire emblem heroes #ranking the legendary heroes #legendary heroes #water season

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notgettingawaythistime · 4 years

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So here are my headcanons/thoughts about Cap’s future. I was originally going to focus on his careers rather than his personal life because the last one remains the same regardless of whether or not he retires, but then I realized his personal and professional life are pretty much intertwined so that’s going to come up. I’m also going to be referring to him as Roderick in this post because that’s what I headcanon his name to be:

The first years of Roderick’s retirement are spent being a stay-at-home dad. If Cass stays with him, he’ll be keeping an eye on her. He’ll definitely be looking after Brutus. Morwenna will be able to devote more time to the theater. It’ll be a peaceful time for them, and Roderick will enjoy it while it lasts. The only downside will be that, despite everything, he’ll still struggle with depression; but these years will be easier than most.

As a favour, Rapunzel and Eugene allow Roderick to keep his horses, Romulus and Spartacus, in the royal stables. He takes it upon himself to care for them and visits them at least once a day.

When Cass sets off on her journey and Brutus starts school, Roderick starts spending more and more time at the stables. He grows to dislike being at home on his own; there’s nothing for him to do, and while he’s getting a good pension, he hates being idle. At home, he feels useless.

At school, Brutus and his classmates hear the story of their princess’s return, and it portrays the former captain in a somewhat embarrassing light. Some of the kids, knowing who Brutus’s father is, begin to tease him about it, something the boy has never experienced before and find hurtful. He resents his father for it and begins to distance himself from him, claiming Roderick “makes him look stupid”. This doesn’t last very long (in fact, the experience teaches Brutus who his real friends are, and with his mother’s encouragement he moves past it and spends time with his father again), but it only adds to Roderick feeling useless and pushes him to try working for his money again. He asks the stablegroom if there’s any work he could do; he ends up assisting him, more in a voluntary position but one that’s satisfying enough for him (and impresses his son; like his father, he loves horses).

Meanwhile, Eugene devotes more time to his royal duties and Max takes over as Captain of the Guard. Except Max can’t write, or speak (those who are used to him understand him well enough, but strangers and newcomers? Not so easy) and his overall lack of opposable thumbs make certain tasks difficult. So he and Eugene start looking for someone who can help him with those tasks; someone Max trusts. When they find out Roderick’s working in the stables, they offer it to him. A paying job, in an environment he knows well and with a horse he considers a close friend? Roderick takes it. He’s even allowed to wear his uniform again, as Max has no need for it and, in some ways, is speaking with the captain’s voice (basically serving as Max’s Hand of the King):

(This is from a Disney Princess storybook. It’s called “Bedtime for Max”, where Max is referred to as the captain and Cap referred to as his second-in-command. Not strictly canon, but I’m using it.)

Shortly after he’s hired, Roderick and his wife have another baby; a daughter, Araminta. Because the girl’s disabled (autistic, technically, but undiagnosed for obvious reasons), he’s particularly protective of her. After an incident involving her, an inspection and an encounter with a recently-escaped (and very dangerous, especially to children) criminal that resulted in Roderick killing said criminal to protect his child, he’s told he “crossed the line”; that the criminal was in custody and that Roderick no longer has the authority to decide if he lives or dies, regardless of how he feels (part of the reason Roderick did this at all was because seeing his daughter in that situation reminded him of the time Cassandra was used as a human shield, something Roderick swore would never happen to another child of his ever again). He’s allowed to keep working for Max, but only if he can keep his temper - and mental state - under control. He tries to do so, but finds it exhausting.

He stays on as Max’s assistant for another year until, at fifty years old, he decides to step down from the Royal Guard for good. However, he’s still connected to them through the horses. Having had success training Max, he reaches out to a horse-breeder he knows (the one where he got his other horses), and offers to train those animals for work as palace horses. His offer’s accepted, and he goes on to do it for another thirteen years. It’s by far the least strenuous of his jobs, and the easiest on his mental state as well. He invites his children - including Cass, when she’s home - to accompany him and help him out if he needs it. It’s peaceful, pleasant work that he’s very proud of.

#headcanons #this posts gets very long so it's under read more

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radroller · 5 years

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MY JUSTICE SOCIETY ROSTER:

Okay admittedly this proved to be much more difficult than i thought, mostly because of the fact that the JSA has a TON of members, and none of them ever really quit unless they retire or die. And even those aren’t guarantees, the JSA’s like a big ol family! Also, legacy heroes with Golden Age roots aren’t as common as they used to be with the reboot and such. So deciding who’d be on the main team and who wouldn’t, as well as what newcomers i could include, was HARD.

Main Team

Veterans: Folks who’ve been on the JSA for years, ranging from Golden Age mainstays to seasoned members from the 90s and beyond.

