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nobodylivesson · 2 years

Text

Telling Them To Take Rest

Fandom : Genshin Impact

Pairing : Dottore x Male! Reader, Tartaglia x Male! Reader and Pantalone x Male! Reader

Requested? No

»»————>❃<————««

Entering the castle where harbingers work was a tedious job

A high wall surrounded the whole castle, keeping the inside hidden from the eyes of the citizens of Snezhnaya, and the iron gates at the front were the only entrance through the wall

Visiting hours were closed in the evening, and only very few special authorized people from outside could pass the castle gates after that. And on top of that carriages were forbidden beyond the gates of the wall, meaning you had to walk to the entrance

All of this was done under the order of Her Majesty, Taristha

I took long strides to reach the entrance as small puffs of fog escaped my mouth, an oversized fur coat covering my whole body

As I finally reached the top, the guards who were guarding the entrance door got alert and waited for me to come to them

“Halt! Nobody is allowed to enter this place at this time, so we must ask about your identity and the purpose of visiting the headquarter under the orders of Taristha. If deemed as a threat you would be removed from the premise!” The Fatui agent standing at the left of the door said with his hand going under the coat to take his weapon out, the agent at the right doing the same

I raised an eyebrow at this as I had informed the headquarters beforehand of my visit but not wanting to fight, I pushed the hood of my coat back to show my short fluffy hair before removing the mask covering my eyes

“I’m pretty sure I had informed of my visit, agents” I said as I looked at them questioningly

Immediately both the agents froze in what seemed terror to me

“Lo-Lord [Y/N]!! We are so sorry sir, we didn’t recognize it was you, sir!” both the guards shouted as they bowed 190 degree

“Agents it’s alright but I hope you do correct the way of interrogating people as you might offend someone important in the future again and get into big trouble. Now I hope you can let me in or do I need to call someone from inside to clear this dilemma?” I said with a sigh leaving my mouth, already very done with this

The guards turned even paler before with a quick shake of their heads, both of them pushed the gigantic wooden door causing it to open with a creaking noise

I quickly walked past the still bowing guards and entered the castle causing the door to shut again behind me

I shake my head to remove the little amount of snow that had gathered on top of my head during the banter I had earlier before using my hand the push back my hair that had fallen forward due to the shake

My eyes shifted to the two guards inside who were guarding the entrance and both of them avoided my eyes instantly, they must have heard the little conversation earlier

Without caring much, I continued to walk toward the destination I had come for after returning from my trip

Worn out and a little irritated after coming back to Snezhnaya from the business trip Her Majesty Taristha sent me on for half a month I was expecting my lover to be waiting patiently in our room so we could cuddle all night to forget my stress

Only to find my lover immersed in his work and has been cooped in his office for the last 4-5 days without taking a single break

So I decided to come here personally despite my fatigue to drag my lover back to the warm embrace of our warm room where they can take a goddamn break and eat some food

He should be happy I loved him so much

The castle for the harbingers was a collection of hallways, rooms, and staircases even if smaller compared to Her Majesty Taristha

If you were new to the place you would end up lost and maybe stumble upon a very unwanted room since all the harbingers liked doing a lot of their job in the castle

But for me, every route of the enormous castle was memorized and the route to his office has become part of my memory of every other day

I smiled a little as I have almost reached my destination and now all that was left was to grab my man

Let’s hope he goes back with me without having me drag him back for real

Dottore~

[Y/N] have finally reached the far end of the hallway of the westside where there wasn’t any more path ahead and it looked like he just entered a wrong area

But it didn’t seem like a mistake as [Y/N] went for a door that could only lead to an empty room but instead opened a path a winding staircase downwards

Walking into the stairway after closing the door behind [Y/N] couldn’t help but shiver at the coldness

Pulling his hood back up,[Y/N] started to walk more down the stairway, making sure he won’t trip due to the poor lighting of the area

“I’m asking Pantalone myself to install lanterns here and……..heaters as well” [Y/N] mumbled as a puff of fog again escaped his mouth

Dottore always liked the coldness and silentness of Snezhnaya so his lab was located deep below the caste

And it also meant the minimal use of heaters or lanterns since they only seem to increase the heat but it wasn’t good for health to stay this way

So [Y/N] was done with his boyfriend’s tantrums and was going to do this himself

During all these thoughts,[Y/N] has already reached the end of the stairs

The clicking of tools, the bubbling of liquid, and the crackling of fire brought [Y/N] out of his thoughts

[Y/N] stood at the end and observed the man before him who was working on the table with his back turned toward him

The man didn’t seem to sense [Y/N]’s presence due to being so concentrated on his work so [Y/N] decided to call him first

“Do you even know how to take a break?”

The man immediately stopped working and turned around to face [Y/N], tools still in his hands as a neutral look adorns his face

But [Y/N] could see the man relatively relaxed as a lazy smile comes to his face perfectly showing his sharp canines

“You have come back from the trip, I didn’t realize” Dottore says softly which was so uncharacteristic of him compared to his unhinged self

“Of course, you won’t realize due to being stuck underground for god knows how many days now since I left Dottore. I had thought you at least knew the basics of taking care of yourself” I angrily spew as I quickly walked up to Dottore

He just shrugs and the softness from the moment before disappears replaced by his usual professional smile

“To much work was piling up so I had to take care of them and I guess I forgot that I had to go out” Dotttore says as he returns to his work from earlier

[Y/N] quietly observes his lover and feels a headache coming soon as irritation took over him

A hand slammed itself in front of Dottore on his table another forcibly made him look to the side toward his lover

Now again neutral faced Dottore faces an annoyed [Y/N] who was also the one to slam his hand

“Throwing a tantrum just cause the sake of it, isn’t nice Dottore. Her Majesty wanted the job to be done nicely that’s why she chose me and you know I can’t refuse her. But see I came back earlier than we had thought” [Y/N] says while turning Dottore’s whole body to face him

A sigh leaves [Y/N]’s mouth again before the hand grabbing the face goes to gently caress it as the slammed fist went to remove the mask from Dottore’s face

Finally, blood red eyes meet [Y/C] eyes

Dottore seemed to look at his lover for a long before finally leaning his face toward the touches

[Y/N] smiled a little sadly at this before whispering “I’m sorry that I left you like that even when we were supposed to have some time together. Will you forgive me?” as his free hand softly touched the dark circles under Dottore’s eyes

Dottore seemed to relish these touches before finally again softly saying “I missed you but you came back to me early so it’s alright” making [Y/N] chuckle

“Oh dear I got myself such a child-like lover” he thought as he brought Dottoreclosee to him with both his hand looping around the taller male’s neck to hug

“Let’s get some rest back at our house then” [Y/N] whispers again and instead of saying anything Dottore just simply slumped his head on his lover’s shoulder

“Oh, such a child you are, Dottore…..”

Tartaglia~

When you reach the central area of the castle, you can see three different stairs leading to different places

If you were to take the stairs in the middle it would lead you to the dungeons

A place where all grim deeds of the harbingers were done inside its icy cells

But the place also served another purpose

I descended the stairs carefully because this area was so dimly lit and I didn’t want to break my bones with a slip

Finally, he was meet the floor again and looked in both directions towards his right and left

“Towards the left were the dungeons and towards his right were the-” my thought was interrupted when I heard a big clang

Straightening myself I walked towards the left, the sounds of the clang got louder and even a few words of curses mixed in between them

As I finally came to the end of the dark hallway and entered the brightly lit area, I joined an area just like an arena

The other purpose of these dungeons was the training arena

In the middle was a small group of people who together were sparring against a single person

The said person was smiling crazily in excitement as he eases defeated those attacking him

I silently stood at the entrance to look at the fatui agents who looked like they would faint any moment soon from the amount of exercise they had been made to do

With a huff, I shouted “Agents! Halt at once as training is over!!” making everyone jolt in surprise before turning their heads toward me

All the agents looked like I was a godsent angel while Childe’s face just kept open

I quickly walked to the group and despite their exhaustion, they straightened themselves into a line when I reached them while Childe recovered from his shock only to have it morphed into pure shame

“At least this bastard knows I’m not pleased with this” I think as I stare at Childe who seems to find the floor more interesting than looking at my face

My eyes then trailed to the agents who were all looking at me with hope so I asked them the question to make this procedure easier “How long has this training been going on?”

At once all the agents started to look at each other as if trying to see who didn’t have the fear of their heads flying from their body

My unimpressed eyes dart to Childe who only started to sweat more from nervousness

“Alright! You all can leave for the night and take 1 day's rest from training as compensation for your leader's selfishness. Please get out of here now” [Y/N] says while folding his hands under his chest

The agents looked at each other in confusion before jumping into action when [Y/N] shouted “RIGHT NOW LEAVE!”

[Y/N] kept his eyes on the still silent Childe, ignoring the agents shuffling around

Even when the agents started to leave the arena both [Y/N] and Childe didn’t look at each

Finally when they were the only ones left there, [Y/N] walked before he was standing in front of Childe

“If you don’t look at me in my eyes I’m gonna whop your ass till you’re ready to look at them” [Y/N] angrily growled having been done with this situation

Childe instantly looked up to meet [Y/N]’s

“He-hey! I didn’t know you have returned to the city [Y/N]! I was just about to end things here and go home” Childe says while trying to give his best smile

But [Y/N] wasn’t having any of it and just continued staring at his lover

Despite Childe trying, he couldn’t keep smiling under [Y/N]’s intense staring so he just gave up and told the truth

“I-I was getting very restless due to you not being here so I-uh decided to train with soldiers to keep my thoughts traveling back to you and end up making me lonely again. Just lost time while I was here due to that and yeah forgot that you were coming today” the boy mumbles as embarrassment burns down his face

[Y/N]’s anger finally subsided a little and his eyes softened at these childish thoughts of his lover

But letting him go without punishment will be futile

So his fingers go up before harshly flicking Childe’s forehead causing a voluntary ‘ow’ to leave his lover’s mouth while one hand went to rub on the spot

“Stupid Ajax, if you feel lonely just say so to me and not drown yourself in work. I will try to come faster and maybe stop taking jobs that require going too far away. But I hope you stay put in the house like a good boy the next time I return after a long time” [Y/N] says with a smile as his hand snakes to grab Childe’s open hand

Childe couldn’t say much except for nodding his head like a kid, the blush still on his face for a reason different from earlier

Chuckling a little, [Y/N] starts walking with pulling Childe with him who just silently follows him now

“Let’s go back home to cuddle 'cause I’m tired as hell. The rest of the people here can deal with the cleaning and whatnot. Also, let’s go on a date tomorrow to visit your family since I haven’t seen Treucer for so long….” [Y/N] continued his rambling without care for Childe’s reply who just kept listening to his lover’s talk

A feeling of affection and the sense of finally his home returning engulfed his heart

So he just gives a squeeze to their joined hand which was returned by [Y/N] and was enough for his soft eyes to continue looking at his lover’s beautiful back

Pantalone~

The hallway was lit with lamps mounted on the wall at its left while the snowy weather of Snezhnaya can be seen through the glass windows on the right

These lamps somehow gave a sense of warmth in the hallway to the otherwise cold castle

[Y/N] walked the hallway while observing the lamps which were powered by magical cores and immediately remember his conversion with his lover before leaving where he had told him it would be much more comfortable to get to his office if the hallways were a bit warmer

A chuckle erupted from his lips at the image of his lover immediately installing these after his departure by misusing his position despite hating to spend a penny on useless things

At last, the door he was looking at came into view, and the simple fact of being able to see him made [Y/N] walk faster

Without waiting, he pushed the door open to be greeted by rows of books stacked perfectly in selves, tables with chairs of pine wood neatly kept, and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to give light to this gigantic room

To say it simply it was the personal library of the harbingers which seems to have enough materials in it to match any nation’s official archive

Despite its importance agents dislike guarding this area due to the infamous temper of a particular harbinger who likes to do his work here

That was the person [Y/N] was looking and he didn’t have to search much as the rustling of papers from the far end of the library indicated his presence there

[Y/N] walked around the selves hiding the tables and true enough Pantalone was sitting on the last one, going through the stack of paper near him without a glance at who came

[Y/N] shakes his head in disapproval and goes near his table before knocking on the table startling the man who was even more surprised to see his lover standing there

Pantalone blinks a little before he sighs, removes his glass, and rubs his eyes while saying “Sorry about this [Y/N], I got immersed in this urgent work that Her Majesty required by the day after tomorrow and forgot about your return”

It was [Y/N]’s turn to sigh before going around and standing in front of Pantalone before taking his face in his hands

The man relaxes in the hand of his lover and wraps his hand around [Y/N]’s waist, bringing the other man closure to him

[Y/N] runs his finger through the soft navy blue hair while the other hand creased the cheek

“I loved the new magic lamps that were installed on the way here. But I didn’t know the other harbingers required those at this point” the man says with a teasing tone to which Pantalone just chuckles

“Maybe the cold was starting to get the better of me and I thought more warmth was to be given here” was all he said as he looked up to stare directly into [Y/N] eyes with a softness that was uncharacteristic of him

Well anything Pantalone does with [Y/N] wasn’t his usual self but that was for both of them and the other harbingers to know

With a raised eyebrow, [Y/N] asked “You’re feeling cold? Are you sure it wasn’t any other reason since you don’t seem to be wearing your coat?” as eyes traveled to the discarded coat on the seat beside, a black thermal being the only clothing on Pantalone now

The man just huffs before closing his eyes and [Y/N] chuckles now before eyeing the stack of paper

“How much work do you have to do before being able to go home?” he asks making Pantalone look at him again then detaching himself with a sigh

“An allnighter would be enough for this but-” Pantalone stops and stares at [Y/N] “maybe Her Majesty won’t mind if I take today a little bit of rest before completing it tomorrow. And who is going to complain? Not my men” with a smile

“You shouldn’t misuse your position so much” [Y/N] says with a laugh but doesn’t oppose the idea when a thought comes to his mind

“But going back and forth would be too much of a waste of time” he thinks when the memory of the couch at the back of the library

With a grin [Y/N] grabs Pantalone and his coat, taking him to the back and he didn’t seem to mind whatever was [Y/N] thinking

Seeing the couch Pantalone seems to get a general idea of what they were going to do

Reaching it,[Y/N] pushes Pantalone to sleep on the couch before shredding his coat, getting on the couch, and then finally using their coats as blankets to keep themselves warm

[Y/N] snuggles close to Pantalone using his right arm as a pillow while bringing the left hand to hug his waist, making Pantalone laugh yet burrowed his face into my head

They stayed like that as the winter wind outside seem to slowly start to make [Y/N] drift to sleep

But it seemed Pantalone had something to say before he fell asleep

“I was hesitant about the work and could have not agreed to do it but the thought of coming to bed without you there made me feel terrible and I didn’t want to feel that, that’s why this happened” he mumbles while stroking [Y/N]’s back with the hand around his waist

[Y/N] smiles before mumbling “You don’t need to say that to me silly, I already know and I’m sorry I made you feel like that” and then finally falls asleep

Kissing [Y/N]’s head gently, Pantalone mumbles “Goodnight to you love” falling asleep as well

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Have I been dead? Yes. Would I continue to stay dead? Maybe. I just had the inspiration and that's why I wrote this despite having a lot of request in my inbox, I just haven't been able to do anything all cause of my finals. It's important but well I guess I am also having writer's block. Let's see how it all plays out. Also I do apologize if the they all seem out of character

#genshin impact x male reader #x male reader #genshin harbingers #tartaglia #Pantalone #dottore #childe x male reader #dottore x male reader #pantalone x male reader #genshin impact

663 notes · View notes

fixfoxnox · 1 year

Note

tell me more about just fucking whatever then man :) infodump away!

Luke's Giant COD AU List (feel free to request!!)

