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cienie-isengardu · 6 months

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There's some people who simply think Bi-Han never really loved Kuai in either timeline. Some people say Kuai adored Bi-Han but Bi-Han simply didn't feel the same way and that their relationship was one-sided, where Kuai loved Bi-Han where Bi-Han...simply didn't.

I don't believe that but I think the writing could use a bit of work here because in story mode Bi-Han's interactions with his siblings are pretty much him telling Tomas he's not one of them and then saying 'btw I let Dad die' to Kuai in some deluded hope that his brother would see his point of view. The only noticable moment he shows concern is when Nitara ambushes Smoke from above when they are scaling the walls and most say that doesn't count because he seems to have kicked that rock at Smoke whilst he was scaling the wall.

The falling rock while someone is hanging over the abyss is so popular I can’t even remember a similar scene not using this motif to present the sense of tension/danger. So I guess there is no point in blaming MK1 for going with that visual storytelling choice - though if it was intentional choice of creators to cast a doubt on whether Bi-Han on purpose kicked the rock or not, it is impossible to say. Definitely that moment could be better presented to avoid the confusion, especially since Bi-Han’s foot is clearly placed on the ground before the rock is even shown,

so it is rather impossible for him to kick it on purpose? I mean, the rock would need to start failing before Bi-Han stopped in his tracks, as kicking requires movement of the whole leg and as can be seen, Bi-Han’s boot was firmly touching the ground while the rock itself appears a few seconds later, like out of nowhere (and in later scene, there is no rocks only snow around Bi-Han's feet, especially compared to where Kuai Liang was standing?) I assume, when Sub-Zero was leaning out, his weight must have caused the loose element to slide, especially since he was the one standing the closest to the edge and once rock slid, he took a step back.

(Yes, I’m that dedicated to do the slow motion rewatch to make sense of what really happened.)

But you know what is more surprising than the rock failing scene? The whole fact that a man who mastered magic and was capable of using his powers to literally fly didn’t use the same powers to save himself, instead panicked and relied on his hands (failed attempt) and knive - and the game subtitles literally describes Tomas' struggle as “panicked screaming”.

So if Bi-Han (and Kuai Liang) rushed over the edge and may accidentally cause a rock to fall, I think him being concerned for a brother who could die is enough good reason to give Bi-Han the benefit of doubt he did not do that on purpose. If he didn’t care, he would not bother to come there in the first place, especially since the enemy was already out there to get them all. Frankly, there is a lot to say about Bi-Han’s claims about Tomas (your blood will never be Lin Kuei), Tomas actually panicking to the point he was unable to use his magic and the fact that Sub-Zero still took him on this top priority mission when he quite likely had more warriors with real battle experience and skills than untested Tomas. On one hand, we could argue Tomas joined because Liu Kang said so, but the Fire God literally not even once acknowledged Tomas in any specific way and as the meeting scene proved, Bi-Han had a say in who is allowed to accompanying him for the mission, as he refused take Kung Lao and Raiden while Liu Kang did not try to force them on him. So I tend to assume that whatever Sub-Zero said about Tomas in regard to his Lin Kuei status did not stop him from including the adoptive brother in his duties. And the falling scene proved he had a point about Tomas’ training and battle experiences (or lack thereof) - even if voiced in a brutally straight up way.

Generally speaking I think what (and the way) Bi-Han speaks should always be compared to his actions. Tomas not having a true Lin Kuei blood =/= taking him on top priority mission commissioned personally by worried Fire Lord.

That said, yes I agree that story mode should handle better both Bi-Han as character and the whole brothers dynamic but for that the story would need to give them more focus and screen time to establish well written balance between their flaws and virtues instead of the more or less one-dimensional characterization game started with (Bi-Han the angry & ambitious/power-hungry brother, Kuai Liang the honorable “never did anything wrong”, Tomas the loyal sidekick, basically). As the Lin Kuei subplot seems to exist solely to set up the conflict between Sub-Zero’s clan and Scorpion’s Shirai Ryu, I assume that was the authors' goal to achieve, but with such approach to klassic characters can’t say I’m surprised by fandom negative opinions about Bi-Han.

I can understand the never-ending fan dispute about how much Bi-Han truly loved Kuai Liang, as Mortal Kombat lore is more than three decades old already and we still only got glimpses of their relationship from Bi-Han’s perspective. Considering how many games, books, comics, movies, animations and cards the series spawned in such a long time - and how different media present different “timelines”, it is both impossible and unfair to demand from new fans (or any fans in fact) to be familiar with all possible nuance, details and stories almost forgotten before they will speak their mind. Not everyone has the opportunity, time, energy or interest to expand their knowledge about characters and that is fine, even if we don’t agree with said opinions. I know it is hard to be Bi-Han’s fan, as the man, both as Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot barely gets the proper recognition, be it from fans or source material and this has been happening for many years now - even though he is the first Sub-Zero on whose popularity Kuai Liang grew to be character in his own right.

I do not have a doubt that Bi-Han and Kuai Liang shared true brotherhood and I’m right now truly tempted to write an essay on why elder Sub-Zero is not - and in fact has never been - inherently evil character and why we should not doubt that Kuai Liang’s love to him is not grounded in some delusioned idolization but for now I wish point out to all doubters this: original Bi-Han and cryomancer Kuai Liang were first and foremost survivors above any simplified fan idea of good or evil nature. The only person that tried to give them a normal (safe) life was a mother and the woman was presumably killed alongside their youngest sister by their own father. Ice brothers were just kids when that happened - and even if the mother somehow managed to save herself and the daughter and hid from Lin Kuei, she was still removed for good from her sons’ lives. They were abducted by their father, brought from America (their place of birth) to China, a totally different land and culture, to be raised in secrecy and isolation from the world they knew. None of them choose to be raised as assassins and as their respective stories showed, Lin Kuei would easily turn against them at any moment if any stepped out of line. In Mythologies, Bi-Han was called the most cunning assassin of Lin Kuei, but in the same game Sub-Zero outright said if he did not fulfill the task, he would be killed for failure. This comes from a man who was openly praised by the Grandmaster personally and yet his life was the constant fight for survival, the “perform perfectly any impossible task” or “be killed”. If to survive Bi-Han needed to be a cold-blooded person he became one. If because of that he won’t fit into the cozy fan ideas and the silly labeling either “good" or "evil” without taking into account what shaped said character in the first place, then frankly, that is the problem of fans, not Bi-Han.

#mortal kombat #my repies #bi han #sub zero #kuai liang #smoke #tomas vrbada #i won't lie i'm still not sure what is truly going on with the failing rock #tomas panicking was a surprise though #you people really tempt me with writing about bi-han and kuai liang brotherhood...

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fandom-smut-shots · 8 months

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I'm Sorry Kiss - Katsuki Bakugo

A/N: Based on a dream I had where I got into a fight with Bakugo and ended up in the hospital. I know that Bakugo rejecting someone because he wants to focus on being a hero is kinda overdone but it was the first thing I thought of and I tried to embellish it. Also, I know that Dynamight is his official hero name, but I refuse because I like Ground Zero better. Gender neutral!reader. PS, I generally suck at fight scenes, and I’ve never written for any of the pros before, so I apologize if anything seems off. Words: 3,410

“Bakugo… I like you.”

Bakugo Katsuki stared at the confession in his hands. The letter was long, nearly three pages front-to-back, and the paper was beginning to wrinkle from the intensity of his grip.

How did this happen?

You’d insisted upon befriending Bakugo during first year, despite having been placed in class 1-B and therefore hardly getting to spend time with the blond. You found ways around that; sparring sessions, homework nights, even the occasional movie night in the 1-A common room. You’d spent so much time around Bakugo that they’d adopted you as an honorary classmate, and they were ready to crown you royalty when you’d shown up for one particular game night with the explosive blond in tow. You’d become friends – close friends. Bakugo supposed he hadn’t minded that. But now, here you stood, two years later, presenting him with a letter of your true feelings.

“Uh… Bakugo?”

How could you let that happen? How could he?

“I’m going to be the number one hero,” he murmured gruffly, refusing to meet your eyes. The spark of hope that sat in your chest flickered weakly in response to his tone. You’d spend enough time around Bakugo to know his moods from a single grunt, and right now, he didn’t sound particularly enthused.

“I’m going to be number one,” he repeated. “I can’t do that if I let extras like you weigh me down.”

The flame in your chest was extinguished in an instant, suffocated by the stomp of Ground Zero’s boot. “Bakugo, I-“

“I don’t want to hear it,” he grumbled. His voice was low, nearly unrecognizable. It was a tone you’d never heard from him.

“Just go,” he growled, turning away from you. All you could do was stare at his back as he stalked down the hallway, footsteps heavy with anger. Tears bubbled in your lash line, blurring your vision, but you choked them back, standing pathetically in the middle of the hall.

The rest of the school year blurred into one muddled block of time. Your visits to the 3-A dorm had ceased nearly immediately upon Bakugo’s rejection of your feelings. You passed your friends in the hallway every now and then, and you didn’t shy away from a sparring match during mixed training days, but you kept your distance from Ground Zero and avoided discussing what had happened to your friendship. Mina and Kirishima had known the cause of the rift as soon as you stopped coming around, and they offered sympathetic glances and attempted words of encouragement whenever your classes trained together.

Graduation sneaked up on you before you’d even realized the school year had ended. You walked through the ceremony in a haze, barely tuning into the speeches and announcements. Friends, classmates, and pro heroes congratulated you on your success, as well as your impending position at Fatgum’s agency. You could only hope that Bakugo had accepted a job literally anywhere else, preferably at an agency that rarely interacted with Fatgum.

You weren’t working at the agency long before you were called to join Fatgum on patrol. Your heart hammered inside your chest as you strolled beside the BMI hero down the streets of Esuha City, keeping your eyes out for any lurking danger. This was your first patrol as a fully-fledged hero, and you were determined to make a good impression.

“So, (hero/n),” Fatgum beamed beside you, “what made you choose my agency? Word around the hero ranks is that you had quite a few offers by the time you graduated!”

“Oh!” you fumbled in surprise, heat rising to your cheeks. “Well, I’ve always admired you, Mr. Fatgum, sir. The way you always keep such a positive attitude even in the midst of a dangerous battle is inspiring. A lot of pro heroes are really intimidating, but you’re more genuine than that.”

“Aw, thanks kid! You’re making me blush!” the hero let out a laugh. “But please, just call me Fatgum! No need for that ‘Mr’ nonsense. You’re working with me, after all!”

“Not to be pedantic,” you countered, lifting a hand to scratch awkwardly at the back of your neck, “but technically I work for you.”

Fatgum shook his head. “I know a lot of pros see it that way; they like having subordinates to boss around. But you’ve seen how I interact with Suneater, haven’t you? I like to think of you guys as colleagues rather than employees.”

“I appreciate that si- Fatgum,” you replied with a soft smile. “That’s another reason I chose your agency. You respect all heroes, regardless of their rank or experience.”

Before he could respond, a scream sliced through the otherwise quiet afternoon. You shared a look with the BMI hero before you both took off towards the sound, the local citizens parting the way as you approached. The source of the scream was revealed to be a young woman, maybe a few years older than you, cowering on the pavement beneath a much larger man. Your footsteps alerted him to your presence, and he spun on his heel to face you and Fatgum. His mouth was open, his large tongue hanging down to the ground, tapered at the tip and barbed all the way down. His face appeared disfigured, his eyes pitch black and his jaw unhinged.

“He looks like something out of a sci-fi movie,” you commented, grounding your feet and preparing to activate your quirk.

“Keep your distance,” Fatgum warned. “That tongue looks like a long-range attack, and I don’t think those spikes would be too comfy.”

You nodded in agreement as the man, if he could even be called such, screeched at you, the sound akin to a pterodactyl. Looking lower, you found long claws taking place of his fingers, and a thick reptilian tail extended from his backside. Fatgum stood tall and firm as the mutated villain lunged forward, tongue extending to wrap around the hero’s frame. Once he collided with the hero’s belly, he bounced backwards, landing roughly on the ground. You dashed to the side, out of the villain’s sight, to check on the woman whose scream had caught your attention.

“Are you hurt?” you asked her quietly, checking for any obvious injuries.

“I’m okay,” she insisted. “You two came just in time. I think he was about to eat me!”

You took her hands in yours, helping her stand. “Get as far away from here as you can. We’ll take care of this guy.”

She nodded and bowed her head in thanks before running down the street, blending into the crowd. Just as you turned around, the mutated man turned his attention towards you, having lost interest in his one-sided fight against Fatgum. You could see tears in Fatgum’s costume, evidence that the reptilian villain had attempted quite a bit of damage. But now his focus was on you, and you barely had time to jump out of the way before his barbed tongue lashed towards you. You activated your quirk, but before you could charge in with a single attack, the villain spun around, his tail sweeping the ground where you stood, knocking you off your feet.

Fatgum charged forward, enveloping the villain with his fat and restricting his movements. The villain screeched again, leading you to weakly cover your ears before a flapping sound echoed through the air. Your gaze lifted to find what appeared to be another mutated man in the sky, flying with large, leathery wings. Upon spotting his restrained comrade, he dove down towards Fatgum, his sharp beak-like face stabbing into the hero’s shoulder. Fatgum grunted, stumbling backwards from the impact.