Green Lantern

Flash

Wildcat

Hawkman

Starwoman (Courtney)

Sandman (Sandy)

Doctor Mid-Nite (Peter)

Power Woman (Kara

Jakeem Thunder

Hourman (Rick)

Liberty Belle

Damage

Cyclone

Lightning

Part-Timers: members who might be unavailable due to other obligations (solo hero work, school, jobs, etc.)

Amazing Man (Markus)

Judomaster (Sonia)

Newcomers: fresh faces either wanting to be shown the ropes by the legendary heroes, or wanting to get a better feel for their own heroic legacies.

Dr. Fate (Khalid)

Isis

Bulleteer

Power Girl (Tanya)

Manhattan Guardian

Shining Knight (Ystin)

I’d also probably have a new iteration of TNT who’d mentor under Damage if i was writing, but anyway

Reserves

Citizen Steel

Black Canary

The Whip (formerly Mr. America III)

Wildcat II

Atom Smasher

Jade

Obsidian

OTHER: The hardest/easiest to not include on this list was Mr. Terrific. Hardest because i love him and he’s one of my favorite JSA members, easiest because he’s off leading his own team right now and i couldn’t be more happy for him.

Let me know if i’ve forgotten anybody, as i said JSA’s potential roster is enormous.

#justice society

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sillyfudgemonkeys · 5 years

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so apparently P5R just usurped P4G and is now the best selling Persona remake/remaster/whatever; how do ya feel?

Dunno why I didn’t see this, phone’s not giving me updates it seems. ;w; Anyway.... Short Answer: Meh, I really don’t care, I’m more interested in Scramble/Strikers numbers. Long answer tho....(gonna be long, not a rant just I’ve had A LOT of thoughts about sales numbers since P3/5D’s and PQ2′s releases).

I’m not surprised, I mean it’s a remake on a mainline console, combined the fact that it was popular too (I’ll come back to this when I talk about the other Persona games but for now put a pin in that). But there are two things I’m more interested in, 1) P5R’s lifetime sales, and 2) Scramble/Striker’s numbers.

1) Will possibly show how many newcomers we’ve retained. And I’m interested in that because....P5 sold a few million right? If Atlus can retain that that’d be amazing! We won’t know till the Western releases tho. But if it doesn’t, and sells say.....as much as P4G’s life time sales, then....all P5 did was retain the hardcore original audience, it didn’t win over as many new people as we thought it did. Which isn’t a failure, but it’s.....a crude way to say it (sorry I just woke up words are hard), it’s that P5 isn’t as really as hot shit as we all thought it was (and it probably just sold well due to timing and crazy marketing).

2) What I REALLY want to know is P5S’ sales tho, even more than P5R’s. Since I think that might indicate P5′s standing if it’s as much as a fan favorite as P5 vanilla′s sales show. And it might be the first time we have a clearish answer without any other possibility being the reason for sales numbers. Lemme explain, P5R might do well because is a mainline game instead of a spinoff (but it could do meh compared to P3P and P4G in terms of lifetime sales due to the new comers not wanting to rebuy the game for whatever reason: Same console [which is a double edge sword, PS4 is popular but also people might not want to buy the same game for the same console twice], not worth the price, not enough new changes in their eyes). P5D did poorly, but is it because it was just bad, was it cause of the shitty DLC practices, was it because it didn’t have a lot of content (aka no real plot like P4D)? We don’t know. PQ2? Was it cause it was bad, was it cause it was released on a dying console (as opposed to PQ1 being released at the peak popularity of that console), was it on a console that P5 was it released on, was it cause it featured P3/4 cast and it was aimed at P5 audiences who have no idea who those people are? We don’t really know (this one is probably the dying console tho, which means could it have done well/better if released on the Switch instead?). Did both do bad cause they weren’t really sequels (both technically take place during P5 so yeah)? But P5S? It’s releasing on two very popular consoles, and it’s set as a sequel, so far doesn’t look like there’s a lot of scummy practices going on, actually looks like it has content (so if there are some scummy DLC practices, at least that’s not the ONLY thing you can think about, like with P3/5D). It has A LOT going for it in terms of a spinoff, that even non hardcore/new fans can get into. And I want to know what kind of impact P5 left on the fanbase as a whole and so far it’s not doing so hot spinoff wise (maybe anime too, when the anime was still in the middle of it’s run it wasn’t doing as hot as P4′s first anime or P3′s movies....at least sales wise I found, but that was in the middle maybe it got better), merch sales are probably doing fine tho (since they keep announcing new things). So to me P5′s......all over the gd place.

tldr; I think P5S will show us a decent idea on how P5 as a series is doing compared to P3/4, it started off strong with it’s main game but has struggled with it’s spinoffs which might be because of other reasons than people just being “meh” on it. P5R will be a good chance to see how many people stayed.

Now let’s look at the other games. You should know, considering hurdles P5 didn’t have (except maybe P3P, but on the other hand it probs could’ve excelled more on a home console), the modern day Persona games (Tadashi/Old games got screwed and I’ll explain but it’s probably for the same reason as PQ2, or at least for P2EP) did well despite these hurdles, well both original and remakes but I’mma focus on the remakes (all you need to know about P3 Vanilla and FES and P4 vanilla is that they were both released post PS3 and/or towards the end PS2′s life cycle and still did great).