Warnings: NSFW, Dark Themes (Kidnapping, Dub-con, prostitution)

Compound AU (Ghost/Roach/Soap)

I think most of you guys are familiar with this one, but just in case you aren't:

Roach's father was extremely paranoid/anti-government and spread that mindset to his mother. Before Roach was born they locked their entire family (his parents and three older brothers) into their family farm that his father had turned into a survivalist compound. Roach was born and raised here, but at the age of 18 he escaped and went to his Aunt, Kate Laswell, for help. He ends up joining the military and eventually Laswell introduces him to the 141 when they need someone they can trust for a more secretive mission.

It's Ghost/Roach/Soap (as you'll soon realize most of these are lmao). And despite the premise its actually way cuter/fluffier than it sounds as its essentially just a bunch of himbo/bamf Roach oneshots rolled together.

Anima Au (Ghost/Roach/Soap)

Another one a lot of you might be familiar with!

This world has little creatures called Anima who are essentially super powered protectors who are born with the purpose of protecting their human. Roach is Ghost's mischievous Anima who has taken a liking to one of his team mates, Soap. Its all good though, because Ghost also has a thing for Soap.

So we get mischievous feral horny Roach who does mischievous feral horny guy things like trying to jump Soap and Ghosts bones at any and all opportunities. This has like 5 parts out and the next one will be straight up smut so

Ultranationalist Roach (Roach/Everyone)

Roach is betrayed by Shadow Company and left for dead. He survives, but gets dishonorably discharged from the military for trying to speak out against the men who tried to kill him. When he's discharged, he and several other men who left the military following him, form the American Ultranationalist party.

After an assassination attempt that leaves Roach and Jackson the only two remaining leaders of the party alive, the ultranationalists quickly become more violent to get to their goals and are soon branded terrorists, with the 141 being sent to bring down Roach.

Despite the fact that the men are trying to kill him, Roach decides that they're all rather gorgeous, and he wouldn't mind having them around, so he devises a plan to slowly kidnap the team and form a little harem for himself, starting with one Vladimir Makarov.

Essentially just mischievous feral horny Roach but now x everyone dnfnfnnf

Assassin! Roach aka Pyre (Ghost/Roach/Soap)

A spin off of SiTO that explores what could have happened if Roach ran into Shadow Company before he ever met the 141. This actually has been around for a bit, as it was one of the early ideas that I'd considered for SiTO.

Essentially he and Jackson get tasked to work with Shadow company and, inevitably, the two men are betrayed. They're both shot and the Shadows attempt to burn them, but Roach is not willing to die so easily this time. He manages to pull both himself and Jackson out of the fire so that they can take refuge in a little village nearby.

The two men are considered KIA and, now both having nearly died again and knowing that the other remembers, decide that they're going to take a different route when it comes to handling things this time. Roach becomes an Assassin and Jackson becomes his guy in the chair as they slowly begin killing bad people, working their way up to bigger and bigger targets with their eventual goal being the assassination of Vladimir Makarov.

Sad kinda depressing fic, but will be filled with lots of bamf Roach so its kinda worth it.

Dragon AU (Ghost/Roach/Soap)

Soap and Ghost are bonded dragons who feel like they are missing something from their bond. They eventually find it in the prince of a nearby kingdom, Roach. They "kidnap" him and bring him back to their land to join their relationship. Roach is chill with it cause Soap and Ghost are good cuddlers and they let him roam around the woods.

However, word of Roach being taken spreads around and Soap and Ghost are forced to defend him against endless numbers of princes and knights coming to try to rescue him. Not only that, but a black scaled dragon in the woods near their castle has taken a liking to their bonded and keeps trying to steal him!

Luckily for them, they also have plenty of time to be fluffy cute boyfriends and occasionally get visits from their various dragon friends! This whole AU is really just cute fantasy/monster vibes sjfjfjfj

Monster AU (SoapRoach) (Ghost/Roach/Soap)

My take on the monster AU's that have slightly taken over the Fandom. Ghost is a very very powerful hybrid (offspring of a demon and vampire) who has just been brought on to the 141, a specialized military team filled only with monsters. He's typically used to the people that he works with being scared shitless of him, so he isn't prepared in the slightest for the 141.

There is Price and Gaz. Price almost takes on a fatherly role to him, the older reaper showing no sign of fear of him at all. In fact, the older man keeps occasionally slipping him an extra blood bag with his meals, constantly checking in to make sure he's eating properly. Gaz is a rather unassuming nymph who, despite not looking like much, can be absolutely terrifying when he wants to. Which is usually when someone fucks with the plants that he's growing on base. He doesn't seem to even realize how dangerous Ghost is, constantly asking him questions about the little plant he keeps in his room and occasionally giving unprompted advice on how to care for it better.

But possibly the most confusing are the two overexcited werewolves on the team. Soap and Roach are attached at the hip, likely to be found wrestling or running around like excited puppies just as often as they can be found trying to get in each other's pants wherever the fancy takes them. Ghost tries to steer clear of the two, their overly happy and excitable nature making him want to keep away. Unfortunately for him, its like the two men have become somehow attached to him, almost always following him around like lost puppies, begging for his attention.

He was expecting fear from his team, not two over grown dogs to decide he was their new owner! Starts SoapRoach and turns into Soap/Roach/Gost when they invite Ghost into their relationship. Also might make Roach trans here cause KAJDJFNCNNF WEREWOLF SOAP EATING HIM OUT AHGGGGH

The NikPrice A/B/O Fic (Nikolai/Price)

Listen...I love a/b/o fics man, okay

Price is an unmated omega who's best friend just happens to be an unmated alpha. Some people would call that a recipe for disaster, but considering he and Nikolai only get to see each other on short visits or for work, neither of them have had to worry about their instincts taking over and forcing feelings (that may or may not already exist) to the surface. Or at least, that's what Price thought.

What he doesn't realize is that Nikolai doesn't exactly see things the same way. Everyone but Price can see that the Alpha has practically already claimed him. From checking Price for a mating bite when they meet up again, to throuroughly scenting the man, and even defending him against any overly interested Alpha's that are brave or stupid enough to get close to what obviously already belongs to someone.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Price, that pretending not to have feelings for his best friend is all going to come tumbling down with one poorly timed heat and one very very grabby alpha. Or how Price and Nikolai officially became mates. In my mind it takes place with a young Price and Nikolai, but could also work with their Canon selves.

The Horny NikPrice Au (Nikolai/Price)

Honestlu the a/b/o nikprice au could also be called this dnfnfnjfjf don't judge me okay I want to see Price get absolutely pounded by a strong Russian man leave me alone

The plot of this one is really simple tbh, Price and Nikolai meet and Nikolai decides right off the bat that he likes Price so he just kinda claims him as his own. Price has zero idea whats going on, but he's not going to question why his hot new Russian friend keeps shoving him against random objects to ravish him.

Aka Nikolai looks at Price and goes "dibs" and it takes Price way too long to realize he's in a relationship. Takes place over their entire relationship cause Nik never stops wanting him so-

Cartel! Rudy AU (Alejandro/Rodolfo)

Okay so like...Rudy isn't from Las Almas originally, but he visits the town once and likes it and decides he's going to take it over (like a true gay)

So Alejandro, the Colonel of the Vaqueros is chasing after Valeria and the cartel that has slowly taken over Las Almas. The city is suffering under the cartel's control, but Alejandro is determined to save the town and help out as much as he can. After one particularly bad run from the cartel that left several houses in ruins and people dead, Alejandro and his men go into town to help rebuild a bit.

When they get there, they keep hearing whispers about the "The sweet rich man" who is apparently helping with the rebuilding process and using some of his money to help with the process. Alejandro eventually meets him and he's absolutely blown away by the angelic man who introduces himself as Rodolfo Parra.

Rudy is completely taken by Alejandro and the two work side by side together for the rest of the day, subtly flirting until a sleek black sports car rolls up and a wealthy looking man steps out calling for Rudy. Rudy seems upset about leaving, but begrudgingly explains to Alejandro that the man is his husband and he has to go.

Alejandro is heart broken that Rudy is married, but he begins to see more and more of the man around Las Almas and every time he see's him he can't help but to flirt. He feels bad, but at the same time, Rodolfo certainly doesn't seem to be in a happy marriage, and he can't be too upset when he finally gets to taste the other man, pressing him up against the wall of a back alley to devour him before bringing him back to a hotel to ravish him.

As Alejandro and Rudy conduct their affair, Alejandro begins to become suspicious of Rodolfo's husband. The control of the cartel in the area is shifting, a new power coming into play thats seemed to coincide with Rodolfo and his husband's arrival in the town. Of course, like everyone else, Alejandro suspects Rudy's husband, none the wiser to the fact that the marriage between Rudy and his "husband" is nothing more than a smoke screen to hide the true person behind taking control of the local cartel.

This is long but basically Alejandro is so in love with Rodolfo that he completely misses that his new boyfriend is actually the head of the cartel lmao

Prostitute! Roach (Makarov/Roach) (Roach/Ghost)

It says its Makarov/Roach on the tin, but later down the line it becomes GhostRoach

Essentially Roach is a prostitute working under Valeria when the cartel decides to strike a deal with the Ultranationalists. Makarov and Yuri come down to Las Almas to work out the deal and Makarov is offered a night with one of Valeria's people free. He chooses Roach and very quickly gets addicted to the younger man, stupidly falling in love with a prostitute.

He eventually essentially "buys" Roach from Valeria and brings him back to Russia with him where Roach becomes even more important to him. Roach is essentially the most important person in Makarov's life and he would die and kill for the man, something he proves over and over. It's mostly fine, because none of his enemies know about it.

That is until Yuri betrays him and he tries and fails to kill the man. Yuri joins the 141 and, when the team are trying to find something they can use against Makarov, he suggests Roach. This prompts the 141 to essentially kidnap Roach who they place under the protection of Ghost until they've gotten what they wanted from Makarov.

Ghost and Roach fall for each other during this time (for various reasons) and it becomes a ghostroach story as the 141 try to take down Makarov and Makarov tries to get Roach back all while Roach is torn between his feelings for a terrorist and his feelings for Ghost.

The Pirate AU (Ghost/Roach/Soap)

Self indulgence in an au because I put Roach in dresses and let him get railed lmao (also might make him a trans man here too for the fun of it cause whats better than letting a little trans guy get railed on a pirate ship)

Ghost and Soap are the most fearsome pirates on the seas, known for robbing and pillaging any merchant ships that they set their eyes on. Kidnapping, ransoms, robbery, and just general high seas hijinks are normal for them, and any person setting out on the Sea knows that if you see their flag flying high, the only thing you can do is turn away and hope you escaped their notice.

Roach is the son of a wealthy aristocrat who is being sent to join one of his uncles for the summer. Unfortunately that means crossing the sea. He's sent with several guards surrounding him, but unfortunately guards mean nothing to Soap and Ghost when they spot a wealthy aristocrats ship. So the ship starts getting attacked and boarded.

The Captain, in an attempt to keep Roach from getting kidnapped, dresses him up as a woman, hoping it will keep Ghost and Soap from recognizing and taking him. What they don't expect is for Soap and Ghost to not care that they don't recognize Roach, because they can tell that the "woman" they're looking at is an aristocrat and they know they can just get the name of the family from one of the men/the ship. So they kidnap Roach anyways.

Now Roach is stuck on a ship with two really hot pirates who are definitely going to realize that he isn't a woman sooner or later (sooner lmao) and when they do, well who knows what they'll make him do? (They're gonna fuck him sjfjdjjdjfjf)

Anyways then Roach falls in love with life at sea and doesn't want to go home, even when his family pays the ransom which results in some angst because Soap and Ghost think that the best thing/ what he wants is to go home even though they're all in love so they send him home.

Then later they come back and kidnap him again lol

The Camboy/YouTube AU

You guys might be picking up on the horny nature of many of these AUs sjfjfjjfnfhfhfjhfh

Soap and Ghost are a super popular couples channel on YouTube. They're known for their fun dynamic of Emo + Sunshine and just generally how in love they are. Everyone knows them, including one dear fan of theirs, Roach. Roach watches them because he thinks they're fun and he has a fat fucking crush on both of them.

Roach himself is a gaming youtuber known for playing fps games (he plays call of duty guys), but beyond that he's also known for his NSFW content that he started for fun self confidence stuff. He posts pictures and videos, but also essentially does camboy work because he's grown fond of it and the money he makes from it is nothing to sneeze at.

During one of his streams he starts getting a shit ton of donations and like requests from this one account who are dropping like insane amounts of money on him. That same account also shows up in his gaming streams to start donating a shit ton of money too.

Anyways he doesn't know that the account is actually Soap and Ghost who found him randomly one night but now they're accidentally kinda falling for him and accidentally essentially becoming his sugar daddies.

This also has some jealousy and some Roach/Jackson cause Jackson is his bff who streams with him and also occasionally joins him on his nsfw streams/content

Yeah uhhhh I have no excuse for this one ajdbbdbdjdjdj

Some Quick Notes On Requests:

Feel free to request any of these au's and any ship with these au's!

The main ship for the au is listed in the parentheses, however just because that is the ship doesn't mean you can't request others/non-canon ships within the au

So let's say you like the Monster Au but want to see like Roach/Gaz instead of Roach/Soap/Ghost, feel free to request it! I'm more than willing to write non-canon within these au's

All of these Au's can be requested for either fluff, something spicier, or somewhere in the middle (think like what the Ultranationalist Roach Au or Anima Au has been thus far), as well as angst

If I add more AU's, they'll be added to this list, but they'll be posted about separately as well so people can see about them!

Ships I Won't Write:

Gaz/Alex - I'm sorry I just don't ship them enough to write them :/

Konig/Soap/Ghost - I don't have a problem with this ship, its just not for me, probably because I'm not really about Konig like that

Price/Graves - I'm sorry its just not for me, I really can't figure out a dynamic between these two that wouldn't be Price literally looking at him like 😒🤢 because Graves is just like that sbdjfjhfjf. Not saying its a bad ship, its just not for me.

Ships I will Tentatively Write For:

Soap/Ghost - They will get moved to my won't write list if they start taking over my ask box. I like them together, but I also have beef with some of their fans (fellow Roach stans get me 😔) and generally speaking I like their dynamic better when Roach is involved

Konig/Roach or Konig/Roach/Ghost/Soap - both are fine, however I'm still not super confident in how I write Konig with like anyone other than Horangi, so be aware it may not turn out right

Ships I will Absolutely Write For:

Any form of Ghost/Roach, Roach/Soap, Ghost/Roach/Soap

Roach x Anyone really

Price x Anyone (minus Graves obvi)

Really anything else you guys can think of probably dbfbfjjfjf

#gary roach sanderson #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #captain john price #kyle gaz garrick #alejandro vargas #rodolfo parra #ghostroach #ghostroachsoap #alerudy #nikprice #soaproach #soapghost #ghost x roach #soap x roach #ghost x soap #thoughts with luke #you asked luke #call of duty

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maleyanderecafe · 1 year

Text

Colorful Mirai: Spooky Edition (Visual Novel)

Created by: Honey Bunny

Genre: Mystery

This game is actually a spin off of Colorful Mirai, so while the characters are the same, they're repurposed for different roles within the game itself. Still, it's a very well made game and it actually is a lot darker than it initially seems. There are two yanderes, though they're a bit light because each route is rather short. The game itself is well made and I enjoyed playing it with it's interesting premise.

The story starts with Lauren going to a fashion show for her friend, Danni to help them show off their new works. She takes a short cut recommended by her other friend, but it starts raining and thundering. Lauren spots a seemingly haunted house and goes inside, assuming initially that nobody lives there. She is soon greeted by five different guys, Fabious, Milorio, Jusepe, Cooby and Elliot, all with their different attires. The boys invite her in graciously and as she goes through the routes she discovers the true secrets of it. As we play each of the routes, we learn that all of the guys are actually trapped in a sort of loop within the castle due to the sins of their past, and cannot leave unless they are able to "be saved" by someone on the outside. With the exception of Jusepe, all of the guys seem to have committed some sort of crime that needs to be atoned with and are all some sort of spooky entity (demons, werewolves, vampires to name a few). In the end, Lauren is able to escape without too much worry and is able to attend Danni's show in time.