You rose to your feet, ready to rush to his aid when something wrapped around your torso. Looking down, you found what appeared to be scaled fingers as long and thick as your leg secured around your body. Struggling against its grasp, you turned your head to look behind you, coming face-to-face with a third disfigured villain.

Lunchtime found Ground Zero and Red Riot sitting on the roof of their shared apartment building, bento boxes packed by one Bakugo Katsuki in hand.

“What happened between you and (y/n), man?” Kirishima inquired suddenly and with all the subtlety of a stampeding elephant.

Bakugo fixed his garnet gaze on the sky above them. “We’re not friends anymore.”

The redhead huffed a humorless laugh. “Yeah, I know that. I want to know why. You two used to be tight; tighter than you and me, and that’s saying something.”

The blond remained silent.

Kirishima watched his friend, coworker, and roommate for a moment. “What? Did they confess to you, or something?”

Bakugo’s gaze fell to the food he no longer had any desire to eat.

Kirishima’s own eyes widened. “Shit, man. Isn’t that a good thing? You’ve been in love with them since that first movie night they convinced you to join.”

The blond quickly turned towards his friend, brows furrowed as though he hadn’t been obviously pining over you for three years.

The redhead laughed, loud and genuine. “Did you think us extras didn’t notice? You never joined movie night for anyone, not even me. Plus, you let them sit on your lap, and you were practically vibrating when they fell asleep on you. Everyone knew how you felt about them, except for them. And maybe you.”

Bakugo’s expression turned sorrowful and his eyes fell back to his lap. “I know how I feel about them,” he murmured, his voice lacking its usual gravelly edge. “I didn’t want to admit it, but I know.”

“Then why didn’t you accept their confession?” his friend questioned lightly. When Bakugo didn’t respond, Kirishima exhaled a sigh. “You gave them the ‘number one hero’ speech, didn’t you?”

The explosive hero flinched. That was all the response Kirishima needed.

“When are you going to stop using that bullshit excuse to push people away?” he demanded. When Bakugo faced him with wide, surprised eyes, he continued. “You’re going to be number one hero. Everyone knows that. Why can’t you be number one while having a loving partner at your side? (y/n) has always supported you, even back before you were social. They understand how important this is to you. And I know how much you care about them. Why push them away?”

“That’s not why,” came Bakugo’s soft response. “That’s what I told them, but that’s not why I rejected them.”

Kirishima waited, quietly and patiently, for his friend to continue, knowing that encouraging him would only make him shut down.

The blond inhaled deeply before speaking again. “I’m going to be the number one hero,” he reiterated, and the hardening hero knew that it wasn’t just his ego talking now. “What if they get hurt? Being close to me means that villains can use them as leverage, or worse. And it’s like you said - they were there before I was social, when I thought everyone was just in my way. They don’t deserve that. They deserve to be with someone nice, someone like Deku maybe, someone who doesn’t treat them the way I did.”

Only Kirishima ever saw this side of Bakugo - vulnerable, honest, insecure. He knew there was always more to Bakugo’s emotions than the explosive, sandpaper surface.

“That’s exactly why they deserve you, and you deserve them,” he responded softly, earnestly. “You’ve never cared this much about how you treat anyone. You’ve grown so much since our first year at UA, man. You’re a mature hero now, and when you become number one, you’ll have the power and resources to protect people like (y/n). Do you think they would have confessed to you if you were still that antisocial asshat from first year? They’ve watched you grow as a person, grow closer to them. And then you just ripped all of that away.”

Bakugo flinched again. He knew that rejecting your confession must have gutted you, if how miserable he felt about it was anything to go by. But before he could fathom a response, a distress call came in through their earpieces.

“All nearby heroes summoned to Esuha City,” came Fatgum’s staticy voice, and Bakugo’s heart raced in his chest. “(hero/n) and I were attacked, and when the villains realized they couldn’t hurt me, they all launched at (hero/n). I need someone to take them to the hospital while the rest of us take these villains down.”

Bakugo’s heart dropped to his stomach. You were hurt. He jumped to his feet, Kirishima following suit, leaving their bento boxes unopened on the rooftop as they sped to your location.

The steady beep of your heartrate monitor echoed in the otherwise silent hospital room. Ground Zero sat, still in his hero costume, in an uncomfortable chair beside your bed. His elbows rested on his knees as he hunched forward, holding his forehead in his hands. He’d refused to leave the hospital after reluctantly handing you over to the staff so that they could tend to your injuries, demanding an update on your progress every half hour. Were he not a newly popular hero, security would have escorted him away. Thankfully, Red Riot stayed close by to keep the explosive hero grounded while they waited for the doctors to finish patching you up.

As soon as you’d been assigned a room, Bakugo had stationed himself at your bedside and refused to leave. Friends and colleagues had come and gone to check on you as well as Bakugo, knowing that he was irrationally blaming himself for your current state.

“You need to talk to them,” was Deku’s first response upon seeing the blond in your hospital room. Once the villains had been neutralized and Fatgum had been checked over, green hero had made his way as quickly as possible to the hospital to ensure that you had survived your injuries.

“I know,” Bakugo grumbled in response, refusing to look his childhood friend in the eye. He lifted his head from his hands and gazed sorrowfully at your sleeping face, littered with scrapes and bruises. His garnet eyes traveled down your form, taking in the number of bandages and casts wrapped around various parts of your body. He couldn’t help but think if only he’d been there-

“This wasn’t your fault,” Deku commented, his gaze darting between Bakugo’s self-loathing and your peaceful face. “There was nothing you could have done. (y/n) is a capable hero; there were just too many villains. You did exactly what they needed by bringing them here to get help.”

The blond exhaled a deep sigh, as though he’d been holding his breath. “I know.”

A soft gasp sounded in the nearly silent room, and two sets of eyes turned towards you. Your lips were parted and your eyes began to flutter, and Deku took it as his cue to leave. He closed the door behind him, offering the two of you some much-needed privacy.

Bakugo jumped to his feet, but his legs suddenly turned to lead as he attempted to approach your bed. He watched as your eyes opened and you blinked wearily at your surroundings. Hesitation gripped every bone in his body and all he could do was stare helplessly.

Your head turned, catching sight of the blond at your side, and your eyes widened. “Bakugo?” you whispered, your voice raspy. “What are you doing here?”

The sound of your voice was enough for the blond to push himself forward, walking closer until he stood directly beside your bed. His hands gripped at the railing as he looked at you, brows furrowed and mouth agape, his brain struggling to form words.

“I’m sorry.”

Well, shit. He wasn’t planning to jump into an apology. He was hoping to prepare himself a little more first.

Your brow furrowed as you gazed at your former classmate and long-time crush. “Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“Everything,” he exhaled, dropping to his knees as gazing into your tired eyes. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you were hurt; when you needed me. I’m sorry I pushed you away when you confessed to me. I’m sorry I just threw away everything we had.”

Your face turned stoic, and Bakugo’s heart pounded in his chest.

“You don’t have to apologize,” you murmured softly, your gaze drifting away from the blond. “You didn’t return my feelings. You wanted to focus on being a hero. I understood that; I never blamed you for it.”

Bakugo shook his head. “I lied,” he admitted, and his chest fluttered. “That wasn’t why I rejected you, I was just too afraid to be honest with myself, or with you.”

You turned back to face the explosive hero, eyes widened with surprise and the smallest sliver of hope. “Why... Why did you reject me, then?”

He inhaled deeply, steeling his nerves before holding your gaze. He reached up with one hand, gingerly placing it atop yours, squeezing gently when you didn’t pull away.

“If I’m going to become the number one hero, I’m gonna make a lot of enemies,” he explained, his thumb rubbing across the back of your bandaged hand. “With my personality, the media would be all over any kind of relationship I had. They’d find out everything they could about you, and villains would use that to their advantage. They could hurt you to get to me, and I refuse to let that happen.”

“Bakugo...” you breathed, your heart breaking as you considered how he must have been carrying this weight with him since the day you confessed. You squeezed his hand in return to the best of your ability, drawing his attention.

“Bakugo, you forget that I’m a hero too,” you smiled softly. “I’m already in danger, and dating a pro hero is much safer than dating a civilian. We’d be able to protect each other, and I knew when I confessed to you back at UA that being number one was your only goal, and that it would be a dangerous lifestyle. I still loved you then, Bakugo Katsuki, and I do now.”

“It wasn’t my only goal,” the blond murmured, his gaze dropping down to your joined hands. “My main goal, yeah, but I had another.”

You waited patiently for him to continue, teeth gnawing at your lower lip.

“I always wanted to make you happy,” Bakugo admitted, refusing to meet your eyes. “When I let you drag me to those stupid movie nights, or sit on my lap, or snuggle into my chest. The smile on your face was more than worth dealing with my classmates and their stupid stares.”

He rose to his feet, standing before leaning over your figure. Your eyes followed his every move, your free hand lifting to gently brush his cheek. He inhaled shakily at your touch, his hand coming to cradle your face. He leaned closer, his lips ghosting over yours, and your eyes fluttered closed in anticipation.

“I’m so sorry,” he murmured before finally closing the gap and capturing your lips. A hum sounded in his throat as the feeling of finally kissing you washed over him. You hummed in return, your hand drifting down to tug at the collar of his hero costume.

“I love you,” he whispered against your lips, and you chased his words with another kiss.

“I love you too,” you responded before opening your eyes and gazing up into his garnet eyes.

“How about I go home and change-“

Bakugo was cut off by your grip tightening on his shirt, your head shaking adamantly. His brow furrowed as he waited for a verbal response.

“You’re not allowed to leave me anymore,” you murmured softly, and he deflated at the expression on your face.

“Okay,” he smiled softly. “I promise.” He took a step back in order to remove his boots. His gauntlets, mask, headpiece, and neck piece had already been discarded during the hours he waited for you to wake up. His boots soon joined the collection on the floor before he turned back to you and watched as you shifted to make room for him in your hospital bed. He crawled in as gently as possible, outstretching an arm for you to lay on. You curled into his chest, careful not to apply pressure to any of your wounds. His arms wrapped securely, protectively around you, and the next time one of your pro hero friends came to check on you, they’d find the two of you fast asleep and wrapped up in each other.

Writer's Block Masterlist

Writer's Block Fandoms and Characters

#writer's block #bakugo katsuki #katsuki bakugo #bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #ground zero #my hero academia #mha #my hero academia x reader #gender neutral reader #reader insert

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spacevixenmusic · 11 months

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Unfairly Maligned Games, Vol. 2

Games I loved that got low scores, review bombed, or have some other weird negative stigma attached to them that I think is unfairly earned.

NOTE: I don't believe in giving games a number score or a letter grade. Maybe I'm just bad at criticism or very easy to please, whatever.

We Happy Few [2018]

Originally advertised as some kind of procedurally-generated stealth horror survival game that people kept insisting was "like BioShock" even though there is literally zero correlation or even vague resemblance to BioShock, this game's crowdfunded development process was a long hard rollercoaster ride through concept and scope changes, getting picked up by major studios and publishers, a constantly evolving marketing campaign, and a loud, rude blasting of negative press right before and right after launch due to bad take misinformation and some game-breaking bugs on Day One.

We Happy Few started as a Kickstarter project from Compulsion Games, a small studio known only for their previous game Contrast. In Contrast, you play as a child's silent imaginary friend in a cabaret dancer costume who can phase in and out of backgrounds to become a shadow on the wall and solve platforming puzzles. Working together, you help the child navigate through her emotions as her parents struggle through their own relation-shit in an early 1900s European port town. Seeing as their first game was stylish as hell and widely praised among indie crowds, it's no surprise that a Kickstarter for a new game from that studio became an instant success, so much so that it caught the eye of several big studios (Microsoft and Gearbox Publishing), and it quickly turned into a vastly bigger project with many more hands working on it. The proc-gen element was downtuned and streamlined, and the main emphasis of the game became about survival, stealth, and story.

And let me tell you. In terms of story, this game is phenomenal. The simple premise is that you play through the lives of three people living in 1950s-60s England, under a government that is forcing everyone to take these candy pills called Joy that make you instantly and excessively cheerful, so you can easily forget about all the horrible things that the government wants you to forget ever happened about The War, the Missing Children, and all the people still actively dying of malnutrition from the ongoing Famine and all that. The people are mandated to forget their worries, grin and bear it, pretend everything's just peachy keen, and if you refuse to take that pill, people will notice your un-cheerful behavior and call the police to track you down and beat you senseless. Can't have any Downers in our perfectly lovely happy town, now can we?

The game's art direction features two stark parallels between a dreary English village and early 60s-70s psychedelia (with a hint of A Clockwork Orange for good measure), and a soundtrack influenced by bands of the era, such as The Doors, The Beatles, The Byrds, etc. The dichotomy of looting dilapidated rural homes while avoiding plague-ridden peasants versus the rainbow streets and lava lamp light show sex dens in the cities is truly astonishing. It's a game about, funnily enough, Contrasts between the bright and cheerful life everyone is forced to think they're living, and the grim depressing reality that lies underneath. Many people initially assumed this meant the game had some kind of anti-drug message about not relying on your depression medication cause pills can't fix everything, but it's clear right from the get-go that's nowhere near the case. We Happy Few is a story about revisionist history, the pressure to conform, submission to a corrupt system that might not even know what it's doing, and the very British notion of Keeping Calm and Carrying On as if major atrocities hadn't just been committed in a massive world war.