Now P3P probably had the easiest, released during a very popular time for the PSP, and it ended up selling better than EITHER of it’s two PS2 counterparts Life to date (now if you cheated and combined Vanilla and FES, then yeah P3P sold 80,000 less than those two/all their versions, but that’s 2V1 and it’s still amazing how well it did).There was def an uptick in sales, maybe it was all newcomers or maybe it was half old and half new people, but it still resulted in more people buying it than it’s original (which is why I still wanted to talk about it despite it not having the same hurdles as P4G).

P4G however, that’s where the biggest hurdle comes in (and why I really bring this up). The Vita. A console that sold peanuts compared to the PSP, PS2, PS3, and PS4. No, less than peanuts. 10/15 Million compared to the 80-150 million the other 4 ranged from. I mean yeah a million is a lot, but now you need to market to those million, no, you need to get people to BUY this console first (it was released roughly when the Vita dropped). You need to convince people to ditch their PSP, for a console that isn’t backwards compatible, for this semi-obscure Japanese title. But god damn it did, it almost got all it’s sales from the PS2 back. Hell it exceeded it’s original run L-t-D if you don’t count “The Best” re-releases (Vanilla’s cheaper re-release sold more than P4G’s cheaper re-release). I don’t know if these are also new people, or all hardcore fans, but it did really damn well! It got people hyped and it got people to buy this game AND console! (tho I wouldn’t be surprised if it was at the sacrifice of poor P2:EP, may you rest in peace ;w;). And that was a BIG hurdle for it to overcome!

Like P3P and P4G really make me wonder how well they’d do with a real remake on the PS4/PS5. Like a port would probs do well, but imagine if they actually improved the graphics and changed/added new things, I think it’d sell about as well as P5 vanilla.

P5R’s biggest hurdle is justifying itself as a full price game remake on the same console. But like FES could do that (so I think P5R’s outlook is fine, no real hurdles like P4G had to go through)....and just for fun cause I hate myself (jk I dunno I just wanna see if I can take a guess at JPN’s possible sales based off of numbers of past re-releases). And FES’ first week compared to it’s vanilla is 10% higher than Royal, but Royal has more units sold obvie, FES sold about 80% the total the vanilla did, Royal did 70%, L-t-D for FES was 78% not counting cheaper-re-releases, 82% counting re-releases...but I think that’s because P3 Vanilla didn’t have a re-release cause of FES. If I use that as a base.......P5R’s numbers (going off of the graphs from Personacentral like this one and of course the P5R one, which I think are all Japanese sales). If P5R follows a similar patter to FES’ sales %.... I’ll give P5R 72%-82% of Vanilla’s sales (including the cheaper re-release), and we’re looking at maybe L-t-D sales of Royal ranging from about 334,955 to 381,476 units sold.

If Royal follows a similar pattern to P4G however (cause P5R is more similar to FES and P4G, I’ll do P4G’s too for fun, but I won’t do P3P’s). So there are two life to date numbers, one before factoring in P4/P4G’s re-releases and one after. Before P4G sold about 111% more than vanilla, after re-releases it sold about 96% of Vanilla’s total units. So a low ball and high ball of Royal with P4G’s % would be.....446,606 to 516,389 units sold.

So combining those two together, I predict (aka this is a theory that I wanted to do for fun for WHATEVER reason, made by someone that JUST woke up and trying to get my math out as quickly as possible, maybe if I have time next week I’ll go back and check my work....I’m very busy this week sadly ;w;) P5R’s L-t-D (pre- cheaper re-release)sales to be somewhere to be 334,955 to 516,389 for Japan.

But that’s Japan, Japan it feels like they’re more willing to re-buy games on the same console, the West might not be as inclined tho (if we re-buy something, it’s because it’s on a different console). So while P5R could sell about as well as Vanilla did in Japan, I dunno so much about the west.

tldr; P5R did about as well as I thought in Japan, but not sure about the West. Some number predictions for P5R. If P5R does poorly in the West it could be because it’s was released on the PS4 instead of a different system. P5S I think will give us a better idea on how P5 is doing as a franchise compared to P4.

(also I should note, I prefer vanilla P4 over P4G, there’s some good stuff in P4G, but 1) I prefer Tracey Rooney as Chie, I prefer her down to earth approach more, and 2) there’s some things in P4G that ruins my enjoyment and outweighs the new positive stuff. I like all the remakes barring the guy who directed P4G/P5R, I haven’t finalized my thoughts on P5R yet tho. I do like Kasumi more than Marie tho just on a personality level, still thinking over how they handled her tho. I will say P5R has a lot of gameplay improvements that fixed a lot of gameplay gripes I had so like that’s all I feel like saying/can say about P5R, gameplays better!).

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