The first yandere, Fabious asks Lauren if she wants tea and she joins him in the kitchen. Fabious flirts with Lauren, talking about how beautiful Lauren is and how she would never lose it due to age. When Lauren drinks the tea, she gets drugged, and she panics. Fabious promises to not kill her only to keep her with him for the rest of his life, locking her up, and biting her, turning her into a vampire. She passes out but wakes up to an empty kitchen, and is able to leave. While she still has bite marks on her, it doesn't really seem to affect her and so she goes to Danni's show. It's implied that Jusepe stopped Fabious before he could go any further.

The second yandere, Lando, is only available if Lauren initially runs away from the boys into the garden. She meets Lando, who seems to be in the same predicament that he's in, trapped in the garden with no way out. After talking to him, it seems that he has no idea what's going on in the outside world and Lauren feels as if something is off. Lando mentions that he was helped by a wizard and that he came to ask for a wish of "bringing back someone he loved to life". Lando talks about how he murdered the women he loved because she started to become scared of him and he didn't want anyone to take her away. Lando was able to stage it as an accident, however, was trapped in the garden as a consequence. He points out a flower in the garden that seems to be part of him, and talks about how he can use Lauren to fill the empty hole in his heart, projecting his love of the other woman onto her. She realizes that Lando is a ghost trapped in the garden, and is saved by Jusepe, allowing her to leave before Lando traps her in the garden.

Because this is a spin off game, nothing too terrible happens to Lauren and from what I can tell, each datable character is a more exaggerated version of their original counterpart. I would them light considering that despite how dangerous some of the situations Lauren gets herself into, nothing necessarily terrible happens to her in the end. The two yandere characters I would say are Fabious and Lando, with Fabious seeming to be a more possessive yandere and Lando being a replacement one. Fabious does seem to have experience killing or at least sucking out the blood of women he enjoys before but has taken a liking to Lauren for one reason or another. You could argue that it's to help him escape the place, but then there wouldn't really be any reason for him to keep her since he would need to kill her in order to escape. I'm not sure what's going on with the vampire bite either since it doesn't really seem to have any affect on Lauren, so it might just be him attempting to "mark" her.

With Lando, it's different as he doesn't seem to remember how or why he got into the garden in the first place, only thinking that he is lost in the mansion just as much as Lauren is. From what we can glean on his backstory, he killed the girl he loved out of jealousy but staged it as an accident asking the wizard (Jusepe) to revive her. Unfortunately for him, he was trapped in the garden as a punishment for killing her, and ultimately when he saw Lauren, projected onto her, and attempted to keep her in the garden as well, entrancing her with the plant, at least until Jusepe was able to save her. I think that if Jusepe didn't, Lando would have successfully be able to keep her in the garden, similar to how if he didn't interfere with Fabious, he would have kept her as well. Despite the fact that neither of them succeeded, it is interesting to see their actions as they wanted to possess her, albeit in slightly different ways.

Other than that, the game has a very good aesthetic to it and technically speaking is very well made. I really enjoyed the parallax feature that the characters sometimes had and honestly I had too much fun pretending to pet their heads or like cause them to move around in circles. Might be something fun I want to put into my games if I ever make a lot of them. I'm curious to see their other games as I've heard there might be yanderes in them as well, but that has yet to be seen. It's a short and fun spinoff game and I would recommend it for a spooky time.

#Colorful Mirai: Spooky Edition #male yandere #yandere #yandere boy #recommendations #completed #visual novel

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corrodedcoughin · 2 years

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Oh man I've been listening to Hayloft by Mother Mother and it's loosely making me think of a Steddie Old West au where Steve is the son of a wealthy landowner who lives in this big house surrounded by lots of land his dad owns. And Eddie is a poor boy who lives in a tiny house on the outskirts of a local township who becomes an outlaw only because he got accused of a murder he didn't commit.

Dustin doesn't believe Eddie did it, and is determined to find him and help clear his name. He ropes Steve and Robin into helping him and Max - obviously.

Eddie ends up hiding in the hayloft above Steve's barn somehow (I can't decide whether he goes there because Steve told him to hide there, or he just picked a random barn). And Steve brings him food, and blankets, and goes up there to talk to him over the days while they try to figure out who really killed Chrissy and blamed Eddie.

They fall for each other, hard. One day, when the sun is setting, Steve goes up to the loft with some food to share and a bottle of fancy whiskey they pass back and forth. Lit only be the flickering of a lantern, Steve can't help but notice how long Eddie's eyelashes are, how soft his lips look, and how badly he wants to kiss him. So he does. And Eddie kisses him back. And they end up pressed together in the hayloft, legs tangled together and lips on lips.

And the next day Steve's parents come home. And his father absolutely cannot find Eddie or they'll both be dead. He's anxious and scared and can't go up to the barn to warn Eddie without making it suspicious.

And then I haven't quite figured out what happens after this (whether it goes the heavy angst route kr not) but I'm so tempted to try and write it?

OhhhhshitohshiojSHIT!!!!! IM LISTENING!!!! TO EVERY SINGLE THING YOU SAY!!!!

First off, fucking electric song that I completely forgot about so thank you!

SECOND!!!! This whole premise I’m absolutely losing my MIND!!!! PLEASE IF YOU WRITE IT SEND ME THAT LINK!!!! You’ve thought of EVERYTHING!!!! I honestly can’t get over this oh my god

I have a thought! So Steve went out to the barn with a lantern right? So what if it accidentally gets knocked over when Steve is leaving the barn and obviously fire in a hayloft is not a great scenario so his parents come home and the place is ablaze. His parents are shouting blue murder at Steve, calling him incompetent and careless as he just bolts into the barn because Eddie is in there! Eddie the man who makes Steve feel important and listened to and loved. Eddie who’d sell his soul to save his friends and is treated like the scum of the earth for it. Eddie. The man Steve loves.

Neither of them come out. The barn burns down and as much as the harrington’s look upset anyone close to Steve knows they are more annoyed that their property is damaged than their son being dead even though the body is never found.

Steve and Eddie escaped out of the back door, thinking this could be a new life for them. On the road. They’d have to leave their friends and their current lives, never settling in one place, but maybe they could make it work? They deliberate in their only safe place, Dustin’s basement, when Nancy wheeler (the towns woman in the know) barrels in with news they’ve all been waiting for.

Henry creel, a traveling snake oil salesman has been touring and is due to stop by Hawkins he’s been all around the area and this is his last stop. Somehow it gets uncovered that he’s been murdering people as a way to drum up business for his potions and promises. Steve and Eddie don’t have to leave town, end up being heroes because they (along with Nancy of course) round up Henry and effectively save everyone. They finally get to lead their life together and Steve’s parents move away because the town shame them for being uncaring bastards 😌

#I’m #so sorry this went too far didn’t it?#I just love what you said!!!!#ignore what I said I don’t mind I just want to hype you up!!!#god you are so good!!! thank you!!!!!! for even engaging with me!! but this?!!!?!! oerfection!!!#steddie #stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #ask #if you’d rather i didn’t publish this I can delete!!!

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crowned-clown-rising · 2 years

Text

A long ass Nevra pov for the last episodes because I feel you guys don't do him justice

I'm sorry not to be a Nevra apologist but I'm imagining this episode (and last one) from his pov and it really saddens me, specially if I fit it to my headcanon storyline:

1- He has to take a bunch of people to a strange murderous world he knows nothing about while being responsible for their lives

2- Even with that responsability, he can't really do anything but use his senses to be more cautious, something only Erika seems to take seriously.

3- His lover is having the wrost time and he can't do much to change that, and on top of that both Erika and Huang Chu, a guard leader, suspect of Mathieu being a traitor. Because the Guard is 50% royal runaways and 50% traitors

4- Going with Erika to her house, watching her break before him and having to prioritize the mission over her feelings, even knowing he has a major role in her current problems (potion consequences).

5- Some strange soldier comes to take Erika away and he decides to trust her and let her go without even a proper plan to the gods know where with who for what. And the hours she takes to come back? Please I couldn't be more anxious

6- They kidnap half of HIS team before him and he doesn't even know how. Imagine being that utterly helpless as a leader. One of them being the sister of one of his only close friends and boss. Then go to his girlfirend's house, where his abusive father (like his own) lives and needs to explain to her how his father is not trustworthy and may want to kill her.

7- "This sketchy things my father do and the dangerous situations we are getting ourselves into are totally ok" Erika darling how do I spell this out to you we absolutely need an escape route. Erika please don't accept to be alone with Chales, you said 30 seconds ago that was the worst case scenario.

8- After an eternity of waiting by themselves, he hears trouble and they are attacked on their way down, and then finds ERIKA WITH HUANG CHU AND CAMERIA ALONG WITH OVER 30 HALF DEAD FAERIES BEING ALMOST KILLED.

9- Suddenly there are 30 faeries they didn't know had been abducted under their nose, including children, to take back to Eldarya, having to make them arrive through a portal that was half a city away. His lover, who he thought was having a chat with her father, had her own vomit all over her and almost falling to the ground. All as a hell lot of soldiers only he hears come for them, having to carry 30 prisioners in that state with only 3 people being able to fight. Chances are they all die in there, so I understand how he is not going to break the party to go search for Leiftan, who had already been looked for unsuccesfully. 100% chance of getting all of them killed.

10- They could massacre dozens of people, sure, that would only lead to international forces being involved and dragging the public and several countries into this war against Eldarya, which they are already loosing and the enemy is only one niche organitation. That would also incite a declared war premise so it would give the humans green light to return the favor. Those are still a lot of lives to take, period. And Erika would have to take a lot of them.

11- If his problem was the sun, then he is ok at this point, but if he has the vampire sickness, he is probably already suffering.

12- They barely make it out JUST from the building (they had to cross the city unprotected), and Erika asks for her missing ex-boyfriend, who she thinks Nevra hates and who he believes she still loves. And let's say he heard Leiftan there, how does he tell her that there is simply no way he can let her go for him when that surely leads to her death. Specially when Leiftan's life is now a valuable resource for them, since it's one of the only faeries they have left. Do you really think he relishes in leaving Leif there? come on, even logically it makes no sense to leave an eldaryan there, specially one with such power and knowledge.

13- So damn right he is not risking everything for him, his own feelings aside, if she dies then the worlds die with her.

14- Back outside: he is lost, hurting from the sun (HOPEFULLY, BC THE ALTERNATIVE IS WORSE), and guilty about taking Erika out by force, and also probably lying to her. She, who just found out her father is the leader of the organitation that almost killed her as they did with several others. He sees how Erika hurst from leaving Leiftan there, the one he thinks she truly loves, and blame herself for the choice he made. He can only think of how hard it would hit her if he died. Considering their lives are not linked.

14.5- Imagine you are hyper-sensitive and are used to rely on your hearing, then stepping in a crowded multitude full of high and low pitched sounds, noises, uncountable voices and more sounds you don't recognise. Boy I get anxiety for having adhd hiper-acusia. He also stated when Erika lost her powers how helpless he would feel without his... just like that.

15- Lover's abusive father responsible for several war crimes and their enemy makes an entrance and proceeds to drive Erika to the edge. Nevra inmediately refuses his offers because he is positive Erika would accept, because his heart simply cannot take her staying behind, because Charles obviously know about her identity and wants to use her powers to his gain, meaning both bad news to Eldarya and who knows how much emotional distress to Erika.

16- He actually ensures Leiftan's life as well as he can by threatening Charles like that. (And it worked, Charles ordered that no one touched him. His subordinates just disobeyed, making me think he is being toyed with by someone else)

17- When they get back I really hope he is no longer hurting from the sun and that he is not told he has this evil arcane vampire sickness, which tbh is probably the case because why else would they even make up something like that just to discard that later. Erika doesn't ask about this. She doesn't ask how he is.

18- They have to go get Leiftan back and he cannot deny that he is the best option for the job, as much as he wants to stay with Erika that night. But he is resposible for Leiftan's fate, Erika's ex-boyfriend who she probably still loves and whose death he cannot allow to haunt her. So he returns to Earth without saying goodbye and bringing his own sister into that hell of a world.

19- Erika is responsible of saving the world as imposed by the oracle, and that's a lot, but there are 2 worlds, and in one of them he is literally the second authority holding the actual political responsability. Like, of all Eldarya, the one whose actual job is to fix this shit is firstly Huang Hua and right next to her: him. And tbh they go a little in tandem and her decisions are mostly based on his opinions, so one could argue that he not only feels responsible, but actually is responsible of saving the world.

So yeah, I do get why he acts the way he does I'm sorry I don't care if he comes off as rude sometimes, he is the boss after all.

#And then he starts to get hard whe Erika messes up his hair #Poor boy was like omg there is no way I am doing this now please #Nevra was probs feeling so guilty for Leiftan and fucking with Erika then was probably going to be haunting #I imagine he also feels he would break down if he opens up then #Also telling Erika he probably has a deadly disease I cannot #He honestly probaby requested himself not to let Erika go back to Earth for the rescue mission even if she was helpful #And maybe that was his own emotions getting the best of him because logically she should go with #eldarya nevra #eldarya new era #eldarya ane #eldarya erika #nevra #eldarya #eldarya a new era

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snickerdoodlles · 11 months

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hi! i just read some of your ask responses about chan while I love the take some people have in fanfic with Chan being like a father figure to the Theerapanyakul boys, i definitely agree with you more. he's korns right hand man, and likely the person that oversaw the boys' training as well. I mostly write kim-fic and ive thought a lot about his training and his "leaving the family" and personally hc that he hates Chan almost as much as he hates Korn, and probably has a good deal of trauma relating to him and his training! do you have any headcanons on a scenario where he survives the coup, and his role in the family later on (even after Korns death?)? I'd love to hear your thoughts !

(prev: 1, 2)

this isn't quite what you asked nonny, but i have a lot of thoughts about Chan's canon relationships and won't know where to go for post-canon Chan thoughts without talking about them first. so! post-canon thoughts towards the end, but first i will annoy you all with a mini rant on why i Do Not Like the "Chan is close to the Theerapanyakul boys" headcanon* 😂

(*this is not shade on that fanon or people who like it, this is just why i personally back out at the speed of light for anything that has them on good terms)

my first problem with this particular premise is that it makes zero sense to me. Korn would never in a billion years allow his sons to cultivate a close father-like relationship with anyone besides him. if Chan was close to any of his sons in a parental way, he'd shoot him and tell his son(s) it was their fault. Korn wants complete control over his kids, he wouldn't let them cultivate that sort of loyalty outside of family.

but also i just...why the fuck would Khun, Kinn, or Kim WANT a good fatherly relationship? they don't know good fathers. Korn is terrible, Gun is awful, Granddad is worse. there is one (1) good father in all of kp and he got killed in front of his son.

i get that people want these boys to have a good parent relationship. so do i! that's half the basis of my mama theerapanyakul characterization! but why do they have to have a good father relationship with anyone? this just screams of fandom forcing found-family dynamics into het nuclear roles again. why is it so prevalent that the true sign of a good relationship between these boys and any older man is a fatherly nature. ugh.

it's also just very OOC to me. Chan responds to the bodyguards bickering with Extreme Irritation. he looks so fucking annoyed when Big's upset during episode 6. any time someone brings him an emotion, Chan's mentally running through his escape route options. and that's with adults! Chan doesn't want to deal with kids, he'd be awful at it!

anyways, with that ~spicy~ pre-rant preramble out of the way, i don't actually have any headcanons about Chan and the boys specifically in regards to him training them. because with the exception of Khun, i don't think any of the boys' trauma comes specifically from violence.