Gameplay-wise, this is a strange hybrid of survival and stealth, with combat definitely being present, but taking a backseat for the most part. It's much easier to distract enemies than fight them, and many of the characters excel at hiding in plain sight, provided you don't do anything to make people suspicious, like running and jumping around or breaking into houses to raid them for food. You do have options and skill trees though, so the game does allow you to tailor it to your own playstyle to a degree. I had significantly more fun playing it slow and methodical, sneaking up and choking out enemies, and watching NPCs bump into each other awkwardly while quoting ancient English literature for no apparent reason. Taking it slow, reading every scrap of paper and Journal I found, my final playtime was about 50~ hours.

Again though, let me gush about the story for a second. The base game has three full chapters, each of which has you play as a different character with different strengths and game mechanics (including such wildly inventive ideas as the burden of motherhood taking up inventory space if you don't periodically check on the baby you have to leave at home, and carefully maintaining a balanced blood sugar level so you don't collapse?!). Their stories are all deeply connected in ways that aren't immediately apparent but are cool as hell once the pieces of the puzzle come together. Each chapter more or less takes place at the same time, but the events always play out slightly differently, because memory-altering drugs fuck with your sense of reality and make us all question the reliability of each narrator. If that wasn't already cool enough, the game also features three DLC packages where you play as three ADDITIONAL characters, each of whom is also a recognizable face in the main story if you're paying attention. These DLCs add even more neat mechanics and open up the story events even more in and around the main game. They were honestly all an absolute blast to play, especially if you were already as invested in the story as I was. And the subject material goes all over the place, touching on such highly specific topics as 60s science fiction, gay lovers, Beatlemania, trippy drug-induced murder mysteries, the British occupation of India, and plenty more. I can't stress enough what a unique storytelling experience this game has to offer. It really is unlike anything else I've ever played! But alas, we should probably talk about why nobody else seems to be as enthused about the game as I am...

Aside from the huge misunderstanding about the game's message, We Happy Few was bombed with criticism on Day One due to some major bugs that hadn't been ironed out - remember, for a $60 game backed by some big names in the industry, it was still very much an indie passion project from the start, and it's clear it wasn't given the full AAA treatment at all. Several big-name Game Reviewers (a field I detest almost as much as Cartoon Reviewers) ripped into the game for its bugs, and while I can't fault people for being mad at broken quests and at least one full-on softlock, not everyone experienced those bugs, and many of them were ironed out in later patches. It's almost like chasing those Day One reviews and videos are a bad idea for people who want to Enjoy Games. Sadly, first impressions are all that seem to matter anymore in gaming, so those early negative reviews still sting to this day. But people out there will give games like Skyrim a perfect 10/10 despite a significant number of similar bugs (hell, they're almost a charm of the series at this point), so why should an indie game not be given the same graces?

In closing? We Happy Few is a phenomenal story in a completely fresh setting that really doesn't feel like anything else before it. The game has been criticized to hell and back for its early bugs or for "boring" gameplay or whatever the Review outlets chose to report, but to me it stands out as an extremely unique experience in a sea of Lowest Common Denominator games. I'd rather play an imperfect or buggy game with a unique or highly niche premise than yet another polished piece of pristine pop pleasure, and I genuinely think people would enjoy games like We Happy Few if they just lowered their goddamn expectations for once in their lives.

#unfairly maligned games #we happy few #fuck the haters I have nothing but love and praise for this game #it hit ALL my pleasure sensors and really resonated with me #and if I can convince even one other person to try it then I have succeeded in my mission

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5ukho1 · 4 months

Text

Because I'm Done...

Summary: avoiding cutting their hands on the broken picture frame, y/n sobs at the two people in the photo, not noticing the footsteps approaching...

Warning: broken glass, small mention of blood, Soap getting injured, break up, very angst

The aroma of chocolate floated throughout the house, exploring every room it could get to before discovering your figure in the living room, the delicious smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies not registering for you.

Smelling freshly baked goods never fails to put a smile on your face, provoking your mouth to water as you wait for the goodies to cool, but today was not the day.

A full moon was present in the sky that night, its moonlight peeking through the cracked curtains of the living room, shining its light down onto your slumped figure.

Shards of glass were scattered across the floor, silently taunting you with their sharpened edges that shimmered in the moonlight, anticipating for your bare feet to step on them.

Your knees throbbed as you tilted forward, causing most of your body weight to go straight to your bent limbs, desperately pleading with you to stretch so the blood could continue circulating.

Your eyes scanned the shattered frame in your hands as the smiling faces of yourself, as well as your beloved boyfriend, stared back at you, producing a piercing pain to erupt within your heart.

His hand wrapped around your waist, pulling you close to his chest as he pressed his dimpled cheek against your own, completing the other half of your hand heart with his.

The two of you were practically inseparable.

He was your giant teddy bear, and you were his tiny angel.

No matter what plans you had that day, he was constantly by your side, willing to help you with anything.

It felt like you could conquer the world with him by your side, as if nothing could ever go wrong.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you allowed the tears to slip as your breathing decreased, getting caught in your throat as you muffled your cries with your shaky hand.

Gently biting your finger, you disregard the salty taste that reached its way into your mouth, causing you to lick your lips subconsciously.

The dull thud of footsteps echoed throughout the house, making its way towards you as you gradually opened your eyes, a trembling breath escaping your lips.

Peering up at the taller figure, you clenched your jaw, not bothering to wipe your tears as your grip tightened on the picture frame, causing the remaining pieces of glass to crack under the intense pressure.

The air around you was thick, making it seem as if all-time stopped on your behalf, not even recognizing that the male in front of you was speaking.

"So, what do you want to do now?"

Your eyes glistened with tears, blurring your vision as you dared to make eye contact with your boyfriend, provoking a tear to roll down your delicate cheek, noticing zero emotions present anywhere on his face.

The eyes that held so much love and adoration for you were now gone.

It is like you were a stranger to him.

"Nothing that involves you, Johnny." you hissed through clenched teeth, wiping your cheeks with the back of your hand as you hung your head, taking in a couple of deep breaths to steady your breathing.

Sighing through his nose, Soap examined the picture frames that hung on the wall, years of memories that concealed themselves behind a thin sheet of glass.

Many thoughts raced through his mind, though none of them involved you.

"y/n--"

"No! Don't you 'y/n' me! I don't want you, Johnny. I don't need you!" you screamed, slamming your fist against your thighs, your voice cracking as tears began to cloud your vision once more.

Squeezing the frame of the image that still remains in your hands more tightly, you did not hesitate to whip it towards your boyfriend, not concerned about the consequences that might happen.

"I don't need anyone!"

Unable to dodge the frame fast enough, Soap could only raise his hands to shield his face, causing some of the broken pieces of glass to scrape against his palm.

Inspecting the new wound, Soap grabbed a nearby tissue to keep the blood from running down his arm and onto the floor, clenching his jaw as the pain progressed throughout his entire hand.

"Good," The male muttered under his breath, making sure to make eye contact with you as he placed his boot on the broken picture frame, putting his full weight onto the glass so you could hear it cracking.

You watched in shock as he forcefully shoved the frame across the room, stopping when it banged into the wall, the glass ripping your third anniversary photo in half.

“Because I’m done."

#john mactavish #soap mactavish #soap drabble #soap cod #soap call of duty #soap x reader #john soap mactavish #soap angst

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k-nayee · 14 days

Text

CHAPTER 4. THE FINAL EXAM

❝Brave birds still fly through the fog.❞

Vespertilio M.List

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ˏ⸉ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˏ⸉ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˏ⸉ˋ‿̩͙‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ‿̩̥̩‿̩̩̥͙̽‿̩͙ˊ⸊ˎ

recap

Moving towards your own station, a look of determination is set on your face.

'Time for Plan B: Do the bare minimum and go after the faux villain with zero points to say at least I tried when I truly didn't to commence!'

You take a glance at the students around you, some having faces of confidence while others looked damn near ready to drop out.

'Okay,' after a deep breath and some short stretches you walk up closer to the gates,'let's do this!'

Right as you finish your pep talk, Present Mic's voice fills the arena.

"Start!"

You burst into a sprint, leaving the gawking and still frozen students behind in the dust as you move further into the simulated city.

"Remember listeners, there are no countdowns in a real battle! So go! You're wasting time!"

Not even a minute later the sounds of explosions and battle-cries appeared.

You had to admit, these kids were beasts when it comes to wanting to get into UA.

One moment you'd see a 1pointer, and when you blink, it was gone; bits and pieces of metal being the only evidence it ever existed.

A good portion of your time consisted of you avoiding any robots while also dodging numerous fallen metal scraps.

With your only tasks being not being flattened or spotted, it gave you enough time to observe the 'competition'.

And truth be told, you felt bad for most of them.

While those with flashier quirks stole both the show and villain points, others resorted to finding other ways to gain points - some not at all.

"Dammit!"

Your head instinctively snaps towards the source of the angered shout.

He seemed to also dodge and avoid any falling metal while failing to destroy any of the robots.

A cracking sound echoes through the air.

You look up in time to see a destroyed robot fall back into a building, causing a big chunk to break off and tumble down.

Right above the boy.

"H-hey! Look out!" Your panicked scream makes the indigo-haired boy stop and look at you in confusion.

'Shit shit shit!'

Without a second to waste, you rush over, dodging any debris on the ground as the shadow of the falling piece of rock gets bigger.

"Fucking MOVE! IT'S GONNA FLATTEN YOU!!"

It seemed your words were finally processed in his head when he looks up.

His eyes widen in fear, body frozen from shock.

Putting all you have in your legs, you let out a shout and jump.

The boy releases an oof when your body makes in contact with his, both of you rolling and tumbling across the concrete just as the debris hits the ground.

Your eyes are closed, heart thundering in your chest as you lay on the rapidly beating ground.

Wait...rapidly beating ground?

You immediately sit up, looking down at the boy you somehow ended up landing on.

He could only stare up at you in surprise as your arms caged the side of his head like some cliche romance story.

With a yelp, you roll off him and kneel next to his still laid figure.

"A-are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" With a quick yank, he's pulled into a sit-up position.

"I'm...I'm fine," He ignores your second question and gets up with a sigh, "just bit off more than I can chew apparently. Couldn't even avoid some falling rocks...seems I'm not hero material after all."

You notice the way his hands clench into fists as he says that.

Not wanting to deal with whatever life problems he has on his own, you began to walk away.

That is until you suddenly picture Izuku in that same position of being told he wasn't hero-worthy.

"You know you shouldn't listen to them."

He looks at your back with furrowed brows. "Huh?"

"Whoever told you those lies. That you'll never become a hero. You shouldn't give up just because some bastard tells you to do so. Quirk or quirkless, villain or hero categorized quirk. Show them you mean business. That you have a goal and plan to stick with it."

His eyes widen at your words.

For years, that's all he's been told: he would be a villain. His quirk wasn't meant for good, but evil.

To hear a random stranger finally speak the exact words he's always wanted someone to say, the fire in his heart was set ablaze.

"Hitoshi Shinso...my name is Hitoshi Shinso."

"Well HitoshiShinso," you turn to look at him with a smile, "are you gonna prove that you're more than just society's standards of a hero? Or are you just gonna quit?"

Taking his silence as an answer, you give him a wave and continue walking. "Look forward to seeing your success, HitoshiShinso! Who knows, you might be the one saving me next time we meet~"

═════════════════*˚✿❀༓❀✿＊˚*══════════════════

Minutes pass of you sneaking and passing through the fake city, occasionally helping a fellow participant whenever they're in trouble.

'Eh, what's the least that could happen? Not like I'm getting graded on helping...'

You stumble at the feeling of large tremors shaking through the ground, screams and crying reaching your ears not a second later.

You immediately dash forward, sidestepping students as they run towards the way you came from.

"Run! It's the zero-pointer!" A passing person screams out as they continue to run away.

"Wait...zero-pointer?" It took a moment before you realized what that meant causing you to bounce in excitement, "hell yes! Time to start Plan B!"

Not wanting to waste any more time, you speed towards where the zero-pointer should be.

"Wha-where are you going?!"

"You idiot! Go this way!"

"You're going to get yourself killed!"

You snort at their words. "Come on! Do you really think they're going to let children get hurt in this? I bet it's not even...that...oh shit."

Your words trail off once you take a good look at what they were running from.

There in all its glory stood the zero-pointer, enormous enough to fill the entire street while its claw-like hands caused nearby buildings to crumble just by a brush.

"Well damn...I see why y'all running." Releasing a sigh, you simply turn around with a shrug and get ready to follow the escaping crowd, "Welp, Plan B is out. So let me just go and—"

Your body stiffen at the sound before you could see them.

Screams, full of panic and distress.

Eyes zooming around the area as the thundering footsteps get nearer, you finally spot them: two people stuck in its path.

With one injured in the leg, the other was there for support as they try to run away.

Fortunately, it appeared you were the only one to notice. Unfortunately, it meant they were going to be squashed by the zero-pointer.

'Okay, I'll just grab its attention and go down another pa—' Your planning was cut off by another round of screams.

Searching for the cause, you see the zero-pointer's hand knocking into a nearby building causing some debris to crumble and fall.

Right where the two students were located.

"Are you shitting me?!"

Your heart thunders as you rush over to them, the world seems to fall into slow motion as you see them cower in preparation of getting hit.

'Think think think! It's too far to run and Zuki isn't here to take the rosary off. What can I do?!'

Body frantically moving, you pause at the familiar weight in your skirt pocket.

"Of course!"

Quickly grabbing the pouch of seeds, you grab the mini bag labeled grapes and pour the tiny seeds into your palm.

"Please let this work," with a quick mutter under your breath, you force the seeds into rapid growth and make the thick vines grow into a dome-like shape.

Not a second later, a heavy thud hits the vines.

You grit your teeth, body slightly shaking as you force the vines to hold up a little longer.

Sounds of awe come from the two students, you look up only to realize they were staring at you.

"Hi, name's Akashiya ____! Love meeting you and all," a strained smile is given as your knees began to buckle, "but I'd really appreciate it if you could leave and hide from that zero-pointer's view. Mind doing that?"

"O-oh right! Thank you for saving us, it's very manly of you!" The black-haired boy breaks out of the trance first and sends you a sharp toothy smile.

Sending him a sharp head jerk towards the direction of a couple of fallen debris to hide behind, he catches the hint and takes the injured girl away.

"The name's Kirishima Eijiro by the way!" His fading voice makes you relax in relief.

"Whew! Now that's ove—"

Your words are cut off by the sudden crash of both vines and pieces of rock.

On top of you.

Kirishima's wide eyes stare at the pile, mouth dropped open as he became a witness of a possible death.

It wasn't until he heard a few hacking coughs did he spot your disheveled form fanning away the floating dust around.

"Are you alright?!"

"Yeah!" You scratch the back of your head with a sheepish grin, "Turns out I relaxed too much after you left. Caused my powers to weaken and crash. B-but I'm fine, the rocks fell behind me. Look!"

Jumping up, you give a huge thumbs up causing the boy to let out a small laugh.

"TARGET ACQUIRED."

Once again, damn.

A jolt of fear travel down your spine, body shaking as you face the zero-pointer before you.

You just had to jump around like a dumbass just to prove to some cute boy that you're alright.

Not to mention your juice pack. Oh, your uneaten juice pack! Poor baby was the only thing that truly faced harm by the collapse.

Half of its contents was wasted, leaving a giant bloodstain covering the side of your skirt as the finishing result.

And so, this is how you're going to leave the world: dead with blood on your skirt as if you had the period of a lifetime.

Tears pricked the corner of your eyes as you back away from the metal beast only to stop at the debris-made wall behind you.

At this point, you wished everything actually did collapse on top of you when it fell. At least they can say you died saving others.

You blink at a sudden realization. "Wow. I'm really gonna die a hero. The one thing I've avoided doing for nearly fifteen years of my life. The irony I tell ya."

The zero-pointer loomed over your trembling form.

Adrenaline rush faded, your exhausted body refused to take another step.

'Move...why won't you move!' Hands clenched into fists, flashes of your parents fill your head, flashes of Izuku's smiling face, hell even a scowling Bakugo.

Your head bows as tears continue to spill from your eyes, feet glued to the ground as you accepted defeat.

Unbeknownst to you, your rosary begins to glow, steadily growing brighter which each passing second.

"AKASHIYA GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Kirishima's shrill scream was the tipping point.

The rosary's red glow suddenly cuts off.

The once healthy flowers in your hair suddenly wilt and fall to the ground. Silvery white bleeds into your locks until no strand of [hair color] is left behind.

Your eyes open, revealing a set of blood-red irises.

The slitted pupils in your eyes thin as they take in the situation around them, landing on the charging faux villain with a hint of humor in them.

"Oh? Seems to be a test of some sor—"The zero-pointer punches the spot you're standing at causing a scream of disbelief to fall from Kirishima and other examinees around.

Dust billows around the area as people began to murmur.

"Is...is she dead?"

"I never knew there would be actual deaths in these exams..."

"Poor girl."

Kirishima's pupils shake as he continues to stare at where he last saw you.

Nothing but a crater and a patch of blood as a reminder of your existence.

You saved him...

...only to die.

"Poor girl indeed," the dust clears revealing you standing a few feet away from the crater with a blank, unamused face, "not only did you try to defeat me by some measly punch, but you even wasted the rest of my lunch. Tsk tsk, didn't your creator ever teach you manners?"

The robot attempts to attack you again only to fail.

Within a blink, you appear on the robot's shoulder. "Hmm...appears not."

You avoid the grappling hand and jump onto its other shoulder.

"Let me make it clear, you scrap piece of metal."

With a small lift of your foot, you stomp on its arm, causing the metal to tear off and land on the ground with a loud thud.

You miss the gawks and gasps of the audience around you as you focus on the zero-pointer.

"I'm not one to be trifled with." You do the same to its other arm, leaving it defenseless as it stands there.

Even so, the faux villain continues to walk up to you as if it can still beat you. A small smile pulls at your lips.

"You know...I'm actually in awe. Such drive, such motivation," your smile drops, a snarl of disgust taking its place, "almost pitiful to watch. Robot or not, you will never defeat me!"

Jumping into the air with such grace, you land a kick to its head, sending the metal contraption meters away until it finally lands with a blinding explosion.

You brush your hair back with an indignant sniff. "Just as I thought: weak..."

"TIME'S UP!" The booming voice of Present Mic fills the area.

People immediately flock towards you asking question after question only to stop with one sharp glare.

Most deciding their life is better to have, they continue towards the exit to seek help for any injuries.

"Recovery Girl is on her way, so just stay tight!"

"T-thank you for trying to help me earlier."

"Of course! It wouldn't have been very manly of me if I hadn't."

Your body stiffens. Taking another breath of air, the slits in your eyes thin once again as a sweet scent fills your nose.

'Mmmm, so there are others like him.'

Kirishima flinches at the sudden sight of you before him. "A-akashiya!"

Everything about you was different. From the change of hair color to the disappearance of the calming scent you gave off.

Your eyes are what troubled him the most.

No longer did they hold a certain kind of warmness in them, but instead pure coldness.

His body shakes as you continue to observe him, it took nearly all the self-control he has to keep himself from running away.

Especially when you grab his chin and force him to look at you.

"Yes, you will do," his brows furrow in confusion until you look him dead in the eyes, "when I faint, offer me your neck."

A flush fills the boy's face. "W-what?!"

"That shouldn't be too hard. It's the least you could do after I risked both my life and wasted my food saving you." You narrow your eyes at him, daring him to defy.

Kirishima mouth purses. 'She's right. It's the least I could do. What kind of man would I be if I can't help a fellow comrade in need!'

With a sigh, he gives you a nod despite his eyes still shining with hesitation. "Alright...I'll do it."

Just as he says that, your rosary turns back on, causing your retransformation.

He let out a gasp of awe at the sight of your red eyes shifting back to [eye color].

Silver hair turning back into its original [hair color] shade, new pink blossoms bud back into its strands with a scent of nectarine wafting off you once more.

You began to lean with a groan before falling to the ground.

"Woah!" Grabbing your shoulders, Kirishima gently sits on his knees and holds you in his arms. "I've got ya...I've got ya."

You feel someone tenderly brushing some hair from your face and let out a jumbled mass of unintelligible words.

Blinking open your eyes, everything is blurred and out of focus. The only thing you could pick up on was a scent of sweetness.

'Zuki? He's here...that must mean—'

"...blood..."

Even with your word being soft and slurred Kirishima understood.

"U-um...here," though still hesitant, he shyly pulls you closer, giving your mouth clear access to his neck.

Feeling skin against your lips with the beating of a pulse just underneath the layer, you immediately sink your teeth in.

A glow of red directs Kirishima's attention to the rosary hanging at your neck.

Huh?

Why is it glowing?

You let out a sigh of content after a few more moments of drinking Izuku's blood.

Although...something about it tastes different...

Pulling away from his neck, you blink your eyes a few more times only for them to widen in shock.

Ummm...what the FUCK is this?! This ain't Izuku!

Voice caught in your throat, you're unable to speak.

"Are you alright? Did you have enough to drink?" The concern in Kirishima's eyes causes all awkwardness to melt away.

Your lips soften into a smile. "Yeah. Thank you by the way. I'm sure you were uncomfortable doing something like this."

A spiky grin fills your view as he helps you up off the ground. "Nonsense! After you willingly saved me and that girl, I couldn't let you stay weak when I could help. Wouldn't be very manly of me."

"____!"

You turn to see Izuku waving near the entrance of the gate.

"Ah..." Looking back towards Kirishima, you send him an apologetic smile and bow, "I'm sorry! I wish our time was longer, but it seems my friend is ready to go. It was very nice to meet you! Thank you for everything, really I mean it."

A blush fills his cheeks as he rubs the back of his neck. "I should be the one thanking you for everything! It's the least I could do after you saved my butt. Hopefully, we will end up in the same hero-course class?"

Despite wanting to tell him you most definitely won't end up in hero course due to lack of points, you decide on simply smiling. "Fingers cross. Who knows, we may see each other very soon!"

"Alright!"

With a wave of goodbye, you run towards Izuku with an excited grin, ready to tell him the events of today and vice-versa.

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my-rose-tinted-glasses · 6 months

Text

Welcome to Absolute Zero Day aka What the hell is happening day aka I've never felt this dumb Wednesday.

Wow, I really thought last week I had reached peak levels of "what the hell is happening now" but thank the heavens for a new episode, because just when I thought I was done complaining, this weeks episode showed up to remind me just how crazy I actually am for sticking to this.

Well... this episode was certainly something. Like I suspected last week, we spent a considerable time watching young Ongsa cry. Which is, you know, well...awful. I just can't, I feel nothing, my heart is frozen for this show and no amount of crying will thaw it.

And for whoever is reading this, guess what? We were not done with the time travel. No, no no. If at first you don't succeed, or you think you haven't because you didn't actually stay in the present long enough to confirm that your husband was actually dead before you made the journey to the past to fix what you weren't sure needed fixing, and then in that attempt completely destroying the young version of said husband, so that he could change the future, that, again, you weren't sure needed changing, and then he didn't change anything at all, even though when you went back to your present and are apparently alone, crying in your bed, the past versions date just like they did before. So why you crying? And then somehow just before the accident Adult Ongsa is visited by Ongsa of xmas future to warn him to not attempt to avoid the car accident because if he doesn't then adult Soon actually dies and he will get so sad. So then this adult version of Ongsa wakes up in the body of young Ongsa just before he meets young Soon, so he never goes to the theatre, he never meets young Soon, he just stalked him instead and cried a lot. And since he never met him, then adult Soon never traveled back in time, so the coffee shop lady never met him and Young Soon never talked to him on the balcony, so although Ongsa has now experience 2 different timelines he's the only one who remembers everything. except that NO, both young Soon and coffee shop lady seem to have echoes of the other timeline, and also the old man still has the letter that Adult Soon left with him when he traveled back in time, even though that not really possible, cause the fact that Young Ongsa stopped them from meeting supposedly erased Adult Soon from this timeline, because if they never met, they never spent 10 years together that would coincide with the celebration of their 10th year anniversary which would lead to the accident which led to the first time travel journey which led to this whole show being in my life.

(I just wrote non stop, so if there are mistakes forgive me, but also the fact that it's a confusing mess illustrates my point)

#rose rambles #absolute zero #thai bl

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the---hermit · 1 year

Text

A while back @just-a-cup-of-anxietea left and open tag, and since she mentioned me in there I thought I might do it as well!

Do you play an instrument?

I don't know how to play any instruments. I am learning how to play the handpan, mostly because my brother got one and I randomly found out you need zero musical skills and it's still fun. It's actually weirdly relaxing I am fidning out. But I wouldn't say I know how to play that I just have random fun with it.

Favourite book characters?

The Creature (Frankenstein), Biblo Baggins (The Hobbit), and I am surely forgetting about someone, as usual.

What's you start sign?

Cancer.

Favourite color schemes?

I tend to like darker shades of colours, so dark greens, but also dark reds. I have always been drawn to dark purples, blacks and greys. Overall I'd say that in the last few years I have been more and more drawn to earth colours so greens and browns, and I think that's because they feel like very relaxing colours to me (don't ask me why, I wuld have idea how to explain that).

What languages do you speak?

Italian, English, I understand French pretty well but I am not the best with speaking (I should definitely get back into practicing again), I had a very base of German but I have forgot quite a bit and again should get back into it a bit before I forget everything completly. And I am self studying Irish as a past time, but I am still at a very basic level, I wouldn't be able to hold a conversation yet.

Dream/aspiration?

Being genuinely happy and at peace. I don't have a dream job or life yet, being at peace with life would be enough.

Are you for short or long hair?

I am in my short hair era, but I love long hair, mostly because I love creating complicated braided haristyles. I need to get friends with long hair who will let me give them fantasy inspired hairstyles, okay? Personally I've had my hair very very long for most of my life and I am only now starting to experiment a bit with shorter haircuts, and I am having lots of fun with it. Getting my hair cut shorter is also helping me with experimenting and having fun with how I present, it somehow makes me feel more free especially when it comes to more feminine things. It's a complicated topic tho, this is not the place to get into it.

Tea or coffee?

Tea. Don't get me wrong I love coffee, but it gives me way too many anxiety problems, so I try to avoid it. On the other hand teas and herbal teas are the absolute love of my life, I mean I have a whole side of my garden dedicated to herbs I use for making teas.