Khun is personally very affected by violence i think, and i don't think he can overcome his aversion to it without a lot of distance from it and it being in the name of protection (see: his big reaction to Ken, but his ability to send out motorized cars with bombs) (tho i also point to how those bombs were distraction, and any kills from them were mostly by coincidence). but other than him, Kinn doesn't like violence but he doesn't have any issue with it and Kim almost relishes in it.

like, this is personal preferences, but i don't think the boys ever had physical training that was bad enough to give them trauma. 1) that is a terrible message for Korn to send to anyone, and Korn cares a lot about images. 2) in show, Korn never physically punishes Kinn when he's upset with him. he punishes Kinn's guards. Porsche's punishment in episode 5 was 100% directed at Kinn, and it fucks him up worse than any physical punishment Korn could've inflicted directly onto him, and Korn knows this.

for Kim specifically, Kim likes violence. and given how good he is at it, he's the driving force behind his own training and likely always has been, especially since Khun was likely kidnapped when Kim was very young. i don't think Korn ever had to 'encourage' Kim to violence.

Kim ran away from Korn's control, not the family violence. i think Kim looked at the role his uncle had forced Vegas into and realized that it, or something very similar, was his destination if he didn't run as fast as he could. he loves his brothers dearly and while he probably does fear them reacting to his love of violence the way they do to Vegas, i think his bigger concern was Korn turning him into a weapon against Kinn. because Korn certainly tries to. and with someone like Korn, who sees the world in terms of things (including people) that are and are not beneficial to him, there's no playing against his games. the only win is leaving the game completely.

this wound up being all about the boys ajfjf, back to Chan! i think all three brothers see Chan as an extension of Korn's control. they trust him...kind of. it's less of "we feel safe around you" and more of "you're familiar." in a turbulent time (like Korn's fake death), having Chan around at least feels safer because it's one less unknown to juggle. but there's not really space for him if Korn's gone. i think in any situation where Chan lives past the finale's fight, he's right back to being Korn's shadow and right-hand man, and if he can take a bullet for Korn, he will. but in a situation where Korn dies first...Chan wouldn't act out against the brothers. it's not advantageous to him. but there's nowhere for him to go. Kinn would keep him around, because of the above reasons and Kinn is extremely loyal to anyone he sees as 'his', even the ones that don't deserve it, but Chan's duties would still slowly siphon away to other people Kinn trusts more imo. Chan's still there, but he just...has nothing. Korn is his everything, and without Korn, he has nothing.

(personally, i'd have Kim kill Chan in any post-Korn survival situations. not because Kim has it out for Chan, i just really like the idea of Kim running a risk probability on him and deciding he doesn't like those risks for Kinn.)

#kinnporsche #sorry if this is all over the place ajdkjf #it wound up being more stream-of-conscious than usual whoops #uhhh ig i should also add the tag #anti-chan #idk if that helps anyone who wants to filter out my chan opinions lol #(also!! ty for your ask nonny! sorry it wasn't what you asked for ajdjh. but i really do love dropping rambles like this)#(hope you enjoyed it/it gives you some fruit for thought despite everything! 😅)

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johannwolfgangvongoethe · 1 year

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various sloda discourse, etc etc

i briefly touched on most of these before but this is my personal self-indulgend “I AM CORRECT NO ONE TOUCH ME” post about themes in the game, criticism i saw from others, and my own grudges with it

(warning for story spoilers) (of the whole game)

1. DUDE MADARAME IS FUCKED. THIS IS NOT LOVE

i cannot stress this enough. madarame does not love towa. madarame is a manipulative, deeply selfish, lonely person who specifically preys on the weak. i dont know if this is obvious to people who have never been abuse victims before and had to spent a large amount of time with people like him. he engages in multiple well-known abuse tactics: weakening towa and blaming it on him. blameshifting and gaslighting. specifically offering help afterwards to appear merciful. alienating towa from his friends to cancel out outside help. destroying towas sense of self, his sense of time, his ideals in life. destroying his confidence. at the start of the route towa hates everything about him, doesnt want to see him again, is grossed out by how much madarame violates him. at the end he is too destroyed to form coherent thoughts. anything that isnt being chained up and beaten and raped feels like a mercy to him. there is a reason madarame simply does not appear in the taku, rei, fujieda routes; towa has a social circle. he has support structures. it is harder to get to him. the only time madarame is able to successfully manipulate him, is when towa is in a downward spiral over indirectly killing someone and actively pushing others away. it also really is no coincidence to me madarame was drawn towards towa when he was young. towa was in a vulnerable spot: an older teen, who just escaped the most horrific past life, is caught up with the yakuza, and is extremely prone to selfharming. to a 30-ish year old madarame, he was an easy target to overpower. at the end of the day its all power games and feeling superior to him.

the game literally spells this out. over and over and over. there is nothing beautiful about it. it is a telling character study and explains a lot about their history and the world. but it is not a romance story.

like. dont romanticise this. be very very vigilant how much madarame isnt just gaslighting towa but you. learn about this behaviour and become a more mindful person through it.

2. towa, as a character, is the most satisfying creation

my boy towa. he is such a character. he is not the type i usually love but i am so so strongly captivated by his very special nature.

it is made so so easy by the game to put yourself in towas shoes. sometimes you play through a part only to realize the depths of what happened earlier bc you suddenly snapped out of towa brain. at least thats what it felt like to me.

he is strong and he is weak and he is manipulative but also brutally and compassionately honest. and it never feels out of place. i cannot describe how much i love this skrunkly. i especially love when he gets chattier later into a route... when you can tell he acts like a loner but loves his friends and loves to have people around him. he is a hot mess but he takes his meds and works his silly little job. they really captured the perfect image of a person who has given up on everything but underneath it all there is still a drive. there is still so much will to live.

i also feel like most people probably drastically changed their opinions on him while playing through the whole game. you learn and grow with him. theres a real sort of connection.

3. WISH IT WASNT A PORN GAME

slow damage, for all its rawness and aspirations, really gets held back by being sold under the premise that theres a set amount of porn scenes in every route. this is especially rough to read and sit throught in the madarame and foujieda routes but its odd for the other two as well. i understand there must be a certain amount of consistency if youre trying to sell a product, especially if you are nitrochi and, well, known for dick and balls. but at best it feels very out of place in this carefully crafted self-aware universe and at worst it just comes across as straight up offensive.

there were many times where i thought that either not having a sex scene at all would have been more meaningful (fujieda route, after towa almost killed himself. AT LEAST LEAVE THE CUM DIGGING OUT. or let towa do it himself. GOD.) or focussing on towas feelings instead of eroticism would have been better from a storytelling standpoint (madarame) and more tasteful.

I ASSUME this is as much a problem with boys love/vn media in general as it is with this game. though i cant say i read much BL. because i am not interested in reading about trama porn and shock value, which are an infamous stereotype. there is a time and place for graphic content but i feel like normalizing it and making it fapping material (sorry for my cringe wording) is really offensive and just damaging to readers in the long run.

4. the gender of it all

i have been thinking about this for a while and i think the localization team really made a great effort with getting the gender of characters across. imo, it would have been perfectly reasonable to have rei use she AND he pronouns throughout the story. though, see the point above, i dont know how limiting the genre is in that regard. and i do appreciate they really captured reis like... quirky bubbly personality and she and the gang do collectively go by “girls” a couple of times, iirc. it would have also been fine to use she/her for honami, junko, and arashi but i really Really love them all going by they/them as well. i did not expect them to be such heartfelt precious characters without transphobic violence ever being a topic and it was a breath of fresh air and so wonderful. their little clique truly is such a source of love and courage in the story. usually universes without any sort of bigots feel fake BUT in an enviroment like shinkomi it doesnt feel out of place! at least to me. you see all kinds of diverse people there. i do not doubt for a minute that the transgender community background of this city is probably the best thing about it LOL

in general, i did not expect gender to be such a big topic in general. reis development is interesting to watch and analyse. why does him becoming masc happen here but not in other routes? is this truly the end to the rei gender journey? is this party brought into place bc rei identifies moreso as a gay man than a woman here? lots to think about!!! not in a negative way at all, i think reis struggle with gender performance was really relatable+well executed.

ADDITIONALLY the fujieda bad end provides such an interesting take on this conglomerate between towa and his mother. the switches between pronouns were FANTASTIC and such punches in the gut. i absolutely LIVE for this monstrous uncomfortable weirdly gender creation and the little touches of “i thought there stood a woman....” and “it didnt matter to me if it was him or her”

5. somewhere between high empathy and cognitive dissonance

ngl, it is not inherently something i like but i am absolutely obsessed with the slight hypocrisy in the storytelling. (affectionately. they did well for what they had written out.)

shinkomi is a city filled with the impoverished, the disadvantaged and underprivileged, the sick and the preyed on. this is often mentioned and shown to be the case in the background, yet all the characters we meet live under stable circumstances. the danger never touches us, it is merely a setpiece. yet we are supposed to understand how rough life there is.

IN FACT CLASS IS SO IMPORTANT TO THIS UNIVERSE that i want to argue it was not necessarily the scars that helped fujieda and towa to bond, they were just a visual cue that thematically fit into the story. what really lifted any reservations between them was the recognition that fujieda comes from less than stellar place as well, that he has known a socially and financially unstable and dangerous enviroment. it eradicates fujiedas standing as a member of the upper class and makes him approachable.

mentioned under point 3: the underlying evil of the game is the sexual and physical abuse towa suffered in the past. yet current sexual abuse is often written to be sexy and appealing. it is quite dishonest

there is no love interest that does not have blood on their hands yet the only one to speak about his grief is taku. this makes sense because as a doctor, his sense to do good is deeply ingrained into his person, it is simply in character to do so. but shouldnt rei get to have a heart to heart about the people she had to beat in moneymatches, at the very least?

eiji as a character is this whole concept personified LOL i like him a lot

6. alas, fujieda is still in the trenches

slow damage really managed to cleanly wrap up so many little sideplots and the main mystery and tragedy surrounding towa and his mother was executed absolutely beautifully.

but alas, fujieda stayed in the trenches. he very much comes across as a side character to towa in the final route. yet he has his own trauma, his own regrets about his past, his own unresolved struggles. the end very much hints towards him and towa slowly healing together but ah.... i cant help but think i would have loved to see more that vulnerable side of him more...

from what i have heard about the artbook story (havent been able to check his afterstory drama cd out yet! but i definitely plan to listen to it eventually), it took half a year for him and towa to get physical again. thats so... strangely calming. the entire time throughout the post-shower scene i couldnt help but think they are searching for warmth but also slightly retraumatizing eachother. bro.. the sweet pain of seeing him readjust towas hands and face if he touched or kissed him in a wrong place. gently and quietly. without saying anything. you could tell he is still deeply hurt and was using the skills from his own undesirable past just to please towa. its very sacrifical in that way. this sounds like im not talking about what was really just a prostate massage but yeah. anyway.

i cant help but think fujieda hates sex. not that he dislikes intimacy. and he certainly seems to adore towa. but he has clear limits. sad but also nice to see, i think??? i love the vulnerability of it.

7. jast usa made a lifelike translation and everyone hated them for it

OK YES!!! YES!!! I DONT SPEAK JAPANESE!! but talking about it with my friends who do......... idk man i think they just tried to create a lifelike translation and put some funnies in there. its honestly fine. also on behalf of the very consistent they/themming i am willing to eat out of their hand. yes, yes maybe rei did not originally end all these sentences in “, hun?” but you know what. if english pronouns are putting a limit on you, you have to have him talk like a motherhen.

8. ok we have to do this. we have to talk about DISABILITY

towa is... so disabled. towas is deeply chronically ill. and we need to ackowledge this. to truly grasp a lot of the significance of the story. he is missing an eye, he is super mega depressed and suicidal, he is terribly underweight, no doubt his has multiple other physical issues caused by past injuries.

when everyone supports him unconditionally, they want to include and spend time with their struggling disabled friend. when people violate him, they are specifically abusing a disabled person with less chances to help and save himself. when taku is impossibly protective over him to a point where he neglects to tell him things, he is acting out a pseudo-custodian role he voluntarily picked up just because towa means a lot to him.

i spoke about this before but autonomy is of HUGE importance to towa. both because his specific backstory and childhood trauma AND because he is a disabled person. i think the fact people dont try to hold him back from going on self destructive sprees has a lot to do with this. they know it is his weakest spot. he does not react well to it. also shown quite effectively but how much freedom he loses in his bad ends.

in a way the madarame route makes specific use of this; madarame denies him his right to stay unharmed and stable and sells it to him under the guise of independence. but i think everyone can understand that this will never be a realistic permanent solution for someone in need of care, even if it might seem temporarily desirable. you cannot survive and thrive like this.

9. pick your coping skill; the game

slow damage, in my opinion, is a game mainly focussed on hurt and coping skills. everything towa does is a direct or subconscious attempt to cope with his life and past experiences. as such, to me it seems like the routes are less about love interests and more about different ways of dealing with it.

taku -> just fight the symptoms. take care of yourself. you can be happy in a new life. just attempt to bury your issues.

rei -> socializing is really really good for you and will help you build up confidence <3 also keeps you from running into traffic bc your friends will actually let you know your life matters

madarame -> just badcope lol. wear it like a shield and lash out against yourself and others. hurt hurt hurt but at least you dont have to work on yourself. it is the direct easy way out

foujieda -> radically tackling the roots of the issue. you will be SO hurt but you might be able to heal in a few years time

10. personal favourites (unimportant, i just wanna gush)

fav characters: taku (his old man sad boy swag has bewitched me, i just really love his struggle with doing the right thing, as a person AND a medical professional. he is the only character allowed to truly express his pain and guilt), ikuina (i love a good softspoken yandere what can i say. also flowerboy <3), igarashi (WHaT WAS HIS DEAL I NEED TO KNOW HOW HE ENDED UP WITH THE YAKUZA he is such a honest puppy of a person. his last post-game dialogue makes me think this isnt even a facade, he just is an upstanding person) honorable mentions: towa (how can you not be obsessed with him), rei (sweetest girl. literally did no wrong. joy of my life), eiji (HIS REVOLVER OCELOT LARP WAS UNBELIEVABLE literally hes just so funny and evil)

fav good/euphoria end: ITS NOT PERFECT BY ANY MEANS but taku. definitely taku. yeah the weird dependent relationship between a doctor and a patient with 20 years age gap is quite creepy. i could not imagine this irl. but their chemistry and just... fluffy, gentle, sweet bond. is. everything to me. while it is not the ideal solution by any means, i also love the sweet pain of towa just never finding out about his past and starting a new life without it. it will always hurt a little bit in the back. but he can be happy and surrounded by friends. I ALSO REALLY LOVE FUJIEDA GOOD END i think i would be way more obsessed with it if i saw them interact more in a very casual setting? since the plot moved on quickly, they had very little time to really... establish what connects them outside of painful things that happened in the past?

fav bad/madness end: FUJIEDAAAAAAAA it is so fucked up. it is the scariest one despite being the least bloody. there is something deeply deeply haunting about watching towa go through all of this, experience so much pain and suffering in the name of uncovering and rediscovering his own life......just for it all to be for nothing. he got worse. this truly is the most chilling outcome of them all and i think it is a fantastic last end for a story that mainly focusses on trauma and recovery. isnt that the ultimate horror story.

also i am quite fascinated that in every other madness end, towas life gets ruined by his love interests. fujieda however is as much in the role of a victim as he is, though. and the slight cry for help at the end really drives home why he cannot leave. they are caught in worlds unhappiest yet loving marriage.

fav route to play: FUJIEDA ONCE AGAIN just because the game got so quirky with visuals and you finally get all the information and clues and emotional gratification of it all. yes it also destroys you mentally but thats part of the joy.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY. reis route. it is so deeply defined by his beautiful friendships and there is a real sense of life and love when you see his little clique hang out... it definitely is the most fluffy and feel good to play through. i dont really like reitowa as a romantic pairing but seeing them hang out is SOOOO sweet.

thank you everyone for coming to my ted talk

#slodaposting

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thenovelartist · 2 years

Text

The Costco Calamity - Ikemen Prince

Dangnabbit, @scorchieart 's post did it again! I am inspired. And I realize I’ve been writing a lot of comedy lately? Three in a row; That feels almost off-brand for me, but apparently, I need it. XD

Premise: Modern AU; Adoptive Dad Sariel with Jin(18,) Chevalier(16), Clavis(15), Leon(14), Yves(12), Licht and Nokto(11), and Luke (7); Older Emma with Adopted son Rio(16, for the purposes of our story)

I also want to minorly apologize of characterization is off. I’ve only read Chevalier and Licht’s routes, so I’m working strictly off that.