Bring your favourite book character to real life, or will you go into a fictional world?

Get me to Middle Earth now, thanks bye. I just want to live like a hobbit, it would be a dream come true.

I am also leaving the tag open for this, but if you end up doing it tag me cause I'm nosy lmao.

#tag #tag game #tagged #tags #cris speaks #the---hermit

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madonnamadeofasphalt · 2 years

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The problem with Western dystopian writers, from George Orwell to modern YA authors, is that they tend to assume the possibility of a totalitarian state that is competent. The truth is that totalitarian regimes are always a fucking mess, because this amount of control simply isn't practical, the state isn't supposed to do that. It's like trying to force an old computer to run a game which requirements far exceed its hardware specs. You may be able to do it for a while, but it will look like shit, glitch constantly and eventually burn your processor (or something, I'm not a computer person).

So, here are some things that are more or less universally present in any IRL totalitarian regime that Western authors often tend to overlook:

ridiculously complicated, redundant and inefficient beaurocracy that literally no single person fully understands and historians will make futile attempts to decipher for centuries to come

constant infighting between different branches of said beaurocracy, due to competing for funding, overlapping powers and unclear chains of command

from time to time, this infighting escalates to full-on assassinations and shit, but usually it's just being dicks to each other on purpose, making the system even slower and more inefficient

"oh shit, we apparently desperately need somebody who can do X, but it turns out we accidentally purged all the people who can do X"

shameless nepotism

needless to say, due to all of the above, trains do not run on time

The Glorious Leader sooner rather than later develops severe substance abuse problems and/or debilitating paranoia and/or starts buying into his own propaganda and/or grows old and senile, and now all the people in his Inner Circle need to somehow find a way to treat his incomprehensible rambling seriously and translate it into policy

The Secret Police Guy pretty quickly goes completely mad with power, and I don't mean mad as in mentally ill, I mean mad as in cackling, cartoonishly evil Batman villain

everybody else in the Inner Circle hates his guts which means he becomes The Glorious Leader's most terrifyingly loyal servant, because he knows he's toast when that guy's gone

propaganda becomes so detached from the reality of the clearly crumbling state that just repeating its absurdly optimistic slogans becomes a go-to anti-government joke, causing the Censorship Departament to grow increasingly erratic, as the Poe's Law cripples their ability to even tell pro-regime shit and anti-regime shit apart

the Military is either horribly overfunded (meaning they're constantly threatening a coup whenever their demands for even more funding aren't met), deliberately underfunded to avoid a coup (meaning if they go to war, they're fucked) or micromanaged personally by The Glorious Leader (meaning the same thing, really, since he's tripping balls and/or debilitatingly paranoid and/or buying into his own propaganda and/or old and senile)

the moment the Glorious Leader drops dead, everything falls apart like a house of cards: assuming the country isn't already overrun by foreign troops, the Inner Circle starts murdering each other left and right, the beaurocracy completely ceases to function, the Secret Police and the Military are shooting each other in the street, all because the Glorious Leader consistently assumed he was immortal and made no realistic succession plans whatsoever

also, as a side note, some completely absurd pseudoscience some con artist managed to sell to the Glorious Leader's dumb ass is probably involved throughout, so even if you manage to get through the beaurocracy to, say, gain access to healthcare, there's a non-zero chance they'll try to heal you with crystals

EDIT bc I forgot to include the most important thing:

BRIBES. Most of the money totalitarian regime makes from taxes and shit goes to maintaining its stupidly overgrown terror machine and all the legal ways to get stuff other than state-sponsored mass murder done are hideously inefficient, so everybody from the Inner Circle to the Secret Police troopers to the office clerks is blatantly corrupt and everybody knows that if you need to get something from the state, a proper bribe (or a couple) will be necessary, bribes are the only way anything actually useful gets done

#writing #creative writing #dystopia #totalitarianism #writing tips

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jasmariswonderland · 2 years

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Shining Hearts Chapter 4 ~ Setting The Stage

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Chapter Summary: Training camp at Ramshackle dorm begins and already, tensions are beginning to rise.

Word Count: 6040

~~~

Several days later…

Danica stepped into the lounge, Taima at one side of her and Yuulan on the other, followed by the girls who would make up her VDC team. Auditions had concluded a few days prior and in addition to Sidonie and Taima, her team would also consist of Crisanta Lief and Ione Haruka from Heartslabyul, Iman Yasir from the Scarabia dorm, and Vidaria Cherith of Diasomnia. And Vil’s team would be made up of himself, Epel, Rook, Ace Trapolla and Deuce Spade of Heartslabyul and Kalim al-Asim and Jamil Viper of Scarabia.

Each member had been handpicked by Vil himself and while Danica had varying opinions on their personalities, she accepted his decision with zero question or comment. Right before auditions began, his mood had shifted once again for the worse and she didn’t feel like directing his ire towards her. Now with little more than a month until the VDC, she imagined that the pressure was beginning to mount upon his shoulders. It wouldn’t do for her to add to his stress, and she had to admit, her teammates all had their own unique charm and talent. Hopefully, working with them wouldn’t be too difficult.

To avoid any conflicts of interest, it was also decided that the training camp for both the boys' and girls' teams would be held at Ramshackle dorm. In part because Yuulan and Grim were its only residents and therefore there was plenty of room. But also because it relieved the headmage of any responsibility of providing for them by once again intruding on Yuulan’s goodwill.

Yuulan watched as everyone made themselves comfortable on the couches in the lounge, girls gathered on one side of the room and the boys on the opposite end. She wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of sharing her space for several weeks with so many people but she tried to look on the bright side. She rarely had visitors and she was fond of most of the students on both teams, even if she really didn’t like some of the others. And Vil had promised her a portion of the prize money once they won. Something she couldn’t possibly turn down considering her constant lack of resources from the headmage and yet somehow always being in his debt.

“I’m sorry, I know this place isn’t as fancy as Pomefiore,” she said to Danica as she sat beside Sidonie and Taima.

“Oh no, it’s alright,” Danica assured her. “After all, we are the ones intruding on your hospitality.”

“And by that, she means Crowley was too damn cheap to put us somewhere actually hospitable!” Iman ran a finger across the mantle piece, recoiling at the thin line of dust she collected. “Are we really expected to live here for a whole month?! Yuulan, how do you do it?!”

“Ignore her!” Sidonie scoffed, “Just cause this isn’t a palace like she’s used to, doesn’t mean it’s not decent.”

“Indeed, this could be way worse,” added Ione.

“And this might be a training camp, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time!” Taima smiled. “It’ll be like an extended sleepover! We’ll share snacks, stay up late and…”

“Hold it right there!” Vil stepped into the middle of the lounge, clapping to get everyone’s attention. “Before any of you get carried away, everyone open your luggage. I want to see something.”

Everyone opened their bags and Vil groaned at being presented with an array of candies, snacks, sodas, and other indulgences that everyone had packed with them. Ace and Deuce had packed with them cakes and pies to be shared among the boys while Crisanta brought several large tarts for the girls. All filled to the brim with calories, carbs, and sugary fats. He shook his head.

“I should have expected this,” he said, turning to Epel and Danica. “But I trust you two knew better than to bring sweets with you, correct?”

“Uhh, ummm, yes,” Epel stammered. “But…I did bring some dried apple chips I made myself.”

“Dried fruits are acceptable, as long as you don’t eat too much. And you, Danica?”

“Well…” Danica pulled from her bag several small pink candy boxes. “These aren’t for me, they’re gifts I planned to give out since Valentine’s Day is a few weeks away.”

“Gifts for other people? In that case, those are fine too, as long as they’re not for anyone here.”

But she had planned to give them to her teammates, among others. She lowered her head, quickly putting the boxes back in her bag and hoping Vil didn’t pick up on what she was thinking. Thankfully, his attention was now turned to Rook.

“I trust you, Rook. But I’m curious, your luggage seems to consist only of an extremely thick photo album. What is it?”

Rook laughed, clutching the album close to him. “Just a collection of my life work, I cannot bear to ever be parted from it. But, it’s extremely private, opening it now would be greatly embarrassing.”

“My apologies, I have no intention of invading your privacy.”

“Hmph, you know it’s probably all photos of you!” Taima whispered in Danica’s ear, snickering at how red her ears became.

“Shush, you!” Danica hissed, discreetly pinching her friend. But Rook had photographed her multiple times in the past, so it wasn’t as if Taima’s joke was completely far-fetched. The more she thought of it, the hotter her face became. To the point she almost didn’t hear what Vil said next.

“For the next four weeks until showtime, I’m banning all food and drink that detract from optimum nutritional intake! Hence, I will be confiscating all of these sweets and snacks!”

“Whaaaaat?!”

“Pardon?!”

“Excuse you?!”

“What do you think a training camp is? I plan to polish each and every one of you to absolute perfection for the VDC.”

“Doesn’t that seem a tad extreme, Vil?” Sidonie asked. “After all…”

“Does that mean me too?” Iman cut her off, standing up and turning around, showing off her slender figure. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m already polished to perfection! So I need no such restrictions!”

“Hmph. If only her attitude was as flawless as her waistline,” Ione whispered to Crisanta.

“I mean everyone!” Vil snapped. “Boys and girls, I will take your undisciplined bodies and build them from the ground up. I will be planning out menus high in nutrition and protein but low in calories, something everyone will adhere to.”

“Is this guy for real?” Ace groaned.

“It would appear so,” Yuulan replied. “He makes good points, but still, so strict!”

“People who aim for the top really take this stuff seriously,” Deuce added, feeling rather bewildered.

“Heh heh, you think so?” Vil smirked. “This is merely the basics. Now everyone, take your things up to your rooms and then we’ll get right down to today’s lesson.”

“Wait a sec! We’re missing someone!” Iman pointed out. “Vidi isn’t here yet! Shouldn’t we wait for her to arrive before starting anything?”

“We haven’t a moment to lose, Vidaria will just have to catch up,” was Vil’s response. “But on that note, because there are so many of us, the teams will take turns rehearsing between the Pomefiore ballroom and the reception hall here at Ramshackle,” he turned to Danica. “Since your team is still missing someone, the girls will rehearse here today, understood?”

“Understood, Vil-san,” she stood up, addressing the girls she would be directing for the next month. “There are signs on the doors of each room, with the names of who will be sharing them. Once we’re all settled, we’ll meet down here.”

~~~

Ramshackle Dorm ~ Danica’s Temporary Room

To her surprise, Yuulan had arranged for Danica to have her own room rather than staying with others on the team. The bed was a little harder than she would have liked and made a creaking sound when she sat on it, but it was tolerable. The window was a little cloudy and the curtains did little to protect the room from winter drafts, but there was a fireplace that seemed to have been recently cleaned. Really, Ramshackle wasn’t as bad off as Vil and Iman made it seem and she had honestly seen worse in decent hotels. She could make the best of it and be perfectly comfortable here, she thought.

“Thank you again for hosting us,” she said to Yuulan when she came to check on her. “I know this originally wasn’t the plan.”

“Things rarely go according to plan around here,” Yuulan replied, smiling a little. “But Vil was adamant you have your own space since you’re a lead performer, he has his own room too.”

“That makes sense. Hopefully, we won’t cause too much trouble.”

Yuulan watched from the doorway as Danica began unpacking, placing her uniforms in the closet and draping her Pomefiore robe over a chair. She covered the dresser with several small vials and jars for cosmetics, brushes and combs, and her special rosette hair ribbon to match her dorm uniform, the anonymous gift from one of her dorm leaders. The last thing Danica unpacked was a small red velvet box that she placed on the nightstand and carefully opened it. Inside was a delicate silver music box, Danica stared at it for a moment before opening it as well. A tiny porcelain ballerina danced to a gentle tune as she wound it up.

“I always have to have this wherever I go,” she explained to Yuulan as she closed it up again. “My sister gave it to me.”

“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention her before,” Yuulan replied.

“Fiona was a star ballerina back home in Shaftlands,” Danica smiled sadly, her eyes focused on the music box. “But she passed away about four years ago, this music box was her last gift to me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but at least her ballet legacy lives on in you, Dani.”

Danica’s smile vanished at this. Her eyes remained on the music box, silently turning it over in her hands several times. Yuulan did not mean any harm with her comment, but something in how her friend’s face shifted told her that she was upset. She quickly tried to change the topic of conversation.

“Grim and I aren’t used to having celebrities staying under this roof! And Vil seems very serious about winning the competition.”

“So am I,” Danica replied, placing her music box back on the nightstand and turning to Yuulan. “And since this is the first time in more than a decade that girls will be featured in the VDC, I feel all the more that we need to give it our all. But…” she sighed. “I feel like things are getting off to a rocky start.”

“You…don’t just mean Vil snatching everyone’s snacks? Do you?”

“Not just that, he’s been a little out of sorts since we started auditions, have you noticed?”

“Hmmm, I think I know what you mean,” Yuulan replied, remembering the harsh way he had spoken to Ace, Deuce, and Epel a few weeks prior. “But maybe he’s just stressed. I’m sure as a celebrity in his own right, and everything else, he’s probably under a lot of pressure right now.”

“I suppose, I never thought of it that way,” Danica sighed again. “But it’s not just that, some of my teammates don’t seem to get along very well. Vil said he picked them out based on talent and appeal, I just wish he’d take their personalities into consideration as well.”

“Clashing personalities and constant bickering seem to be a theme here at this school,” shrugged Yuulan. “But if you all wanna stick it to RSA, you’ll have to set aside your differences soon.”

“And then there’s the song Vil picked out for us.”

“He picked out your teammates, and also the song you guys will be performing?” Now Yuulan sounded a little concerned. “I get Vil is your dorm leader, but you’re the one leading the girls' VDC team so shouldn’t you be the one to decide what you’ll sing at least?”

“You would think so, but…I…”

“Dani, do you have any say over your performance at all?”

“I…well…” Danica bit her lip, realizing how this might have sounded to Yuulan. She struggled to find a response adequate enough to not concern her further. “I…it’s true, Vil-san has a lot of say in our performance, but we are still the ones performing so…ermmm…we will put our own spin on things and take his guidance as best as we can.”

In Danica’s face, Yuulan could see the same discomfort she had seen with Epel from the beginning of auditions. Though her discomfort seemed to be rooted elsewhere. She could tell there was more Danica wanted to say but before she could inquire further, the door swung open with Sidonie barging in, looking very upset.

“Yuulan! I must have a word with you!” she said. “Can you explain to me why you placed me in a room with Iman and Vidaria?!”

“I’m curious too!” Iman came in behind her. “Danica has her own room, why must I be stuck rooming with Little Miss Perfect With The Holier Than Thou Attitude?!”

“You’re one to talk about attitude!” Sidonie retorted. “And what about those buns you snuck in your luggage? After Vil specifically said…”

“They’re called komaj! I was gonna share them with Vidi when she gets here! They’re not for you!”

“Really now?” Sidonie gave a grin quite devilish and unlike anything Danica had seen in her before. “If that’s the case, what would Vil say if I were to tell…”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh I wouldn’t, would I?! If he finds out you have them and that I knew, we’ll both be in trouble! So why should I suffer for your carelessness?”

“Well, why should I have to suffer your insufferability!”

“EXCUSE YOU?!”

“That’s enough! Both of you stop this!”

Danica finally stood up, placing herself between the two. Sidonie and Iman briefly seized their quarreling to stare at her, quite dumbfounded at the sharpness that had suddenly emerged in her tone. Danica rarely raised her voice, but their arguing had left her feeling anxious on top of everything else she was currently thinking. This was the last thing she needed but if this was an indication of what awaited her, she had to handle this now. She quickly softened her face and sighed.

“Sidonie, I will speak to Vil about maybe switching out with Taima or Crisanta,” she said. “But please you two, Vil will be on all our cases if he hears this.”

“To be honest,” Yuulan spoke up. “I didn’t really think about the room placements too deeply. I know Ione really likes Crisanta and Taima really doesn’t like Iman. But that you two along with Vidaria are sophomores.”

“I understand that Yuulan, but just because we are in the same grade doesn’t necessarily mean we will get along better.” Sidonie shook her head. “Frankly, I’d rather room with the boys.”

“Sidonie-san, I know you weren’t keen on Iman joining us,” said Danica. “But do you think you could possibly…”

“What does THAT mean?!” Iman snapped. “As if you’ll find a better dancer amongst these mice!”

“Talent doesn’t count for everything, you know.” Sidonie coldly replied. “It will mean nothing if you can’t learn to work well with others. That’s why I didn’t want you here but Danica and Vil insisted!”

“Well then, it’s clear who in Pomefiore actually has taste.”

“Wanna say that again?”

“I said…”

“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU BOTH TO STOP!”

To everyone’s shock, Danica raised her voice once again, and actually stamped her foot. Her visible frustration was thankfully enough to finally seize the fighting, leaving Iman and Sidonie to glare at each other in poisonous silence. Yuulan shook her head, thinking it was probably best to leave the situation before things got too intense. But as she left, she gave Danica a look that silently told her all that she needed to know. That Danica would certainly have her work cut out for her and that she wished her the best of luck since she’d need every ounce of it.

“Sidonie-san, if you don’t mind, you can stay here for the time being if it means that much to you.” she finally said once she had calmed down.

“It’s fine, dear. I’m sorry we troubled you with this,” Sidonie smiled, patting Danica’s hand in an attempt to comfort her. “I know you have enough on your plate. I’ll tolerate them for now until we can speak to Vil about making new arrangements.”

Iman merely shrugged, swiftly passing everyone and leaving the room in a fit of frustration. Danica sighed again. Iman had the best audition out of the nearly fifty girls who had auditioned and Vil made it clear from the jump that he wanted her for her team. She had enjoyed her performance as well and the sweet yet sultry appeal she had brought to her voice and to her moves.

Sidonie on the other hand had been less enthusiastic; she did not care for how full of herself Iman was and was even less fond of the fact she auditioned with Vidaria. Sidonie and Vidaria already had a rather toxic rivalry so the prospect of both her and Iman on the team was all but insufferable to her.

Danica could see right away that their distaste for each other would likely be one of the biggest obstacles to overcome if they were to win. As she thought about this, Taima walked in, a mischievous grin spread across her face.

“What’s with the Queen Bitch?” she asked. “I saw her huffing off to her room and she slammed the door.”

“I really don’t know, nor do I have time to think about it, Tai-chan,” replied Danica, allowing herself to smile. “But I’d like to reiterate how glad I am that you’re here. It’s nice to know I won’t have issues with everyone on my team.”

“What about me?” Sidonie teased.

“You know I mean you too, but if you sophomore girls could not piss each other off too much, for my sake, I would appreciate it.”

“I’ll try my best, dear, but I make no promises.”

“But the reason I’m here, Dani, is not related to that. It’s related to Rook-san!”

“Oh?” A sudden spark went off in her chest, and her curiosity was piqued. “What about him?”

“I passed by the room he’s in, and guess what? He had that photo album open!”

“What?!” Danica jumped. “What was in it? Did you see?”

“I couldn’t see fully, I only noticed through a crack in the door. He was musing and saying a bunch of French things but I recognized some of the words. Like ‘beautiful’ and ‘enchanting’ and…”

“Rook uses those words a lot, you know,” smirked Sidonie. “But what we wanna know is what kind of pictures were actually in the album?”

“All I could see before he could notice me was one of the photos was of someone with dark hair, and white clothes.” her grin became wider. “And didn’t you wear white for your photoshoot and commercial you did for your family, Dani?”

“I…did…oh my goodness, I did! I did!” For a moment, Danica forgot her anxiety, which was replaced with a strange, giddy excitement that spread scarlet across her face, jumping more in place without even realizing she was doing it. “So…you’re right, Tai-chan! His album has photos of me in it!”

“Of course I was right!” Taima laughed. “Hasn’t it been made clear by now how much Rook-san likes you?! The way he is always fawning over you and staring at you? And hasn’t he already photographed you a couple of times?”

“Y…yes, that’s true.”

“Well then! That album is probably all of his favorite photos of you! Heh, makes me wonder what he thought about your little pas de deux with Vil-san.”

“He was very enthusiastic, he said watching our dance on magicam brought him to tears.”

“Maybe it brought him to tears because he wanted to be the one guiding you on the dance floor.” Sidonie laughed a little. “He is quite dramatic, you know.”

“Exactly what I was gonna say!” Taima added.

“But now I’m even more curious,” Danica said, thoughtfully tapping her finger to her cheek and thinking aloud without realizing she was doing so. “This…changes a lot of things if it’s true.”

“Hmmm? What do you mean?” Sidonie asked.

“Oh! Oh, nothing, nothing important,” Danica forced her mind back to the present. “In any case, you two, would you mind hanging out here for a bit? Vidaria should be here soon and then we’ll begin practice.”

“What are you about to do now, Dani?”

“I’m going to talk to Vil-san about something before the boys head back to Pomefiore. So stay here, and try not to upset Iman until…”

“Oh please!”

“You’re asking a lot, dear, just me breathing seems to enrage her.”

“Please, guys. Just a few minutes. I’ll be right back, okay?”

In truth, what Danica had said was a lie, or at least, it originally was going to be a lie. Her true intention was to go to Rook’s room and possibly see if she could have a better look at the aforementioned secret photo album. She wanted to know for certain that it was truly her face that graced its pages, and her face that he held so dear that he couldn’t bear to not bring it with him. If such was true, this information might be the key to answering other questions Danica had. And might, among other things, solve the mystery of who was her secret admirer.

She was halfway through the hallway, passing the top landing to the stairways leading back to the lounge. The sound of Vil’s voice came up to her field of hearing but she made a point of trying not to eavesdrop, at first. But as Danica was passing the stairway, she was startled by the sudden, rather loud sound of his anger. This made her want to stay and listen, wanting to know the source of his ire should she be so unfortunate to have to deal with it later.

~~~

“All I want is to stay on stage, until the very end! Turn down the offer, I want to focus to the VDC!”

Indeed, it did seem to be bad news. And it seemed that even someone as gorgeous as Vil wasn’t without his own troubles as well. Danica stayed at the top of the stairs for a few moments more, observing her dorm leader with equal parts caution and sympathy. What stood out to her most wasn’t so much how angry he was, but that his anger seemed not as strong as another emotion she could see in his eyes, it was sadness.

“You’re annoying me! Don’t call me back until the VDC is finished!” He quickly tapped his phone off, tossing it against the couch behind him in a fit of frustration. He looked up towards the stairs, his angry violet glare pointed directly towards Danica. “I know you’re there, Danica! Come down!”

She had been discovered, likely he already knew of her presence, and she gulped at the thought of the scolding she was sure to receive now for eavesdropping. With the way Vil sounded, Danica knew not to keep him waiting and quickly went down the stairs, respectfully lowering her head.

“I’m so, so sorry, Vil-san! I didn’t mean to listen! I was on my way to…”

“Nevermind that, it’s not important!”

“I…hope you didn’t receive any bad news.”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about. Your only concern should be beginning your rehearsals soon.” Vil paused for a moment, closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths. “But while you are standing here, there was something I wanted to share with you.”

In spite of his anger, he guided her by the hand as they both sat on the couch. He took a few more breaths before pulling out his phone. Danica could still see a hint of sadness in his gaze, making quick work of her fear of scolding.

“Are…are you sure you’re alright, Vil-san?” she carefully asked. “I know you have a lot to think about, making sure everything goes according to plan and that we can defeat RSA. But I hope you are not too stressed or worried.”

There was a nervous sweetness to her words that had a strangely calming effect on him. He couldn’t describe it, but something about her presence was always very calming. As if seeing her concern for him was enough to erase his own, if only for a moment. Vil was still holding Danica’s hand and without realizing it, he began to subtly stroke her palm with his thumb. Danica quickly pulled her hand away, biting the inside of her lip to prevent herself from blushing. Now was not the time.

“You’re correct about that, Little Potato,” he replied, shaking his head. “However, my worries need not concern you, if you wish to not bring me further stress, strive for the perfect performance with your girls and not an ounce less of that.”

“We will do our best, Vil-san, I promise.”

“And do you recall your other promise to me?” he gave her a certain look that told her exactly what he meant. She nodded slowly, bringing a gentle smile to his face. “Even better, in that case, all will be well.”

The way he spoke, combined with the subtle sadness in his eyes made Danica wonder if he was trying to convince himself of this as much as he was trying to convince her. She still didn’t really understand why she had to present herself only as a white swan, but she understood enough to know that doing so would ease many of Vil’s worries. Just her promise was enough to bring a smile to his face in spite of the anger she had just seen in him. Vil truly was beautiful, but his beauty took on a whole new magnificence whenever he smiled.

If only he could smile more often, she thought.

For that reason alone, Danica resolved at that moment to set aside her own feelings and win the VDC by becoming the perfect white swan Vil desired she be.

“But what I actually wanted to share with you is this.”

Vil took his phone, swiping through files before tapping on a song that began to play. It was Our Happily Ever After, the song he had selected for Danica’s VDC performance, but it was different somehow, the sound mixing was cleaner and the musical arrangement was a little more mature and to date. It was still very sweet and cutesy but the sound wasn’t as juvenile anymore.

“You had my song rearranged?” she asked.

“Hopefully, you will be more amenable to this,” he replied. “I admit, the song, as it was originally, did seem a little out of place for you. But the song you wanted was far too mature, but with this, I hope we have come to a reasonable compromise.”

Danica looked up at him, she wasn’t expecting this but it certainly was not unwelcome. Considering how adamant Vil was about this song, he did not have to do this. At that moment, her resolve fully returned.

“Thank you, Vil-san,” Danica smiled. “I do like this arrangement better, I feel like I can do more with this.”

“Just remember, no more deciding on things regarding the performance without my input first,” he stood up and guided her to her feet as well. “Depending on how your rehearsals go today, you girls can rehearse in the ballroom tomorrow. Farron also will take measurements for everyone’s costumes then.”

Vil did not notice the slight twitch that came to Danica’s eye as she remembered, sullenly, the gorgeous black feathered creation she would now be forsaking in according to his wishes. She quickly pushed her sadness to the back of her mind, long enough to see Vil walk towards the foyer and slightly open the door. Gasping at what he saw happening outside.

“Ara! What is this?!”

“Huh?” Danica walked towards him. “Is something the matter, Vil-san?”

“Ummm, no, not exactly. It seems that the final addition to your team has arrived.”

“Vidaria is here?” she smiled. “Wonderful!”

“Yes, she’s here, and she’s not the only one. It seems she’s brought with her an entire Diasomnia retinue! I hope she doesn’t expect Yuulan to find room for them all.”