...

Emma, by no means, thought she’d end up getting married in her thirties.

Emma, by no means, thought she’d end up getting married to a man with eight adopted sons.

And Emma, by no means, was excited at the prospect of dragging those eight adopted boys, along with her own adopted son, to Costco on a Saturday.

“I fell in love with the devil,” she murmured.

“Well, yes, that is my most common nickname.”

Beside her in the driver seat of their renovated RV, AKA the “9 Prince Bus”, Sariel smirked.

Thanks to the exhaustion, it was impossible to even fake a smile. Instead, she stared him down with a flat look. “And you’re the king of hell,” she continued.

At that, his smile fell. “Frankly, my dear, you may be as lovely and divine as Persephone, but the duties that come with being Hades leave much to be desired.”

Equal parts amused and exhausted, she huffed a laugh. She’d give him props for his flirting, but it didn’t make this lovely little excursion any easier to face.

When they pulled into the parking lot, Emma took a moment to take a deep breath before turning around to face the circus in the back. “Everyone out!” she hollered.

“Luke’s asleep again,” Leon called out.

Sariel sighed. “That’s what he gets for staying up all night, although I won’t complain if it means one less of you to deal with. Alright. Rio, Jin, go grab carts. We’ll put him in.”

“Got it!” With that, Rio leapt out of the bus, probably happy to escape for five seconds. To be fair, he was the outcast, having gone from living alone with Emma to being one of nine boys.

Tailing behind, Jin was the second off the bus. “Got it.”

“Why did I have to come again?” Chevalier muttered as he watched the others slide out of the bus.

Emma answered, “Because if you didn’t, Clavis would have wanted to stay at home, too.”

“And the fire department specifically asked us not to do that again,” Sariel finished.

“It’s more fun with you, big brother!” Clavis chirped, giving Chevalier a far-too-happy grin.

Which was met by a wholly unamused glare by Chevalier.

With a chuckle, Clavis hopped out of the van, leaving Chevalier to follow.

The clacking of worn cart wheels against rough asphalt grew louder as Rio came running back with a cart. Upon the sight, Sariel asked Leon to help him get Luke out of the car. Seven years old, and already he was huge. At this rate, he was going to outgrow Jin.

“Can I push the cart?” Clavis asked.

“Absolutely not.” Sariel answered, assisting Leon in putting Luke in the cart basket for now. He’d wake up soon, no doubt. He always did, but then he’d want to go meandering around the store, and he was just too young and, frankly, unresponsive to let go like the others.

Clavis let out a long whine, right in Chevalier’s ear. Chevalier sighed heavily, his patience quickly waning.

Emma reached out to pat Chevalier’s shoulder. “Don’t kill your brother, please,” she quietly asked.

“No promises.”

Behind them, ignorant to their conversation, Yves was glaring daggers at Clavis. “That’s what you get for running over a baker the last time.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Clavis countered, turning around and wagging a finger defensively. “He got in my way. It was his fault for not paying attention. I was aiming for the cookie cart.”

“I’d wanted a cookie, too.”

Emma looked down to see the quiet twins standing on each side of her. She pat Licht’s head. “I know; I’m sorry.”

“I had, too!” Nokto piped up from her other side, not wanting to be left out of getting attention.

“I’m sure you did,” Sariel spoke, sneaking up behind them to ruffle Nokto’s hair.

“That the list?” Emma asked, noticing the paper in his hand.

With a nod, he handed her the list they’d created together, one organized by aisle so as to move through the store as quickly as possible. After five years of doing this, they knew what to expect from this trip and knew it could go one of two ways: painful or excruciating. And so, they did everything in their power to prevent it from being the latter.

Although, even with all the pre-planning in the world, that wasn’t always in their control.

As she took the list, she pulled a pen out of a pocket in her skirt—a purse was out of the question; she needed both hands and all personal effects attached to her at all times during these trips—that she used to mark off the list as they went. While she gave the list one last look over, Sariel let out a sharp whistle.

On que, all the boys gave him their full attention.

“Everyone’s phone is on and loud, correct?” he asked.

“Yes,” came the chorus, though Rio, Yves, and Leon double-checked to make sure.

Of course, the ones who checked were the ones she wasn’t as worried about. Rio would be with them the whole time, as he always was. Likely because it was the one reprieve from his step-brothers he had. Yves was loud but non-destructive. He was bound to go meandering the bakery section before stalking the bakers in the back behind the counter. Though, Emma could do without the bakers calling them their “monthly little stalker,” it wasn’t too bad when compared to some of the boys. Then Leon…

Well, Leon could go either way after getting chased out of the food court a year back, laughing all the way.

“Alright.” Sariel heaved a breath, double-checking everything and slipping the bag of clipped coupons in his pocket. “Let’s go.”

And so, the almost dozen marched towards the store.

Please, let this be a decent trip. Emma thought.

Not that it would do any good, but it never hurt to hope it wouldn’t be total hell.

…

Once past the entrance, Chevalier disappeared almost instantly. He was another one Emma didn’t worry about. Worst he’d do is upset some kid who wanted to try out the chair he sat on in the gardening section.

“I want food,” Leon announced, already causing the dread to well up in Emma’s stomach and likely Sariel’s, too. “Orders, orders?”

“Whatever,” Jin commented with a grin, pulling out a couple dollar bills to hand over. “Extra for the kid. Don’t count on him being asleep long.”

With a grin, Leon took the bills. “Cool. Anyone else?”

“Hot dog; you know what I like on it,” Rio said, handing over a couple bills as well.

“Yup, I do,” Leon said. “Yves, want churros?”

Yves huffed, his nose wrinkling in disgust at the mere mention of the offending food item. Emma lost track of how many times he’d commented on it being gummy and artificially sweet. That kid had a palette for sweets that could only be rivaled by French pâtissier.

“Don’t get kicked out of the food court again,” Sariel warned before a chuckling Leon slipped away.

“That was one time!” he hollered before disappearing.

“One time too many,” Emma corrected.

“Are we sure I can’t push the cart, Jin?” Clavis asked, siding up next to his oldest brother.

Jin gave him a firm glare.

Which Clavis returned with a pout.

“Do not make me get a leash for you, Clavis,” Sariel warned.

“You told me I graduated from that when I was twelve.”

“That’s not something to be proud of,” Licht quietly commented, a sniggering Nokto at his side.

With a clap of her hands, Emma called everyone’s attention. “Alright. Shall we weave through the aisles then come up the center?”

“Please,” Sariel agreed. “I want to get this over with.”

…

“It’s loud.”

Emma looked down at Licht, who had been standing right at her side the last three aisles. “I know. I’m sorry—Clavis, don’t touch the cart.”

Clavis frowned, upset his opportunity to steal Rio’s cart was interrupted. Rio had only had his back turned for a second to grab the paper towels from the stack, but it had been one second too many.

Dumping the paper products in the cart, Rio simply smiled at Clavis. “Nah, it’s okay. He can push my cart.”

“Rio,” Emma growled, watching the unspoken threat. For all his sweetness, Rio had… a secret side to him that could set the other boys on edge. Clavis once made the mistake of not taking Rio’s threat seriously, only to be tackled by Rio in the middle of the store. It was embarrassing, to say the least, to be a bystander in a mortal combat match between two pre-teen boys in the middle of Costco. Sariel had to ultimately step in to rip the screaming boys off each other.

And Jin, unhelpful big brother he was, had the whole thing video-taped on his phone. Four years later, and he still would not let either of them live it down.

“No, really. He can. Why not?” Rio pushed, looking at Clavis with that worrying smile.

After a moment of silent debate, Clavis touched the cart handle.

Only for Sariel to grab the front of the cart firmly enough to rattle both it and the boys.

“Because,” he growled out in warning, staring down both the boys. “It is wholly impolite to throw fisticuffs in the middle of Costco. That is ‘why not’. Now, shall we continue?”

…

“Free samples,” Nokto murmured, looking longingly at the station across the way.

“You may go,” Sariel commented. “Take Licht with you.”

“Licht!”

With a sigh, the older twin acquiesced. “Okay.”

“Stay together,” Emma warned. “Keep your phones on.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Licht said before following his slightly more reckless brother towards the sample stand.

That just left Clavis, Rio, and Jin, with Luke still sleeping in Jin’s cart. Yves had disappeared two aisles ago after Sariel’s dire warning to Clavis and Rio so he could go watch the bakers make cakes. No surprise there.

However, what was a surprise was Clavis was still with them. Behaving, somewhat. Besides having to take out the little trinkets or small boxes of whatnot that Clavis attempted to hide in the cart, he was walking along quietly. Too quietly. The last time he’d been this un-destructive was when Chevalier locked him in a gardening shed display.

Which meant he was plotting something. There was no way in hell Clavis would just calmly walk through this trip.

But at the same point, Emma did not want to jinx it. And from the looks Sariel had snuck her, he didn’t either.

…

“We made it halfway through our list,” Emma commented, tapping the paper list with her pen.

Sariel quirked an eyebrow at her. “Really?”

He didn’t have to clarify why he was surprised. They were halfway done with no emergency as of yet, nor had there been any obnoxious items thrown into the cart, like a shelving unit or television. The loud speaker had also not gone off informing of an incident or asking for a parent to come collect a boy from the front where the manager was yelling at him.

“I see food!” Jin called out, alerting the two adults to Leon’s presence.

“Nice!” Rio piped up.

“Dog for you, Rio,” Leon said, handing over the square paper bowl containing a loaded hot dog to Rio. In his other hand were two pieces of pizza, and napkins bulged from one of his jean pockets.

“It just came out of the oven,” Leon said, handing one of the plates over to Jin.

“Nice.” Jin happily took the plate and immediately took a bite.

“Food?” a groggy Luke asked, rubbing his eyes and looking at the plates. He’d only just woken up a moment ago, and if he was going to spend the rest of the trip a little tired or otherwise occupied with pizza, then Emma would count it a massive success.

“Yup,” Leon said, handing over the last plate. “And this one’s for you.”

“Sorry, no honey buns this time,” Jin said, taking the offered napkins from Leon.

“Awww.” Yet, he took the pizza without complaint.

“Manners, Luke,” Sariel gently scolded.

“Thank you.”

Jin ruffled his hair. “No prob, Kid. When you’re finished, we need you out of the cart.”

“I can walk and eat,” he said.

“Last time, you dropped that on your shirt,” Jin corrected, handing two of the napkins to Luke. “So, no. You finish, then you can be let out of the cart.”

Although he sighed, Luke didn’t make any more of a fuss as he bit into his pizza.

“I saw the twins making sample rounds,” Leon said. “Know where Chev is, and I’m guessing Yves is stalking the bakers again. Clavis make himself scarce?”

In unison, Emma and Sariel looked up from their list. Doing a quick headcount, Emma realized Clavis, in the three seconds she’d had her back turned, had disappeared.

“Well, shit,” Sariel murmured. “So much for hoping he’d behave himself.”

“There’s a good chance he went to bug Chevalier,” Leon commented. “Want me to go check?”

Sariel paused. “Sure… if you’re feeling particularly inclined.”

“Yup, sure am!”

But before Leon could scamper off, Sariel caught him by the collar. “What’d you do?”

Leon chuckled, carefully removing Sariel’s hand from his shirt. “Nothing, nothing. Just… had to get out of there before they realized I broke the soda machine.”

And with that, he disappeared.

Emma felt a headache coming on. No Clavis, and Leon food court damage. This was turning into… well, a regular Costco run.

“I’m going to assume it was broken and that Leon was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Sariel commented, turning back to Rio and Jin, who were downing their food with the speed of your average teenage boy. That is to say, they were halfway done.

“Boys, you can slow down,” Emma spoke. She then turned to Sariel. “I’ll push this cart if you get the other. Give the boys a minute to finish their food.”

“Sorry,” Rio said, looking a little sheepish.

“Rio, just enjoy the food. You don’t have to wolf it down. It’s fine.”

That got him to slow his chewing. But with his mouth full, all he could do was give her a thumbs up in response.

…

“Chevalier, you seen Clavis?”

Chevalier spared Leon a glance before returning to his book. “I’m not his babysitter.”

“Welp… that’s not good.”

Turning a page, Chevalier just shrugged.

“I’d ask where you think he went, but I doubt you’d have an answer.”

“He hasn’t been here. I’d have known.”

“True. You have a weird Clavis radar.”

“If I didn’t, my life would be hell.”

Leon couldn’t even come up with a response to that. Instead, he just nodded in agreement as he walked to the next section.

…

“Are your parents around?” the lady handing out samples of frozen dumplings asked.

Nokto shook his head, but Licht nodded.

Which… did not help the poor lady.

“This where you snuck off to?”

Licht turned around, seeing Leon walk up to them.

“Hey, Leon.” Nokto piped up. “Try these!”

“Ohh, those look good.”

Oh dear, the woman running the sample stand thought, forcing a smile as she handed out a sample dish, another unsupervised kid.

Leon took it with a smile. “Thanks. Hey, you seen Clavis?” he asked the twins.

Licht did not look amused. “You lost Clavis?”

Nokto, on the other hand, did. “You lost Clavis?”

“I’ll take that as a no.” Leon threw the sample dish away. “I’ll ask Yves. And if he doesn’t know, no one does.”

Licht frowned. “Nokto, It’s gonna get loud.”

Nokto pouted. He wasn’t Licht’s twin for nothing; he knew that was code for “I want to hide in the freezer because it’s quiet there”.

“Aww,” Nokto pouted. “But it’s gonna get loud.”

“That’s not a good thing.”

At that, Nokto sighed, resigned. “Fine. Let’s go see Yves first. Maybe Clavis hasn’t wrecked the cookie cart yet.”

The mention of cookies was all Licht needed to brighten up like a sunrise. “Let’s go. Maybe Sariel will let us get some this time.”

Nokto was suddenly all smiles, too. “Okay.”

And with that, the three boys took off.

Leaving a very confused and moderately worried sample lady standing in their wake.

…

“Kid, how old are you again?”

“Twelve,” Yves answered the baker behind the counter.

“Come back in a few years, and we’ll have a job for you.”

Yves’ eyes widened at the prospect of getting to bake all day long.

“He’d love it.”

Yves jumped at the unexpected voice behind him. He whipped around to glower at Leon. “What are you doing here?”

“You seen Clavis?”

At the mention of that name, Yves inwardly shuddered. “Clavis? Is he loose again?”

“Unfortunately.” Leon looked around at the bakers bustling about. “Hey, aren’t you the baker he ran over last time?”

At this, one of the men behind the counter scowled. “You know that kid?”

The bite in the man’s voice caused Leon and Yves both to duck in shame. “Sorry. He’s our brother.”

“Half-brother,” Yves corrected, his nose crinkled. “I already don’t want to be related to him, so don’t say he’s my full brother.”

“Honestly, same,” Leon muttered in agreement.

“We won’t hold it against you,” the head baker spoke up, cutting off the other baker who looked ready to go on a rant. “I’ve met your dad. For as scary as he is, seems even he can’t control that kid.”

“Adopted dad,” Yves corrected once again. “Our real dad was worse.”

At that, the bakery went silent.

“Um…” A soft voice spoke up to break the silence. Yves looked over to see the twins had appeared without him realizing it. “Are there any cookies?” Licht asked.

“Yeah, cause Clavis ran over the guy last time and we couldn’t get any,” Nokto added before spotting said guy in the back. “Sorry. He’s an ass.”

Leon dropped a warning fist on Nokto’s head. Not that that did anything but make the younger twin chuckle.

“He’s not allowed to drive the cart for that reason,” Licht added. “Sorry.”

The head baker hummed. “At least you kids have manners. Your half-brother’s something else.”