~~~

Vil went to open the door to let Vidaria in while Danica went to the bottom of the stairs, calling for everyone else to come back downstairs. He had a quick glance of those who accompanied Vidaria but before he could comment on it, she had already stepped into the foyer, closing the door.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said at once, pressing her back to the door to keep Vil from trying to open it again. There was a knock on the door and he made a face, but Vidaria tried to laugh. “I’m…guessing you weren’t planning on me arriving with others, but…”

“You’re certainly right about that,” Vil frowned.

“Let’s just wait a few minutes. Hopefully, they’ll leave soon.”

“In this weather? The height of rudeness. And anyway, Vidaria, I don’t recall any of those people passing the audition with you. So, do you care to explain why…”

Before Vil could finish, there was another knock on the door. Vidaria already knew who it was and rushed past Vil before he could open it. She went into the lounge, plopping on one of the couches and leaving Vil to answer Lilia at the door. Taking a better look, Vil saw that Lilia had brought with him six other Diasomnia students including Silver and Sebek. Notably, he saw that Malleus wasn’t present. He let them in as a matter of courtesy but made his disapproval known at once.

“Lilia, I’m not quite sure what’s the meaning of this,” he began. “But the VDC training camp is reserved only for the performers and I’m not allowing them to have visitors or guests.”

“I understand that, Vil,” Lilia replied. “But I’ve been entrusted with Vidaria’s care and I’m concerned for her safety. Away from our protection for a few hours in a school day is one thing, but several weeks…”

“Vidaria will be no less safe here than anywhere else on campus. And it’s not like she’ll be alone here,” Vil shrugged. “I can’t help but feel you’re being a little overprotective.”

“Even so, we of the Diasomnia dorm would feel a great deal of relief if Vidaria were accompanied.”

At this, Silver, Sebek, and the other Diasomnia students pushed past Vil before he could say anything else. They made their way to the lounge and Silver and Sebek made a point of sitting on either side of Vidaria with the other students making themselves comfortable on the other couches surrounding them. Vidaria rolled her eyes, clearly as annoyed by all of this as Vil but unfortunately, the stern looks of her bodyguards told her they wouldn’t be leaving so easily. Vil and Lilia watched them from the foyer.

“It’s a big house,” Lilia went on. “Surely you and Yuulan can find a way to accommodate everyone, right?”

“That’s not the point,” Vil replied irritably. “We are already intruding on Yuulan’s goodwill by being here ourselves, it isn’t fair of her to now find space for seven other people.”

“We promise not to get in the way of your VDC preparations,” Silver spoke up. “But as a ward of Briar Valley’s queen, Vidaria is required to have protection at all times.”

“Perhaps then Vidaria should have considered that before auditioning,” said Vil, causing her to roll her eyes again. “And again, it’s not fair to Yuulan to now make extra room for…”

“We are NOT leaving her highness and that’s FINAL!” Sebek got up, standing in front of Vidaria in a protective manner. “We’re staying here whether you like it or not! And not just for her safety,” he folded his arms, grinning in a rather unsettling manner. “But for your own as well, Human!”

“For OUR safety?!” Vil recoiled. “Now you’ve crossed over from being overprotective to being morbid!”

“Indeed, stop scaring him, Sebek!” Vidaria got up from the couch as well and Silver followed her. She directed her eyes across the lounge to Lilia. Lilia-san, I swear, this time I’ll be fine. So please stop worrying and as Vil said, it’s not like I’ll be here by myself!”

“That may be, Briar Bloom,” Lilia sighed “But you know as well as I that not being alone doesn’t guarantee safety. And believe it or not, Malleus would be quite distressed if something were to happen to you.”

“Umm, I’m not sure how true that is,” Vidaria murmured under her breath, but said aloud, “And anyway, with all of you here, what about Malleus? I think your focus should be watching over him, rather than watching over his…”

“At least let Silver and Sebek stay with you, the others can return to Diasomnia with me.”

“What’s going on here?”

Danica, Yuulan, and the other trainees of both teams had come from upstairs and had begun congregating in the lounge with them.

“Huh? Why are there so many Diasomnia students here?” Jamil asked. “I don’t recall even half this number turning up for the audition.”

“You’re correct, Jamil. They were just leaving!” Vil said, turning to Lilia who quickly took the hint. Probably, the fae had realized just how crowded everything was now. He called for every Diasomnia student except Silver and Sebek to leave and wait for him outside. Iman saw Vidaria and when Sebek tried to prevent her from throwing her arms around her, Silver held him back.

“Vidi! It’s so nice finally having a kindred spirit here!”

“Good to see you here too, Sister,” Vidaria replied, returning the embrace.

“Silver’s here too!” Kalim grinned. “Are you and Sebek joining the NRC Tribe?”

“A laughable thought!” Sebek smirked, “We are here to provide protection for Princess Vidaria! We will be staying to ensure she is…”

“OH HELL NO! Absolutely not!” Taima jumped, looking ahead and seeing Lilia standing with Vil in the foyer. “Lilia-sama is here too? Vil-san, tell me they aren’t serious!”

“We ARE serious!” Sebek spoke up before Vil could respond.

“Well, I refuse to stay in close quarters with Diasomnia’s cabbage-head!” she huffed, folding her arms. “And unlike him, I’M actually performing in the VDC, so either he leaves or I leave!”

“That won’t be necessary,” Vidaria replied, looking straight at her bodyguards even while addressing Taima. “Sebek and Silver will be leaving soon as well.”

“Your Highness, your willingness to go unguarded is admirable,” Silver smiled a little. “But we couldn’t possibly leave here alone in good conscience.”

“We simply couldn’t,” Sebek added. “We will protect you, even if it means staying under the same roof as a brazen human brat like Taima.”

“EXCUSE YOU CABBAGE HEAD!”

“Wooo boy,” Ace laughed, watching as Deuce and Yuulan quickly had to hold Taima back. “Sebek’s gone and pushed Taima’s rage button again!”

“WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN?!”

“Fine!” Sebek smirked, “Brazen, human, BRAT!”

“And what did I say would happen if you called me that again?”

“Hmph, I do not recall.”

“Oh that’s fine,” Taima struggled against Deuce and Yuulan, reaching for her magipen in her back pocket. “Cause, I’ma remind you real quick!”

“Stop it, Taima!” Jamil said. “That behavior is very unbecoming for a Scarabian!”

“Yeah, he’s just trying to push your buttons, don’t give him the satisfaction!” Ione added.

Taima grumbled but knew Ione was correct and put her pen away, turning her back to Sebek and making a point to find a place to sit as far away from the Diasomnia trio as possible.

“Silver, why does Vidaria require protection anyway if we’ll all be here with her?” Crisanta spoke up. “At school, she and Iman are usually glued to each other and like she said, wouldn’t you two be here take you away from Malleus?”

“Ah, you would be right about that, Human,” once again, Sebek responded before anyone else could. “But our duty to the Princess Vidaria is as crucial as our duty to Malleus-sama, in some ways more so considering her future. When she graduates NRC, she will usher a new era in Briar Valley, at Malleus-sama’s side as…mmmmfff…heeeyy!”

While Lilia had been nonchalantly observing everything from the foyer and might have been adamant about he, Silver and Sebek staying with Vidaria, Sebek’s bragging was enough for him to decide to change tune and take action before Sebek spoke things better left not known. Especially since Yuulan was still unaware of Malleus’ identity and wanted to keep it that way for the time being. He went over to Sebek, pressing his hand to his lips before he could say anything more.

“Sebek that’s quite enough,” he said. “And Vil, if it will truly be such an inconvenience, we will entrust Vidaria to you. Please keep her safe for us.”

“You Diasomnia’s never cease to be an enigma to me,” Vil shook his head and opened the door leading outside. “But if that’s how you are, I’ll thank you to please see yourself out. Now that everyone’s here, we must waste no more time and begin rehearsals!”

“Understood,” Lilia replied, turning to Vidaria one last time. “Do your best, Briar Bloom, we’ll be looking forward to seeing you on the VDC stage. Make us proud, and please take care of yourself.”

With the departure of all of the Diasomnia students, it was finally time to begin rehearsing for the VDC. Vil gathered the boys in the foyer and prepared to leave, telling Danica that she and her team would have a minimum of six hours on their own to practice.

“Yuulan will be joining us back at Pomefiore and will oversee rehearsals for the NRC Tribe,” he said. “But when we return, I’ll expect to see a rundown of your performance.”

“We will try our best, Vil-san,” Danica replied. “However, I don’t know how polished you expect us to be in six hours, especially since it’s only day one.”

“I don’t expect perfection just yet, only that everyone at least has a grip on what they’ll be doing on stage, and knows the lyrics of the song.”

“I think we can manage that. Very well, we’ll see you guys later!”