“Tell us about it,” came the chorus from the boys.

“Anyway,” Yves spoke up, aware of the twin’s presence and why they were here. “The cookies? I saw you put some in the oven.”

“Uh.” The baker turned around towards the ovens. “Three minutes left, then five to cool.”

“We can wait,” Licht said, his eyes wide at the prospect of fresh cookies.

“Hey, there’s one more sample lady. Let’s go try it while we wait.”

Before he could answer, Nokto dragged Licht off and away.

“Welp,” Leon said, patting the front counter. “I’m gonna head back, too. I have to report to Sariel that Clavis is nowhere.”

Yves heaved a sigh. Couldn’t they have one nice day? “’Kay.”

…

Clavis was most certainly somewhere. He was looking for trouble that could be started.

The produce section was always a decent place to start, but it was also open to where he could be found. Henceforth, after quickly turning all the food misters outwards for one section, he slipped away elsewhere.

Ducking and dodging around a worker restocking a large display of cheese puffs—oh, there was a sale on snack barrels; no wonder they were all being set out—he slipped away.

Only to hear a scream behind him.

Well, that was quick.

He turned around to see the misters had gone off already. Problem was, one of them was clearly broken because a steady stream came out of it instead of a fine mist, making a lovely little puddle on the floor. A puddle some older lady had slipped in that landed her on her backside.

Her cart rolling, rolling, rolling…

Not that anyone noticed. The worker who had been setting up the cheese puff barrels had ran over to assist the lady and turn the food misters back towards the food.

All while the cart picked up steam.

Huh, so the floor was not level here. Good to know.

And curved right there. Also good to know.

Or was that just the front wheel? Clavis stared at the moving cart but couldn’t quite tell. Those shopping carts… garbage, all of them. You could never count on them going straight.

Ask him how he knew.

Just as it curved around, trying to find a place to stop, the runaway cart no one was paying attention to demanded attention by taking out a cheese puff barrel.

And Clavis had the honor of watching his chaos come to fruition all too early as over seventy snack barrels came tumbling to the floor, some cracking open and sending toxic orange cheese-flavored balls rolling everywhere.

Well… he supposed that was a decent start.

…

“Found him,” Leon said.

Well, considering his report, it wasn’t that he’d found him, but it was impossible to miss the tumbling cheese puff tower.

“Oh, he’s long gone by now,” Sariel grumbled. “So I think it’s safer to say we know where he’s not.”

Emma sighed. “True. Unfortunately, very true.”

“You want me to see if I can catch him?” Leon asked.

“Or I could go?” Jin offered.

“If you—Luke, stay close,” Emma warned, catching Luke by the hand before he wandered off for the fourth time. “If you want to, you can, but I’m not holding out hope.”

“What even is hope when it comes to Clavis?” Sariel asked, dry smile on his face.

“Is there such a thing?” Rio answered.

“No, but we can hurry up and finish this trip, hoping we don’t give him any more time to cause more trouble,” Sariel said, looking down at his list. “We’ve got a third of the store left.”

“Alright.” Emma clapped her hands, looking over the carts once more. Only to spy an object that shouldn’t be there.

Grabbing the bag of candy and liter of soda, she looked in between the two possible culprits. “Would you like to replace these?”

With a grin, Jin pulled out a few more bills. “I’ll pay.”

“Jin.”

“Please?”

With a sigh, Emma decided this wasn’t worth arguing over. “Ask Sariel.”

“Sariel!” Jin called out, taking the candy bag from Emma’s hand while flashing the bills in his other.

“And popcorn, too,” Leon added, pulling out his own wallet and holding it up.

Sariel glanced over, pausing in thought for a moment. “Fine. This once.”

“Sweet,” Jin said, dropping the candy back in the cart and handing the bills over to Emma. Though reluctant, she put the liter soda back in the cart, taking the bills from Jin, who was currently getting a fist bump from Leon. Maybe they were planning a movie night in their room, AKA, the basement. Made sense to her.

And she’d allow any non-destructive activity that allowed her a moment’s peace.

…

Nokto’s smile couldn’t get any bigger. “Whatcha doin’ here, Clav?”

Clavis turned around with a grin. “Nothing."

“Doesn’t look like nothing.”

Which, was valid. Clavis was standing in front of the ice cream, the large freezer door swung wide open.

“Don’t ruin the ice cream,” Licht flatly warned. “They were really mad when you broke the door last time.”

“I’m not gonna do anything,” he said, letting go of the door and holding his hands up as though in surrender.

Only for them to hear a crack when the door shut. Followed a crash.

And another. And another.

And another.

The trio watched as an entire shelf collapsed along the whole row of the freezer. Which took out the shelf below it.

And the shelf below that.

Licht just sighed as Nokto and Clavis were struggling and failing to withhold their sniggering.

“I’m leaving,” Licht said, quickly slinking away. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

Unfortunately, Clavis fell into step beside him, smile on his face as he strutted away. “Yeah, me neither.”

“Hey, Licht.” Nokto hopped up to his other side. “Bet the cookies are ready.”

“Cookies?” Clavis asked.

“Don’t ruin it again!” Licht firmly warned, glaring at his older brother with blazing red eyes.

“Yeah, even I won’t be happy if you do,” Nokto chimed in, giving Clavis a glare from his other side.

This time, Clavis decided not to test his brothers. Instead, he made a cross over his heart. “I won’t; I promise. The baker is still mad at me anyway, and it’s not good to press him twice.”

For being eleven, Licht and Nokto knew Clavis well enough to know Clavis wasn’t done causing trouble for the baker. Meaning, they better go get their cookies and run while they can.

…

They were almost done.

“Just the freezer section last,” Emma muttered. “Then we collect everyone and run.”

Sariel nodded his head tiredly. After all, they were not happy with the cheese puff incident and were going to have to yell at Clavis when they found him.

As they wove through the freezer section, Luke wasn’t able to keep his hands to himself, opening and shutting the doors, amused when they fogged up.

“Luke, stop that,” Sariel warned.

With a whine, Luke walked away from the door he held open. “Are we almost done?”

“Almost,” Emma promised, putting several boxes of frozen pizza rolls into the half-full cart Leon had offered to grab. With nine boys either close to or in their teenage years, they blew through food, and sometimes, it was easy to underestimate how much cart space they needed, particularly when they bought in bulk for a month like this.

“A few more rows, Buddy,” Jin encouraged. “Then we’ll be done.”

“… Fine.”

“You’ll live,” Leon teased. “Probably.”

“Ughhh,” Luke whined, deciding to ignore Sariel’s warning and open the next freezer door.

Only to scream when food came falling out on him.

“Luke!” Emma was the first on the scene, pulling him up off the floor, boxes rolling off him.

“You okay, Sport?” Jin asked, brushing off his clothes from the bits of ice.

Silently Luke nodded.

“This is why I asked you not to do that,” Sariel calmly instructed, walking over to inspect what had happened.

Only after he heaved a sigh did Emma look up from inspecting Luke for injuries and notice the shelves were broken.

“Clavis.”

“Seriously?” Rio muttered, beginning to help Jin shove the food back in the freezer. “How does he do this?”

“Rio, I know you’re the ‘newer brother’,” Jin started. “But even after fifteen years, I still haven’t worked out that answer.”

“Doubt any of us ever will,” Leon agreed, holding the boxes in place to prevent them from tumbling out again. “Chevalier might be the closest, but he ain’t talkin’.”

“Meaning we’ll never know,” Sariel said with a sigh, Luke clinging onto his hand. “And what a damn shame that is.”

…

“Clavis.”

“Chev!”

Chevalier looked up from his book to see his smirking brother. “Why are you here?”

Clavis plopped down on the porch swing next to Chevalier. “Because, can’t I sit and relax with my big brother?”

“No.”

“I’m not allowed to?” Clavis asked with a pout.

“Whether you are allowed to versus whether you’re going to are two different things,” Chevalier answered, turning back to his book.

“So I am allowed?” Clavis kicked back, rocking the swing a little too severely for Chevalier’s liking.

He planted his feet on the ground, forcing it to stop. “What did you do this time?”

“What do you mean?”

Chevalier glared at his brother. “You’re hiding. From what, is the question.”

“Aww, Chev. Do you want to know?”

“No, actually, I don’t. But since Sariel and Emma will be asking, I will ask you so I either know the answer or I won’t.”

Clavis gave him a strong pout. “You’re gonna throw me under the bus like that?”

Chevalier’s sharp glare narrowed.

“Ouch.”

“Maybe if you didn’t make a mess of things, you wouldn’t end up in such hot water.”

“But what fun would that be?”

“When is getting into trouble fun?”

“But Sariel’s face gets so red! It’s really funny.”

Unable to stand this worthless conversation any longer, Chevalier turned back to his book.

Clavis pouted. “You’re no fun.”

Chevalier refused to answer.

“Well, I guess I’ll leave.”

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Stupid? I never do.” And with that, he was gone.

And that, Chevalier thought as he turned a page, is what worries me.

…

“Are the cookies done, yet?”

Yves turned to see Licht and Nokto slide up to the counter. “They’re packing them up now.”

“Sweet,” Nokto said, excitedly drumming on the counter. Licht, for his part, just smiled like the sun.

“Here you go, kiddos,” the baker said, handing over a bag of cookies to them. “Your brother told me which ones you want.”

“Thank you.” Licht happily accepted the cookies before turning to Yves. “Thanks.”

Yves smiled, feeling warm at his little brother's attention. “You’re welcome.”

“Where do you think Sariel is?” Nokto asked.

“Text and ask,” Licht said.

“Done wondering around?” Yves asked.

“Well, we saw Clavis.”

That name had Yves’ hair standing on end. “What he do?”

“You don’t wanna know what he did,” Licht said. “But…”

Nokto looked up at the baker. “You guys have more freezer shelves, right?”

The baker’s brow furrowed, looking confused. “What do you mean?”

Yves sighed. So much for a nice trip.

…

They were finished. Now, they just had to wait in line at the checkout. Emma sent out a message to the five boys who weren’t with her that they were almost done and just waiting in line.

Chevalier was kind enough to give her a thumbs up on the text. Yves responded that he’d be right over, and Nokto replied he and Licht were on their way.

Clavis, though, was silent.

It was not a surprise. Clavis typically didn't answer that message. But for some reason, Emma had a very bad feeling about today.

“Sariel.”

Emma looked over just as the twins appeared, Licht holding a small bag of cookies. “Can we?”

“Pleeeeease!” Nokto added. “We didn’t get any last time.”

Emma looked over to Sariel, who somehow had the biggest soft spot for these boys. With a gentle expression, he took the cookie bag. “Okay.”

“Yes.” Licht’s smile nearly split his face in two while Nokto gave a fist pump.

… Okay, maybe they were just too cute and that’s why Sariel was weak for them.

Yves showed up shortly afterwards, looking huffy. Which wasn’t a good sign. “What happened?” Emma asked.

He glanced over at the twins, who seemed to shrink under his stare. “You want to tell them what you caught Clavis doing?”

Licht’s sunny smile was gone now, replaced with a rain cloud that Emma wanted to shoo away. Nokto was sniggering, though his head was bowed in preparation for chastisement.

In a flash, Sariel’s soft expression turned stormy. “What did he do?”

They were quiet for a moment before they quietly answered. “He broke the freezer.”

“The shelves.” Licht corrected.

“Yeah, those.”

Oh…

Emma sighed. “Yes, we know that.”

“Unfortunately,” Sariel muttered. “And he’s still loose in the store.”

“Want us to give one more look around?” Jin asked, Leon nodding beside him.

Emma pursed her lips as she inhaled a sharp breath. “Yeah, go. Rio, you got unloading the carts?”

“Yes, ma’am!” he chirped up with a salute. “You can count on me.”

She knew she could. That boy could unload and reload the carts as well as any veteran employee here. And the fact he could do it alone was wildly impressive.

Knowing that would be under control, she turned back to Jin and Leon. “Go. Don’t come back with anything other than Clavis.”

They gave her sheepish looks. “We’ve been caught,” Leon said with a smirk.

“Bummer,” Jin agreed.

She narrowed her eyes. She knew these boys so well. “Understood?”

“Understood,” they acquiesced before heading out.

Geez, these boys were going to send her to an early grave.

…

Employees Only

That’s what the sign read.

Now, that sign had always kept Clavis out, but today, after finding the badge and vest of an employee just laying around, wouldn’t it be kind to return it?

Clavis liked to think so.

…

“Chevalier, we’re almost ready to leave.”

With a sigh, Chevalier shut his book. This one was halfway decent yet not decent enough to waste money on. Emma’s text had warned him he best skip ahead if he wanted to know how this book ended, and the last chapter had proved this book would not be worth rereading.

“You haven’t seen Clavis, have you?”

Chevalier turned his attention towards his oldest brother. “Seen, yes, but I’m assuming you’re asking where he is now?”

Jin frowned. “And I’m guessing your answer is a no.”

“Correct.”

Despite the sigh, neither Jin nor Leon looked surprised.

“Sariel will have to call him,” Chevalier said, standing up from the swing. “You all know how this works by now.”

“Unfortunately,” Leon muttered.

With Chevalier leading the charge, they all headed up towards the checkout, making a detour so Chevalier could return the book.

Only, when he was there, he stepped on something crunchy.

Looking down, he saw he’d missed a bright orange… well, dust pile now.

“Ahh, they hadn’t cleaned up the cheese puffs yet,” Leon grumbled.

Chevalier was almost tempted to ask. Almost. But one looked at Jin’s grimace told him everything he needed to know.

Clavis had caused a scene again.

Placing the book back in the correct stack, under a few books of the same title so the weight would press the book back into resting shape, Chevalier decided it was best to head straight up to the front.

Only for a faint shout to stop him.

And Jin and Leon, too.

Leon was the first to open his mouth, yet it took a few seconds for words to fall out. “You don’t think…”

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Chevalier said.

“And when there’s screaming, there’s Clavis,” Jin finished.

As reluctant as Chevalier was—he was not Clavis’ keeper, for heaven’s sake, but on the other hand, Clavis was most likely to listen to him, and if he could get Clavis to behave for three seconds, he’d score points with Sariel, which in turn would allow him various luxuries—he decided to follow his two brothers towards where the shout happened.

But halfway there, there was an odd roar. Followed by people running and screaming.

Yes, that was definitely Clavis.

Picking up their pace, they ran towards the commotion. Only to see…

Well…

Chevalier’s lips pursed.

They should have left Clavis at home today.

…

There was shouting and chaos.

A worrying amount.

“What in the hell did that hellcat do?”

At his growled words, Emma turned to her husband. Ahhh, there was his devil smile. And contrary to what every fairytale and garbage romance novel would have you believe, it was not sexy. No, it was downright terrifying. She felt ice drip down her spine, and she was certain the other boys felt it, too. The twins had ducked slightly, putting a cart between them and Sariel. Yves had turned away, not daring to look at his guardian, and Luke was now hiding behind Emma.

Rio, for his part, was still assisting in bagging items, but Emma noted the way he had slowed his pace, fully alert to Sariel even though it was unlikely he’d heard Sariel’s mutter. Rio, along with all the boys, had developed a sixth sense in that way.

“He’s grounded for life, right?” Emma asked, daring to step into hell to break Sariel from his trance.

“Life?”

Oh, that wasn’t good. A new shiver of ice shot down her spine like lightning, and even she felt like ducking away.

“No.” Sariel sucked in a breath. “No, no, no. He’s grounded even when he dies.”

…

Everyone was outside, now. Jin, Leon, and Chevalier had brought back Clavis who, to his credit, had the decency to look properly ashamed about what he’d done.

But considering the fire department had pulled up after he’d lit a bag of flour on fire in the bakery, that look was not nearly enough to escape consequences.

Currently, Emma was back at the bus, watching as Rio, Jin, and Leon loaded up the back while the rest of the boys sat calmly inside. Sariel and Clavis, however, were apologizing to the fire chief, with whom they were on a first name basis.