She watched the boys and Yuulan leave, waving them off before closing the door again. When she went back to the lounge, she noticed how Iman and Vidaria sat at the far side of the room away from everyone else, and how Ione sat by herself on the opposite side. Everyone seemed somewhat uncomfortable and she let out a sigh.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s not waste another minute. The VDC may be a few weeks away, but we’re setting the stage now.”

~~~

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #twst vil #twst fic #shining hearts ~ melodies and melancholy #things i write #next chapter is when things really begin heating up!

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something-about-sunflowers · 2 years

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Not tagging this with any of the fandoms or characters involved because this is honestly just a me problem but. I kind of hate the prevalence of the taking of canonically queer men/masc presenting characters and either feminizing them or making them women (trans or otherwise). Like I said this is entirely a me problem but it feels the same to me as being misgendered does, even if its characters that I don’t particularly connect with?

(read more cause this is a rambly mess and probably a controversial take)

Like for example in GO, I fully get and appreciate they’re genderless despite how they present but it fucks me up to see people making ‘ineffable wives’ stuff because it feels to me like people dismissing them choosing to present as masc (most often at least, I know Crowley has presented as femme) to say ‘I’d like you better if you were how I want you to be’ and, don’t get me wrong, I know that’s not what it really is but I can’t exactly help how I feel about it. I’m not going to go tell anybody they’re wrong or to stop doing it, just avoid it where I can.

Another example being transfem Ed. That one fucks me up for a lot of reasons, mostly being down to like. He really isn’t. Feminine? In the show? I know I know, how someone presents can be different from how they identify but, I’m fairly sure the headcanon came from how people perceive Ed presenting? The wearing of the robe and the shaving of the beard in particular. Also the. Wanting nice things? Folding socks? It just feels very. Yeah. Like none of that is inherently feminine.

I. Wonder if. Maybe. People see ‘this is a show that tackles toxic masculinity’ and think. Like. ‘The solution is to remove masculinity and replace it with femininity’? Like that’s what it feels like. I suppose it goes hand in hand with a lot of the fandom’s particularly shallow read on Ed? ‘Big uwu baby man, lets make him a woman cause he’s too soft to be a man’, kinda thing?

Don’t get me wrong I know for a lot of people it does just come from seeing themselves in Ed and wanting to express that, or people going ‘I just think its neat’, but I also am so positive there’s a non zero number with. I’ll call it ‘radfem motivations’.

And this purely comes from the ‘Ed is a woman’ thing, like. Gender-fuckery Ed is perfectly fine by me, let that man be GNC AF. But ‘Ed is a woman’, to me, feels a little 1. Misogynistic and 2. Honestly? Homophobic?

The ‘radfem motivations’ are why I’m also bothered a bit by ‘but what if they were all women?’ Again, I know a lot of it is people seeing themselves in the characters and wanting to connect with them better but god does it fuck me up to have this unique show with canonically queer men who are able to and encouraged to be who they are by the narrative, and see people saying ‘it’d be better if they were women’. Like queer men don’t deserve to have this story? This is not a 1:1 comparison but it feels the same to me as ‘show has canon gay male couple > homophobes complain about it a la “men can’t just be friends anymore?”‘

I’m honestly not sure whether to be surprised or not at how little pushback the idea of transmasc Izzy gets by the fandom at large with this idea of ‘but women better’ floating around but like. I also know that at least part of that is people wanting to demonize Izzy and not caring if transmascs get hurt in the crossfire. ‘He can stay a man cause men are evil but he can’t have a dick cause that’s gross so he can be a trans man because he’s evil’, kinda thing?

Anyway this is just a bunch of shitty rambly stream of consciousness shit so try not to take any offense from this (unless you’re one of the radfems, then be as offended as your vile little heart can manage and then fuck all the way off ❤ ✌). This is just coming from a bit of frustration I’m having being vaguely transmasc and enjoying/participating in these fandoms, again, its a me problem and I’m not trying to make anybody do anything different I just needed to rant a bit about how I’m perceiving things to get the ‘feels bad’ demons out of my head about it.

#the dork is being a dork #idk like #idk #lmao #this better not get me called a misogynist or fuckin like transphobic towards transfems #but i know people like to twist words so i'm not holding my breath that it won't happen lmfao #legit tho #every time i see someone use 'she/her' for ed i feel second-hand misgendered #he's not even the one i identify most with either #as far as gender goes #that's izzy's little transmasc self

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quirkwizard · 2 years

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Do you think Quirks would be used in wars? Like if the soldiers had Quirks, would they be allowed to use them?

I’m not going to be talking about Stars and Stripes given how unique her circumstance seems to be and how I believe that it requires it’s own discussion.

I definitely believe that people would use their Quirks in war. War is a messy thing where people panic and want to live and win no matter the cost. Barring more conflict-heavy locations where people will try to use any advantage they can get to win, there will always be cases where using your Quirk would be preferable or downright impossible to avoid with certain abilities. I could easily see a commanding officer telling his subordinate with the regeneration ability to peak for snipers. Now, would they be allowed in any official capacity? That’s an issue I've always been torn on. Like I brought up, some Quirks could be pretty valuable on the battlefield, and I could easily see someone wanting to apply them to the military. But on the other hand, Quirks have always been pretty heavily restricted throughout the series and only seem to be allowed to be used by heroes. It’s to the point that heroes are considered separate from both the police and military.

Then comes the issue of problematic Quirks in combat. Regardless of whether or not Quirks were allowed, some Quirks would still be restricted given how harmful they could be. Just because it comes from your body doesn’t prevent it from being a war crime under the Geneva Convention. For example, I don’t think that "Hellflame" would be allowed to be used in war given how incendiary weapons are heavily restricted. Then there’s Quirks like "Sleep Gas", “Blackhole”, “Landmine”, “Meatball”, “Overhaul”, and many more, all of which would cause problems. And I could see this going in a similar direction to Quirks in civilian life. It would just be too hard to come up with new restrictions for all of the new Quirks coming up and it would be easier to just ban them all in combat. That’s not even counting Quirks that would be a lot of trouble in military life. Which makes me wonder if certain people could be barred entry because of their Quirk. Would you let someone a Quirk like “Decay” or "Zero Gravity” be a solider, knowing how the wrong move would hamper most equipment they would try to handle?

I also don’t exactly see a worthwhile reason to encourage the usage of Quirks, at least from a training perspective. Sure, Quirks are nice, but guns, grenades, and tanks are still around. And unlike a Quirk, you can train anyone to use those and they will be as good as anyone else at killing your enemy. You wouldn’t need to worry about the various conditions or requirements of a Quirk. When you’re trying to train as many people as possible, you can’t exactly waste time trying to train something as unique as a Quirk. It’s one of the many reasons why heroes train as much as they do. You could point out how heroes could be put into the military after training, but that presents its own problems. A solider is trained quite differently than a hero. Heroes are meant to be a mix of celebrities, police officers, and disaster relief workers. While certain skills could fit into the military, they are ultimately trained quite differently. Though who knows, maybe some countries would allow heroes into conflicts like that. Which gives me the amazing mental image of the military basically becoming G.I. Joe and Metal Gear bosses running around.

#My Hero Academia #Quirks #Hellflame #Sleep Gas #Black Hole #Landmine #Meatball #Overhaul #Zero Gravity #Decay #MHA Meta #MHA Theory

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topaction-adventure · 2 years

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Stellar action-adventure games in 2022

The action-adventure is a crossbreed genre and may include several gaming titles that could be better classified under more specific categories. The majority of pure adventure games retain situational hassles for the user to resolve and require minimal or no action. As the name reveals, action gaming titles are more energetic. The story you play is vibrant, concentrating especially on combat, whether you are making use of firearms, sabers, or other tactics. Although you may encounter puzzles and calmer secondary quests now and again, however, the primary purpose of this game kind is always to test your current hand-eye coordination, reaction speed, and ability to control obstacles in a stressful environment. At the end of the day, these games require both reflexes as well as problem-solving in both brutal and nonviolent environments.

Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West comes together following the phenomenal happenings of the past video game where our protagonist Aloy learned that she was lying about her past as well as the Zero Dawn task that has been terraforming the Earth as a result of its bot canines and ancient dinosaurs to create a human-friendly environment once more. But after the demise that was caused by the Zero Dawn challenge together with its artificial intelligence, Gaia, Aloy is currently searching for a replacement for Gaia to avoid another catastrophe (or will this?) which will take her to a brand new region of the world. Furthermore, game developers Guerrilla Games successfully pay homage to Horizon: Zero Dawn, the original game, as they extend the mythology of this universe, which includes Aloy, in their newer, ambitious next-generation runaway success epic.

Similar to Zero Dawn, Forbidden West's journey revolves significantly around the posing of intriguing questions about the distant past. The facts that the video game delivers as it reaches its final scene feel thrilling due in large part to how it provides them. This expands on the previous game's journey in overwhelming and usually unforeseen ways, and it provides some truly intriguing actions relating to the long term. To talk about them will be treading somewhat into spoiler territory. But suffice to state that if you enjoyed Horizon Zero Dawn for the way it weaved an intricate web of mystery and shocking truths about the universe before it was lost to machines, you'll not be let down by the sequel.

Buy cheap games with the best deals.

As expected, in Horizon, the events that preclude the apocalypse tend to be only one-half of the overall wisdom. The next foundation that the series stands on is the story of Aloy and the people she meets, the tribes that populate the universe in the present, and the battles that take place between them. Even though the story of Zero Dawn, the previous world side effortlessly outshone the current story, things don't get as out of hand with Horizon Forbidden West. The story of Utaru and the Tenakth, Horizon Forbidden West, shows fascinating new tribes which take center stage in the story. Understanding much more about their specific culture, history, conflicts, and histories quickly turns out to be an essential aspect of the story. This is all driven by an impressive ensemble of characters, which is made up of both accustomed characters from Zero Dawn and fresh new introductions who are quickly established as memorable characters in Aloy's storyline. The gameplay is a blast, with exceptional puzzle-based 'get from here to the next level' moments that are laced with bow & arrow battles and hand-to-hand combat all blending seamlessly. The DualSense tactile feedback and the small speaker in the controller are a huge part of the experience and allow you to feel like you are transported into this glorious future revelation world. Visually, it's a stunning and authentic next-gen game. The lands look rich and elaborate, in addition to the motion capture of the various heroes, which is truly lifelike. Updating weapons occasionally offers rare or renowned supplies, and Forbidden West makes them easy to track. It is possible to create jobs for every purchase or upgrade you require, which in turn reveals itself as part of your quest menu. If you have discovered a machine internet site that has the proper components, the map will indicate locations to go to. I had to wait way too long to discover the possibility of creating tasks, instead of having to search for the right merchant in Thornmarsh to see the prerequisite components for purchasing the only famous outfit I had in mind. Horizon Forbidden West is a game that has everything. At first, I was skeptical since I've been an avid player of Guerrilla Games since the Killzone game series, but I turned out to be so enthralled by Zero Dawn, I recently could not believe that Forbidden West could be able to live up to the weight of my expectations. In my early days of actively playing, there were occasional glitches in the graphics or the occasional stumble over game-play details or narrative that became stale in my worry in the years since actively playing unique. I had not been sure it was likely to attain those altitudes.

Who says you can't buy cheap games on buy games?

But while the story carried from strength to strength as the world of Horizon Forbidden West unfolded before my eyes, I kept replaying the satisfying gameplay of looking down at giant people, breaking guns off huge devices, reducing large machines to giant piles of scrap to loot with their guns, I was able to settle into the comfort that made the game the classic that it will be. Horizon Forbidden West is every bit as good as, if not better than, Zero Dawn. This is entitled to the same praise. Just do you personally this favor initially: if you've got the moment to play back Zero Dawn in its entirety, then take it up today. If you're eager to regain the reins of the most popular flame-haired Nora At the very least, drop into a "Story Too Far" film on YouTube before getting into this upcoming thrill ride. Horizon Zero Dawn has been one of the top little games of the console generation that came before it. I'm not convinced that there's any sense to believe that Horizon Forbidden West is not going to go into the history books as an example of one of the greatest from this generation.

The Ghost of Tsushima

The Ghost of Tsushima can tread the delicate line between facts and fiction, honoring the real happenings that took place in the area during the period while weaving an epic tale that is engaging and convincing. In the game, Mongol leader Kublai Khan is truthfully referenced throughout, and Khotun Kahn, a fictional character, serves as the main antagonist in the game. The main protagonist can be described as an imaginary Samurai, Jin Sakai. Jin is the Lord of Clan Sakai and the last person in his direct lineage. His own Uncle Jito is Lord Shimura, Jito of Tsushima, and is among the characters you'll connect with throughout the Soul of Tsushima.

The Ghost of Tsushima is a masterful way of addressing these important characters' defining factors, and forces the player to think about their choices through the eyes of Jin Sakai. It is also true to its roots as a video game title and allows players to set aside those specialties if they desire and just have fun with them. It's not abrasive or nihilistic and can hit on the issues of duty, honor, family, responsibility, and honor without getting caught up in the notion that the game is truly no longer fun. The overall game is saturated with style, beginning with the "stamp" at the beginning and the end of each goal, to the dramatic exchange (along with the satisfying "click" as Jin moves the weapon out of the scabbard by using his thumb) before each duel between samurai. The best part about this elegant presentation is the possibility of playing it in "Kurosawa" mode, which resembles the films by the legendary Akira Kurosawa by draining any type of color of the display screen and attaching film grain and a particular level of crackling to the audio track. While unquestionably a cool option, I discovered the game to be much more enjoyable in full color. But, fans of the classic Samurai movies should be sure to try it out, particularly since I might toggle it off and off at any time.

The Ghost of Tsushima possesses a black and white "Kurosawa" mode, titled in honor of the famous Japanese director of samurai films, Akira Kurosawa. However, its feature is far more interesting than practical, and most gamers will enjoy the game's colors and landscapes too much to wish to convert them all to grayscale for the duration of the game. The game also features Japanese in addition to English audio tracks. Additionally, there are additional HUD options to customize the user interface for those who plan to eradicate the very few on-screen prompts that are present, which includes an image mode. If there's one criticism that players may enjoy, it's the fact that Ghost of Tsushima once in a while leans towards a "follow these footsteps on the ground" plan of action a bit too repetitive in certain quests, but it's only one small flaw in an otherwise exciting game-play loop.

There's not a lot that's "new" within Ghost of Tsushima, although, likely, players haven't encountered numerous navigation choices as enjoyable to use as Tsushima's Guiding Wind, or been involved in a relaxing activity such as producing haiku in a secluded spot in front of a waterfall to get ready for battle most of the time. It might be the method by which Ghost of Tsushima includes aspects that players are both familiar with and unfamiliar with that makes it a satisfying event and one that gamers will be compelled to play for a long time after the credits have ended. The Ghost of Tsushima is going to be the most enjoyable Assassin's Creed recreation there is, and likely the closest that players will ever have to experience the experience of being a samurai during the 11th century in Japan.

A Plague Tale: Requiem

When A Plague Story: Innocence came out in the year 2019, it quickly became a popular film, slowly becoming a renowned cult film. Gamers were impressed with the stunning visuals from a smaller studio. They loved the main characters associated with a boy who was just a little kid and a teenage girl who was scouting for adventure in 14th-century France. They loved rats much more than anything, as did the game mechanics mounted on the animals.

If you did not just like the first game title and weren't a fan of the stealth gameplay, I'm not sure you'll enjoy a great deal from this sequel. But if you enjoyed Innocence, then you are sure to enjoy Requiem with a big smile. It uses the same techniques as before with regards to the ability to stealth, disguised attacks with rats and lights, as well as crafting, but everything is upgraded; there are a lot more rats and you will find a few exciting new gameplay options. Of course, and more importantly, it is a fantastic new adventure that is awaiting Hugo and Amicia. The story initially takes place with relative peace. Hugo's illness is now under the control of his illness-at least for now, and the entire family will travel to a southern French city to get assistance from an alchemist master who is part of the mystical order.

Hugo dreams of an island on which he will be healed. However, the medical order does not have the same strategies. The disease, however, returns quickly, as do the rodents. At this point, there are hundreds and lots and lots of them. Everyone is out to get them, so Amicia and Hugo set out on a journey around the world, on the land, sea, and beneath the surface, to discover the truth and find solutions. I won't beat all over the bush-the story found within A Plague Tale: Requiem is amazing. The merging of real and fiction when it comes to the actual plague at that time is well-suited to the fictional version that is called The Macula. The book explores the background of the whole disease as well as the carriers before this time, cleverly and satisfactorily. The stories and characters that you meet are brilliantly written, with characters that you'll care deeply about. I am not planning to share them to not spoil the fun, but Requiem will be able to provide an additional emotional ride these times, especially with the twists and turns that occur along the way. Amicia, in particular, goes through the gauntlet emotionally and physically as the captivating story unfolds. The film inspired me to think about none of it for a long time after the credits rolled. The gameplay mechanics require a lot of stalking and the ability to hide.

There are occasions when you could just explore the breathtaking world with no fear of peril or danger, conversing with people, solving a few puzzles, and collecting resources for crafting. There is no doubt that there are people who will be after you If you happen to stumble across guards, hiding in long grass or behind barriers is crucial.

You could try to stealth through the area without contacting your adversaries. If you draw them, they will be aware of a window for you to retreat in case they catch you. Confronting them head-on is not suggested, particularly when they grow more difficult to handle over time. Your sling is thankfully in use in this position, from which you could kill unhelmeted guards.

#action adventure #2022 games #aloy #Horizon Zero Dawn #The Ghost of Tsushima #A Plague Tale: Requiem

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