Considering even she felt the need to reach for asprin for the Clavis-induced headache, she couldn’t imagine what the poor firemen were thinking upon seeing their worst enemy. Emma would ask Yves to help her bake sweets again in an attempt to smooth things over later.

“That’s it,” Rio chirped.

“Thanks, boys,” Emma called behind them as Rio and Jin took the carts back, Rio pushing the three stacked carts while Jin helped guide them from the side.

Sliding into the passenger seat, Emma heaved a sigh as she shut the door.

“Mom’s mad,” Luke whispered.

Someone shushed him, not that she knew who. Maybe Nokto; maybe Yves.

She felt someone pat her shoulder, only to see Leon giving her a sympathetic look when she turned to look. She pat the top of his hand in return.

“Maybe next time, we leave Clavis with the fire department,” Licht murmured.

That got even Chevalier to snigger. “Police department would be safer.”

“One of these days, he’s gonna end up there,” Leon agreed.

When Rio and Jin returned, Clavis and Sariel happened to be right behind.

“What did the fire chief tell you this time?” Chevalier inquired as Clavis slid into the bus.

The boy looked far, far too happy considering the situation. “He wants to know if I want to meet the police chief next.”

“Called it,” Leon chuckled.

“How’d you even start the back on fire?” Jin asked, grabbing Clavis’ shoulder tightly before Clavis could take a seat.

Plopping down beside Jin, Clavis just chuckled. “It’s a long story.”

“And it’s a long car ride home!” Yves shouted. “So start talking!”

As commotion erupted from the back, Sariel leaned over towards Emma. “For heaven’s sake,” he whispered in her ear. “Please tell me you don’t want children of your own.”

With a dark chuckle, she turned towards him, whispering in his ear in return, “We have every form of birth control under the sun, and if you want to make that permanent, be my guest.”

#ikemen prince #ikepri #all the boys #Modern AU #comedy... again somehow #Clavis is a hellcat #poor sariel

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dropintomanga · 2 years

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Video Games for Mental Health - AI: The Somnium Files

~Resist, allow your heart to take you! Never let this merciless world erase you! Passing down the light of the torch to guide you, And you shall be bathed in light!~

When it comes to reading visual material, one would usually think picture books. In the case of pop culture fans, there’s Western comic books and manga. But there’s a whole other medium that has gotten a lot of exposure since the start of the 2010s’ - visual novels. While there’s many notable VNs to discuss, I want to take a look at Team Zero Escape’s/Spike Chunsoft’s AI: The Somnium Files (AI is pronounced as “eye”) franchise due to its focus on finding connections and how messy the process can be.

This will largely be spoiler-free because discussing everything that happens in both games will take forever.

AI: The Somnium Files, created by Kotaro Uchikoshi (who’s most famous for creating the Zero Escape and Danganronpa series), is a murder mystery starring special detective Kaname Date and his AI partner, Aiba, who takes the form of Date’s left eye. The two have to find a serial killer, the New Cyclops Serial Killer, who’s plucking eyeballs off of people they murder. Date finds out one of the victims was a woman he knows and discovers that a young girl has the supposed murder weapon in her hands. Along the way, Date and Aiba meet a variety of people who help and/or hurt their investigation. To get to the truth, Date goes into people’s minds and dreams with the help of Aiba. There are a lot of twists as there are multiple routes and endings that all come together in one wild package.

There’s also a sequel that just came out in 2022 - AI: The Somnium Files -nirvanA Initiative-. The story takes place 6 years later after the 1st game. The premise goes as this - months after the events of the 1st game, the right half of a corpse was found. 6 years later, the left half of the same corpse was found with no decay at all. It’s up to 2 new protagonists, Mizuki (who is a major supporting character in the 1st game) and Ryuki Kuruto, alongside their own AI eyeball partners, to find the truth about the half body killings. While this is happening, something called the Nirvana Initiative is looking to cause trouble for the public.

I discovered the first game from a “top games of the 2010s’” podcast. It made number 11 on their list. So I decided to see what the podcast hosts experienced. AI1 was a emotional experience for me. There’s so much dialogue that will make you cry, laugh, cringe, angry, etc. Much like a point-and-click adventure game, you can interact with objects. Sometimes, you get some really great interactions with the cast of characters when you click on them. Those conversations feel like conversations one would have with friends in real life. Sure, some of them are dumb, but those kinds of moments make life bearable. The 2nd game continues that tradition too.

Speaking of the characters, it’s not just Date and Aiba who shine. There’s Mizuki, who’s technically the surrogate daughter of Date. They trade barbs with one another in comedic fashion. It’s cute to see because their relationship reminds me of Gintoki Sakata and Kagura in Gintama. In the first game, other notable characters include a teen idol, a NEET, a yakuza who worships idols, a crossdressing bar mama, and a female boss who throws out sexual innuendos. The second game introduces newer characters like a big chef wearing a mask to hide his disfigured face, a lovestruck former thief, and a mysterious masked female vigilante.

With many characters, the Somnium Files series does a great job at looking into the psychology and mental well-being of them. Whether it’s the dream sequences or regular interactions, one thing is for certain. What drives them, good or bad, is the people in their lives. That’s what I felt from these games. It’s about finding family in the strangest of places when all hope feels lost. These characters are driven to great lengths to gain attention from the ones they love. And more importantly, don’t be afraid to open your eyes when it comes to conflict. There’s absolutely heavy portrayals of what happens when mental health goes awry due to inner/interpersonal conflict in both games. Dementia, brain tumors, family trauma, survivor’s guilt, and self-hatred are some of the mental health subjects discussed in this series.

Date is a really great hero. There’s a caveat about him though. He’s addicted to pornography/cabaret clubs and this is played to comedic effect. I found Date to be endearing otherwise due to things the player learns in the last few hours of the 1st game. Also, Mizuki is great. She’s the total opposite of Date as she’s a physical powerhouse. It’s nice to see Mizuki carry on the torch in the 2nd game as she’s arguably the most popular character in the series.

With great characters comes great voice acting. There’s amazing talent on the English side for both games. Greg Chun, Erika Harlacher, Corina Boettger, Jackie Lastra, Allegra Clark, Dorah Fine, Zach Aguilar, Kaiji Tang, Patrick Seitz, Stephen Fu, Anairis Quinones, SungWon Cho, Amanda Lee, Y. Chang, Laura Post just to name a bunch. All the VAs seemed to have a really fun time working on both games because they all brought their A-games into making all the conversations worth hearing over and over again.

I’ll end this post with one of my favorite dialogues in the series from Mizuki.

Uchikoshi has gotten some attention for having progressive views as there’s a good amount of Japanese game developers who still think backwards about certain groups of people. There’s many people who think the Japanese are offended by most Western localization (ESPECIALLY with dialogue like this) and think Japanese people are all “non-political”, but I will say this - there’s Japanese people who do think about the feelings of minorities. It may not be many, but they’re there and outside of whatever internet bubbles fans are in.

And yes, humanity is rooted in weakness. I never told anyone that I was strong and I will gladly admit that I’m only still alive because I’ve had people who helped and supported me despite whatever differences we have.

So yeah, check out the AI: The Somnium Files franchise. It’s still very under the radar as the 1st game didn’t seem to sell a whole lot due to a lack of major marketing. Both games do have flaws, but this is a franchise made with a lot of love and deserves many eyeballs to reach the dream of being one of the most fascinating stories in a time where AI is gaining prominence in the real world and so much mental trauma is left unprocessed.

AI: The Somnium Files and its sequel, -nirvanA Initiative-, are out for the following systems (PC/Switch/PS4/Xbox One).

#AI: The Somnium Files #Kaname Date #Ryuki Kuruto #video games #visual novels #Kotaro Uchikoshi #mental health #psychology #Mizuki #Aiba

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lostplay · 2 years

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Game 24: AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative I would not call nirvanA Initiative the best Uchikoshi game out there, but it's certainly one that keeps growing on me the more I think about it. Like any Uchikoshi game, there is plenty of twist and turns when it comes to figuring out everything that goes on in the story, and what exactly is happening with the whole situation. The fact that it manages to still be incredibly consistent and work with it's largest cast to date is only something can be said as awe inspiring, and what makes this game keep growing on me with how many parts that needed to fit while at the same time balance out the cast for both of the games. Really the biggest problem I have with the game is kinda just playing it?

There was just something there in my playthrough that made this game not the smoothest sailing for me, and while finding out that part of it was bad controller configurations; I think there is just something missing compared to the first game. Like nirvanA Initiative is hella linear compared to previous games I have played by Uchikoshi. You are railroaded to getting two specific ending before ever attempting a different route, and I feel like that really diminishes a lot of the fun those games had. With the zero escape series you are required to get certain routes to actually get the true ending of the game, and even then you don't have to experience all the bad endings the game has to offer. The same can be said with this game's predecessor in the sense that you had a lot more wiggle room to move around till you hit an initial lock that would stop you from progressing. Yet with this game, you aren't technically locked to a route as the game uses typed in answers, and while it provides for a lot of neat little extra bits, I kinda just hate how I have to type in a game that doesn't let me have another screen. Like this game locks you into answering a question without ever letting you look into your menu or refer to anything unless you physically write it down. As someone that gets stressed as hell when it comes to writing simple words like "jump", I'm always worried i spell something wrong unless I see it there. Perhaps the biggest problem, really, is just this games over-reliance on typing in answers mixed with not having something to write down to refer to it.

Still, while i do have persistent hang ups with the way the game managed it's secrets and puzzle solving, largely I have no complaints with the story, characters, music, or graphics. Literally every bit of Nirvana Initiative worked for me, and the game is highly addictive to playthrough and try to sus out what exactly is going on. Even though you can know the tropes that Uchikoshi likes to use, the fact he always manages to trick us kinda feels like devil magic or something akin to a paradox puzzle that he'd put in the game for a character to explain to us. It's not so much that I want to hype up the twist, but more so want to point out that he keeps changing the twists in fun ways. On top of that, this game can easily be played without playing the first game, and while I would not advise doing that for something like the zero escape series; honestly I think it would work out just fine with AI Somnium files. Like nirvanA Initiative literally both works and is entirely separate from it's previous game, and I really would encourage anyone to just play this game because honestly Uchikoshi just kinda makes bangers.

If there is anything else I have to say, it really just comes down to wanting to praise this game's scope and unique premise. I still absolutely love the Somniums as both puzzles, and the unique visuals they have, and really just what this game sets out to do while executing it perfectly well. Not everything is going to be towards people's liking, but the fact the game gives heavy themes of people doing their best despite the situation is really something that helped me grow to appreciate it more. On top of all this, Uchikoshi being a clear ally and outright stating thru his characters that he wants to protect minorities and loves the LGBTQ+ kinda just makes me love this game even more.

#ai the somniun files nirvana initiative #ai the somnium files #AITSF #AINI #lost reviews #lostleader #lostlead8r #Mizuki is double the fun #Date is still useless cringy nae nae man #Uchikoshi says transrights #Ryuki twink babygirl #I wish Boss would peg me #Tama is gay married to Ryuki #Aiba is still a shrimp

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slxsher-disaster · 2 years

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Hey all, first actual post going up here!

It’ll be short, but I feel like being a total nerd in terms of behind the scenes work and the effort that goes into films.

So without further ado, today we’ll be talking about a film called The Deep House

It’s premise is not exactly what we’ll be talking about today, but for those who haven’t seen it I’ll give a quick summary. The Deep House follows a couple by the names of Ben and Tina (played by Camille Rowe and James Jagger) who run an urbex social media channel. Their next video will most certainly be the one that causes them to go viral, Ben assures (I can smell the hubris a mile away). With this in mind, they follow a seemingly very helpful stranger to a location that will be, for certain, one of a kind. A house, still fully intact, that is entirely submerged beneath the lake. They accept the offer and go exploring before finding out that it is still….. occupied, shall we say. The couple then find that they are trapped, and soon begin trying to find an escape route as their oxygen level depletes and they are hunted down by the occupants of the house.

We’ve all seen stuff like this before, be it in other films or ARGs from the internet, the plot itself is not too much of a foreign concept when looking at just the simple skeleton of it all. But what I’m impressed with personally is how they pulled it off and brought it to life on the screen.

While it’s also not a foreign concept to have films based underwater, it’s not typically done to have the whole set under water. The entire film (aside from the scenes on the surface) was shot underwater. This is where the creators of the film had to get a bit creative. For the actors of the not so dead occupants of the house, they had to put weights in their costumes so that they wouldn’t float. A lot of these actors, I can presume, do not have a ton of diving experience (especially since one actress was only ~12 years old at the time of filming and did an incredible job) as well.

This, while making the process of filming a bit more (perhaps a lot more) difficult, it results in a far more realistic experience in the end since, of course, it’s not based on editing, effects and CGI.

I will admit, this movie did give me quite the spook, it does a good job playing on basic human primal fears. I know it certainly took some notes from my book of irrational fears, and the sense of being chased is always horrifying to humans as is. Since water slows your motion and ability to escape your pursuer, it only amplifies that sense of fear in a marvelous way.

I know I was a lot more impressed with the film when I found these out. Filming underwater is quite the feat to the scale that they did.

As always, if you do decide to watch this film do proceed with caution. There may be triggering elements for some, you know what is best for you so follow your best judgement call.

Anyway, that’s all for my film rant on The Deep House, take care, and remember that sometimes there’s more to the world than what meets the eye.

#horror #horror films #horror movies #the deep house #films #movies #supernatural horror #slxsher-disaster #S.D. movie rants

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adamwatchesmovies · 3 months

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Captivity (2007)

Even if its lame twist ending and even lamer final scene didn’t doom Captivity to an eternity of hot coals and pitchforks, its eye-rolling attempt to cash in on the briefly popular “torture porn” horror subgenre would. Neither tense nor scary, it won’t even appeal to those looking for sleazy trash.

Fashion model Jennifer Tree (Elisha Cuthbert) is kidnapped and brought to an unknown location. There, her captor proceeds to subject her to various forms of psychological torture. When she discovers another captive in the adjoining cell, Jennifer and Gary (Daniel Gillies) search for a way to escape together.

In all fairness, this film is not as grisly as the films it wants to emulate, like the Saw and Hostel pictures from 2003 and onwards. Jennifer may get force-fed a smoothie made of eyeballs and ears, but it’s more about the idea of how disgusting it would be to eat that sort of thing than the person whose face got shredded to make it happen. There is one scene in which a woman dies after her face is melted with acid but most of the time, Jennifer is threatened, subjected to loud noises or blasted with blinding lights when she doesn’t do what her kidnapper wants her to. Most of the torture she experiences deliberately avoids dirtying up her pretty face - for reasons that are revealed later. It’s torture but not the kind you’d expect from a movie of this genre made in 2007. That doesn’t mean it isn’t trashy, however.

About a third of Captivity has Jennifer trying to figure out why she’s woken up in this strange place, what her kidnapper wants from her, whether or not she can escape, etc. It doesn’t take you long - far less time than Jennifer - to figure out that it's all part of a sick game. If our heroine finds an object that might help her out, if a route seems to lead outside, if there’s a glimmer of hope somewhere, it’s been planted so the weirdo in charge can get his jollies tickled. This makes you immediately suspicious of Gary.

I have to pause and explain in detail one particular aspect of Jennifer and Gary's bonding because it makes no sense and bugged me to no end. Between the two is a soundproof glass window that’s been painted black. They communicate by scratching away the paint and spelling out sentences to each other. The thing is, that… just wouldn’t work. There must be paint on both sides of the glass for them to write messages to each other. Do you spot the problem with that? Unless you scratch your message in a spot where your neighbor has already removed all of their paint, they won't see anything. It doesn’t really matter but it’s a telltale sign that this movie hasn’t been thought all the way through.

As you might've guessed, Gary is in on this whole kidnap-torture thing. He and his brother, Ben (Pruitt Taylor Vince), are psychopaths who kidnap beautiful women and torture them psychologically. At their lowest, the women are introduced to Gary. Inevitably, they bond, an attraction develops, the two are allowed to be in the same room and they end up having sex (Ben gets to watch, which is what he likes). Soon after, the women are murdered - presumably turned into smoothies. I guess I can buy that premise. It explains why none of the ordeals Jennifer goes through are “that bad” - forcing her to sit down and watch H.P. Lovecraft’s The Tomb or Mummy Maniac, both of which are advertised on the DVD, would be far more painful than some of what she goes through. It does require them to have this huge area dedicated to torture rooms and bedrooms with automated doors, hidden cameras, TV screens and all sorts of equipment but you can understand pouring a lot of time and money into your hobby - sick as it is.

The real problem is that you can tell director Roland Joff�� and writer Larry Cohen thought this reveal was going to have people picking up their jaws up from the floor when it’s obvious to anyone watching. At one point, Jennifer is shown a tape depicting the “origin” of Ben’s madness. He was being molested by his mother until he murdered her on camera. Here’s the thing. That footage isn’t shot from a first-person point-of-view. Someone else was there to film what happened. Put two-and-two together, Jennifer. Who do you think was there with him?

No bad movie about a female victim is complete with a groan-inducing "empowering" ending - viewable only in the unrated version of the DVD. Following her escape (no thanks to two idiot police detectives who get themselves killed faster than this movie’s chances of being good), Jennifer has slain the two brothers and re-entered society. In no time at all, she turns into the cliché to end all clichés: a serial killer who hunts serial killers! Give me a break.

The only thing worth remembering about Captivity is the scene in which Jennifer is forced to drink that eyeball and ear smoothie. It’s so gross and so ridiculous there’s no way anyone anywhere else will ever show that deranged visual on film. Even as something unpleasant you could subject someone you don’t like to, you could do better than Captivity. (Unrated version on DVD, October 31, 2021)

#Captivity #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #Roland Joffe #Larry Cohen #Joseph Tura #Elisha Cuthbert #Daniel Gillies #Pruitt Taylor Vince #Michael Harney #Laz Alonso #2007 movies #2007 films

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kogameh · 7 months

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I finished my first blind run of DigiSurvive!!

Being a blind run I, really avoided looking at my karma stats even until the end of the game (lol) but upon further snooping, I apparently the Moral ending so spoilers ahead (with images too, be warned)

I actually got a happy ending?! All things considered. Definitely reminisce a LOT from the original DigiAdventure (down to fighting in the villain's space warp thing...and especially everyone happily returning to their world leaving their Digimons behind) but I'll, leave my full onions on that premise for my ""full thoughts"" review-ish another day.

Since it's a happy ending of course the latter half is not as crazy as the first half and does have the cliche shounen ending trope of "why we should save the world because not everyone is evil" and power of friendship thing, but eh, I DON'T CARE. It was still beautiful and I'm just happy that everyone...well, survived, regardless ;_;

The only criticism I have is that since its borrowing a lot from Adventures, (with some 02 and Tamers here and there) some of the characters sadly doesn't feel as....fleshed out in comparison? I think that's to be answered mostly when I played other routes. But I still think Some things in this specific route could use some more...time? Renamon's death was too short-lived to make an impact, and while the interactions between the mons and their tamers were good, I'm not sure if anyone would easily buy them since 50% of them does feel boiled down as "I did this because I'm your destinied partner" and doesn't have the buildup like say, the original Adventures in comparison. Honestly that buildup between friendship is what makes the ending to the OG Adventures so impactful, man :^)

...I said that, and I thought I wouldn't be as sad with the ending if they pulled the same thing as Adventures with the whole "farewell with your mons for now and see them again someday" thing (which they did) but I still ended up tearing up a bit :^) so yeah.

I'm honestly glad that they used a video game format like this to utilize multiple endings and character deaths, etc, it really raises how high the stake the original Adventures could be if they went full horror with it LOL.

I'm definitely saving my full thoughts on the game once I played all the routes but I'm 100% happy I got this game !! I love Z/ero Escape games and I love hobbyani/moncolles, and Digimon is the few existing franchises I know can make this combination of two of my fav type of games work! A sequel with an actual murder game someday, mayhaps? Who knows.

Now I'm just gonna...try finish other routes with less stalling as I could since I Really want to talk more about this game but I don't want to risk getting spoiled by doing that haha.

PS. The ending song being Miyuki's song...that also turned out to have the same instrumentals as the intro music, that was a beautiful touch...

Edit: P.PS. The game also gave me this note btw. "You didn't die but if only you befriended that emo mf smh nobody would've been killed"

#kogami's scrapbook #i want to say minoru best boy but i got the most attached by gabumon/renamon by the end lol

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affordablelosangelesmovers · 1 year

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Top Sports Park near Los Angeles, CA

Introduction

If you live in South Los Angeles, CA, and want to get out into the open space without having to drive for hours, these parks are all within a 30-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles. The Silver Lakes Golf Course and Mojave Narrows Regional Park both have hiking trails for all skill levels, with much of the activity focused on lakeside views. Helendale Lake is also great for fishing and swimming, but if you want something more remote then head over to Apple Valley where there's plenty of land for hiking, biking, or bird watching!

Silver Lakes Golf Course

Silver Lakes Golf Course is a 9-hole course that offers a driving range and putting green. It's located in Apple Valley, CA, and is open to the public. The pro shop has snacks, drinks, and other merchandise for sale.

Silver Lakes RV Resort

Silver Lakes RV Resort is located in Silver Lakes, California. The resort is open all year and has many amenities that make it a great place to stay while you're in town. The price for a spot here is $60 per night, which includes water and electricity. There are no reservations available at this time so make sure to get there early!

You should know that dogs are allowed but must be kept on leashes at all times when outside of your vehicle or tent; they also must be cleaned up immediately after they use the bathroom (no exceptions). And finally: no smoking is allowed anywhere on the premises; smoking will result in immediate eviction from the park without refunding any money paid towards staying there tonight (or any other time).

Mojave Narrows Regional Park

Mojave Narrows Regional Park is located in Apple Valley, CA. This park has a variety of activities to enjoy including hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Mojave Narrows Regional Park is a great place to spend the day with your family or friends because it has beautiful scenery and lots of things to do!

Helendale Lake

Helendale Lake is located in Helendale, CA. It's a fishing lake with a boat launch and picnic areas available for visitors. The park is open year-round and has restrooms on-site.

Desert Trails RV Park

If you're looking for a place to stay that is close to Los Angeles, but far enough away to feel like you've escaped the city, Desert Trails RV Park is the perfect spot.

It's also a great place to relax and unwind. With its many amenities and activities on-site, this campground offers something for everyone in your family--whether they're into fishing or golfing or hiking!

Apple Valley

Apple Valley is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It was incorporated on May 20, 2007, and is one of the cities of the Victor Valley area. The population was 69,924 at the 2010 census.

Apple Valley has had several names since its inception as a campsite for travelers on Highway 66: Village of Apple Valley, Afton, and Avion Estates before adopting its current name. In 1933 during the Great Depression construction began on Ridge Route Road (now called Interstate 15) which ran from Barstow to Los Angeles through what would become known as "Ridgecrest". This road cut through an area known as "Apple Valley" where these families settled down making it their permanent residence over time while maintaining ties with their former homes around Los Angeles County; hence they were referred to as "apple growers" or "apple farmers".

Helendale

Helendale is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 2,621 at the 2010 census, up from 1,923 at the 2000 census. It is located about 45 miles northeast of Los Angeles and about 60 miles east of Palm Springs.

Helendale lies at an elevation of 3,558 feet (1,085 m). It is located along State Route 138 between Barstow and Needles on Interstate 15; Helendale Road runs through the town from south to north with several businesses on each side including auto parts stores and gas stations as well as restaurants such as Arby's fast food franchise serving roast beef sandwiches along with other items like curly fries or onion rings; Burger King sells hamburgers but not breakfast sandwiches here so they don't serve hash browns either because they can't compete with McDonald's who offers both breakfast sandwiches along with hash browns which are often eaten together during rush hour traffic jams when people are stuck waiting for other cars ahead before being able to move again

Conclusion

The Helendale Sports Park is the perfect place to enjoy outdoor sports in Southern California. Located just outside of Los Angeles, this 20-acre facility features three baseball fields and turf soccer fields that can be rented by groups or individuals for practice or games. The park also has an indoor gymnasium with basketball courts, volleyball nets, and more!

Movers

Movers can be a great help to anyone who is looking to move their office and wants to put the process in the hands of professionals. These types of moving services are perfect if you need any equipment or furniture moved as well because they will take care of everything! are very strong and can help you move from one office to another quickly and efficiently. Affordable Los Angeles Movers offer affordable moving services that are perfect for anyone in the Los Angeles area who is looking to move. They offer competitive rates and will make sure that your belongings get moved safely from one place to another. Movers are a great way to move your office and have it done quickly and efficiently. If you need help moving your office, don't hesitate to contact Affordable Los Angeles Movers today or you may find us online using these keywords Los Angeles Movers, movers in Los Angeles, movers and packers Los Angeles, LA Last minute movers, Los Angeles Moving company, Los Angeles moving services, Los Angeles office movers, Los Angeles Long Distance Movers, and Long Distance Movers.

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deep-rock-galactic-cheats7z · 2 years

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Deep Rock Galactic Cheats, Cheat Codes, Hints and Walkthroughs for Playstation 4

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥 The main premise of Deep Rock Galactic may seem simple right off the bat, but there are a lot of hidden details and hilarious quirks that will allow you to never get bored. Most dwarves stick to missions and beers without exploring any further. However, there are cosmetic secrets, hidden passages, and helpful tips you should know that will help you mine ore in a more fun and fast way. Deep Rock Galactic only came out one year ago, in , so we can expect more things to be added to the game so that there's never an end. Rock and stone brother! The most recent of which was the Lunar New Year. With an official board game in the works and a player base that is absolutely thriving, now is as good a time as any to grab your pickaxe, call some friends into a party, power up your Mule, and get out there to earn interplanetary riches. To make that easier, here are some tips and tricks to make the most of each mining trip in Deep Rock Galactic. While in the Space Rig, your home base where you select missions, you can grunt and burp. By pressing X, your dwarf starts making these strange noises. Maybe you're waiting for a teammate to hurry up at the store so you guys can start the mission, or maybe someone is AFK. Either way, try clearing your throat and using those ostentatious sounds to get their attention. That's right, you can get downed in the Space Rig. Your teammate will have to revive you, much like during a mission in the caves. If you're by yourself when this happens, you'll simply have to respawn on your own. Getting downed while in the Space Rig is a result of a seriously heavy craft beer. The Blackout Stout to be exact. This beer sticks true to its guns and will make you pass out shortly after drinking. There's a special control panel within the Space Rig that removes gravity for all players. While at the back, you can make a left and use a small elevator pad to get upstairs. You can access this area by going up from different routes, like the elevator near the Equipment terminal, instead. This area will have a large control panel that says Danger, Gravity Recalibration. Interact with it to let it all hang loose. So you've learned how to make grunts, guffaws, and burps in the Space Rig. This same button, X, allows you to call for other players during missions. When you're downed, being carried away, or captured by a cave leech, it's best to spam this button. It makes your dwarf say things like "Hey, help me! Using this button is critical for when you're not using voice chat or text chat. It's quick and easy. If you use it while not downed, it will simply call your player friends or Bosco to come over to your location. This can also be helpful for escaping. If someone is lost trying to find the drop pod, call out to them! This is a feature a lot of players perform by accident or are completely unaware of. Every biome and map in Deep Rock Galactic is procedurally generated. No mission ever looks the same. Because of this, you have to always use your wits and solve puzzles just to traverse through these caves with ease. You have to figure out how to reach certain areas and where special ores are. By creating a waypoint, you can mark these important areas and ores and come back to them later. The Laser Pointer reveals the official name of ore or bugs when you point to them. It can also create a ping for other players by pressing left-click. To leave a waypoint, you must press E while the Laser Pointer is out. By doing this, the waypoint will be visible on the map any time you press CTRL and when you look at your Terrain Scanner. No other players can see your waypoint except you. While doing missions, you may have stumbled upon weird machine-like contraptions in these alien caves. Perhaps you weren't able to interact with them. When you find random machines like this and strange ore you can't mine in caves, it's a part of a machine event. Machine events are special side tasks that reward players with next-level cosmetics and gear. You can only interact with machine events if you're dwarf is promoted. A promoted dwarf is like prestige. Once you've maxed out your level for a dwarf, you can't go any further with them until you reset their base level and promote them. This gives you a nice star above your profile border in the game and allows you to keep leveling up that dwarf. When you promote your dwarf, you're rewarded with a Tritilyte Key, among many other things. The Tritilyte Key is a reusable item that activates machine events. Machine events reward players with a unique weapon and dwarf cosmetics if you insert a Matrix core after completing it. If you don't insert a core, you still get experience and credits for completing the event. Both the Scout and Driller can freeze enemies with ease. The Driller starts off with a flamethrower but can upgrade to the complete opposite, a cryo cannon. The cryo cannon unleashes a piercing cold frost, freezing any enemy and ally in its way. The Scout starts off with a regular grenade, but while in the Equipment terminal you can upgrade to a cryo grenade. Freezing enemies prevents them from doing harm and allows all players to breathe and instantly kill these enemies before they can do anything. The special tactic here is that if any enemy is flying and frozen while in the air, they instantly die by themselves. You don't have to shoot flying enemies if they are already frozen. They drop down and shatter like glass. There's a hidden achievement you can get in the Space Rig. Many, actually. One of them involves a mug of beer and the barrel minigame. There's a minigame to the right of the Abyss Bar where you have to kick a barrel into a ring of fire to score points. If you throw your empty beer mug into the ring instead, you get a cool achievement. Many of the cosmetics in Deep Rock Galactic give a friendly nod and cultural reference to other popular media. If you read the descriptions of hairstyles and mustaches carefully, some of them may sound familiar to you. There's a big long mustache, like the one in the photo above, with the description " For some reason, you have an urge to dream up maniac machines and colorful contraptions. You can find other references like a mustache called The Swanson. Its description reads " A classic display of subtle, raw power. The Space Rig can feel like a maze if you really start exploring it. There are many tunnels and elevators and hallways to find. But there's one area that triggers Mission Control to stop you in your tracks. Upon entering a certain area, Mission Control gets on communication and tells you that you're trespassing and to turn back immediately. This leads one to think, what could be here? The location that triggers this Mission Control dialogue is directly above the drop pod. When you go up the elevator to the left of the Deep Dives terminal, turn right instead of walking forward. This will lead you to two entrances. One is the Memorial Hall, the other is titled Top Hanger. If you go into the left entrance that says Top Hanger, you'll find another elevator and eventually reach the top of the Space Rig and drop pod. Currently, there is nothing actually here even though you're asked to leave. Mission Control being adamant about you turning back immediately leaves players to wonder if there will be something special added to that location in the future. It's definitely something to look out for. But there are some tricks to make that landing a little softer. Another neat trick folks have found is that standing on top of an item affected by gravity, such as Lost Packs can also negate any drop damage. So if you find yourself stranded up high or suddenly falling at speed, try to find one of these things to aim for as it might just save your stubby-legged life. Similar to how flying enemies fall when frozen, enemies that pop nasty effects upon expiring can be bypassed by putting them on ice. But, there is a way to use this to your advantage as a Satchel Charge can down but not permanently kill friendly players. So for example, have someone take the full brunt of a bug charge, then after they do some damage and eventually drop, just carpet them with charges then revive them from underneath the huge pile of dead space insects. Ziplines in Deep Rock Galactic are both your mode of transport and the best route of escape. An unlockable for the Engineer, Proximity Mines are fun to use and great for laying traps for big swarms, but please on behalf of every mining group out there, put them anywhere but the floor. Literally anywhere will do but there, please. Unfortunately, they also do a good deal of friendly fire damage. Updated January 22, by Matthew Mckeown: Rock and stone brother! Read Next in indie games.

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